Crypto Critics' Corner

Today Bennett and Cas are recording an IN-PERSON(!!!) episode of CCC together! We discuss auditors exiting the cryptocurrency industry en masse, what's next for Binance, and how regulators will or won't take on the new global financial industries. Recorded on Tuesday, December 21, 2022.

Today Bennett and Cas discuss walking the fine line between beneficial and frank skepticism and full-blown conspiracy theorist, and how sometimes the line can get a little blurry. This episode was recorded on November 4th, before everything spiraled into an utter sh*tshow.

Today Bennett and Cas are talking about the collapse of FTX, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges, and its sister trading firm, Alameda Research.

Today Cas and Bennett are joined by law professor at American University Hilary Allen to discuss whether or not web3 and DeFi are shadow banking 2.0, and if they will lead to another 2008 financial crisis. Hilary's paper available here: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4038788 Read more: https://cryptocriticscorner.com/2022/10/27/episode-97-defi-as-shadow-banking-2-0-feat-hilary...

Today Bennett and Cas discuss two recent major cryptocurrency problems: one via Binance Smart Chain, a "DeFi" protocol built by CZ and the Binance team, that suffered a $100 million hack, and Mango Markets, a DeFi marketplace, that suffered a $100 million exploit. Another fun week in cryptocurrency. Other resources mentioned in this episode: Unchained Interview with CZ: https://youtu.be/J0XJesFkdl...

Today Bennett and Cas talk about what's going on with the Ooki DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization), why the CFTC is suing them, and why it's okay that Ooki DAO is not okay. This episode was recorded on Tuesday, September 27th, 2022 and edited by Bennett Tomlin.

Today Bennett and Cas discuss the best of times and the worst of times for two enormous Ponzi scemes: Celsius - a now bankrupt cryptocurrency lender - and Luna - an algorithmic stablecoin ecosystem once valued at nearly $60 billion, and the two individuals who ultimately led them to their respective downfalls: Alex Mashinsky and Do Kwon. KeyFi lawsuit against Celsius: https://iapps.courts.state.ny...

Today Bennett and Cas discuss Michael Saylor's reckless behavior, his departure as CEO of MicroStrategy, the tax fraud charges he faces, previous run-ins with the SEC for making up quarterly numbers, and why everyone should have seen this coming. This episode used clips from Laura Shin's wonderful podcast, Unchained, which you can find here: https://youtu.be/cuRRVo2Cmsc We also used clips from Joh...

In this episode Bennett and Cas are joined by CoinDesk journalist Nikhilesh De to discuss how to report on cryptocurrency.  This episode was recorded on August 5th, 2022. Follow Nik on Twitter .

Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey are joined by economist Frank Muci to discuss the challenging economic situation in El Salvador, including the need for austerity and the possibility of debt restructuring. Follow Frank on Twitter @frankmuci . A Spanish translation will be available on our website: https://cryptocriticscorner.com/ Para una traducción al español transcrita por favor visite https://cry...

We're back! Today Bennett and Cas are joined by Boaz Sobrado to discuss Tether's use in Cuba and why people turn to assets as volatile and risky as Bitcoin and stablecoins in sanctioned countries. Follow Boaz @ sobradob . This episode was produced by Bennett Tomlin.

Today Bennett and Cas are talking about recent moves by the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) to slow down token listings and perhaps even fundamentally alter the business models of every cryptocurrency exchange located in the United States. Episode recorded on July 28th, 2022.

Today Bennett and Cas are joined by marketing executive and substack writer Adam Singer to discuss all the issues and problems clearly visible and at the forefront of cryptocurrency companies. Follow Adam on Twitter @AdamSinger or read his Substack . This episode was recorded on Tuesday, July 12th, and produced by Asher Hirsch.

In this episode Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey discuss how Tether has been composing itself over the last several months. Interview with Paolo Ardoino with Dierdre Bosa: https://twitter.com/CNBCTechCheck/status/1545472707374071808 This episode was recorded on July 10th, 2022 and produced by Asher Hirsch.

Today Bennett and Cas are joined by Jackson Palmer, co-founder of Dogecoin and host of the Griftonomics podcast. We talk about how Doge flew off the rails, why Jackson has taken a few social media hiatuses, and why he's back and talking about cryptocurrency grifts and scams more than ever before. Follow Jackson on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ummjackson This episode was recorded on July 10th and...

Today Bennett and Cas talk about a civil suit brought by a former contracted employee of Celsius Network against the entity itself claiming that Celsius Network has, effectively, been run as a Ponzi scheme (and doesn't have the funds to pay back its debts). This episode was recorded on July 7th (before Celsius Network filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection) and was produced by Asher Hirsch.

Today Bennett and Cas are joined again by Molly White, the single best archivist of web3 fraud (on her website https://web3isgoinggreat.com/ ), to discuss the difference between criticism during a bull market and a bear market as well as a host of other topics. This episode was recorded on June 16th and produced by Asher Hirsch. Follow Molly White on Twitter @Molly0xFFF

Bennett and Cas discuss the risk of contagion in the cryptocurrency ecosystem and how the leverage between lenders and trading firms contribute. This episode was recorded on June 16th, 2022 and produced by Asher Hirsch.

Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey are joined by entrepreneur and owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Mark Cuban, to discuss NFTs, the proliferations of fraud, and whether or not algorithmic stablecoins are viable. Follow Mark on Twitter @mcuban . This episode was recorded on Tuesday, June 7th, 2022, and produced by Asher Hirsch.

Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey are joined by James Seyffart to discuss what has prevented a spot Bitcoin ETF, and what things may make it easier for that to finally happen. This episode was recorded on May 23rd, 2022 and produced by Griffin Davis.

Today Bennett and Cas discuss the recent Southern District of New York move to charge a former OpenSea employee, Nathaniel Chastain, with wire fraud and money laundering charges related to insider trading. This episode was recorded on June 5th and produced by Griffin Davis.

Today Bennett and Cas are joined by Mike Burgersburg (Dirty Bubble Media), a Twitter personality, writer, and analyst who has been discussing the systemic risks of Celsius Network and what could, and likely will, ultimately lead to its collapse. Follow Mike on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MikeBurgersburg This episode was produced by Asher Hirsch and recorded on Thursday, June 9th, 2022.

Today Bennett and Cas are joined by Mario Gibney, host of the Unhashed Podcast and employee at a Bitcoin lending service called Ledn. We debate pre-philanthropic billionaires, lending services in the Bitcoin and DeFi industries, and other weird topics. Follow Mario on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Mario_Gibney This episode was produced by Asher Hirsch.

Today Bennett and Cas discuss a recent phenomena in regard to media personalities either not doing due diligence on sponsors or pretending that any criticism must be coming from a place of malicious intent. This episode was produced by Griffin Davis.

Bennett and Cas have the opportunity to speak to Domingo Flores, a privacy and infosec specialist who's gained an understanding into key parts of Chivo wallet's functionality. Follow Domingo on Twitter https://twitter.com/domingroso This episode was produced by Asher Hirsch and recorded on Monday, May 9th, 2022.