logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2021
33m 34s

What Eth 2.0 Meant in 2014 and What It M...

COINDESK
About this episode

In this week’s episode, CoinDesk’s Christine Kim and Will Foxley, along with Consensys’ Ben Edgington, discuss the importance of naming conventions around the Ethereum 2.0 upgrade and the impact of staking on the long-term market value of ETH. 

Did you know the first use of the term “Ethereum 2.0” was by founder of Ethereum Vitalik Buterin back in April 2014 when he first began exploring the benefits of proof-of-stake (PoS) blockchain protocols?

At the time, Ethereum 2.0 referenced one thing and one thing only: a version of the Ethereum blockchain protocol secured entirely through proof-of-stake validation, as opposed to proof-of-work mining. 

Over the years, Ethereum 2.0 as a term has evolved and grown to encompass other improvements to the network including optimizations for scalability, smart contract functionality and blockchain interoperability. 

Given recent discussion over proposals to speed up Ethereum’s transition to PoS, certain developers such as the Ethereum Foundation’s Danny Ryan are pushing back on using the loaded terminology of Eth 2.0. 

“It’s not just about naming things. It’s about how the Ethereum roadmap has kind of evolved over the years,” said Edgington, adding: “It’s not just about changing names for the sake of it. It’s about saying, ‘We’re not doing a new chain anymore. This is no longer the plan. We are upgrading the existing chain.’”

As plans for Ethereum’s future change, so, too, will conventional naming for its updated roadmap. Keeping up with constant iteration to Eth 2.0 and what this upgrade will actually entail, however, is a “moving target” that, according to Foxley, many mainstream financial analysts are in the dark and left wondering about. 

Some, as I point out, are also worrying about the impacts of an imminent PoS protocol on the long-term value of ether. Given that under PoS it will require less computational energy to create new coins on Ethereum, could the market value of ether be negatively impacted as a result? 

Listen to the full podcast to hear from Foxley, Edgington and Kim on what’s at stake for Eth 2.0. 

Links mentioned in this podcast: 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Up next
Aug 2021
The Ethereum Project: Saying Goodbye to Mapping Out Eth 2.0
In the latest episode of “Mapping out Ethereum 2.0,” CoinDesk’s Christine Kim and Consensys’ Ben Edgington announce the podcast is coming to a close, but finish strong, discussing Visa’s $165,000 CryptoPunk purchase, “orphaned blocks” on the Beacon Chain and the Ethereum gas limi ... Show More
32m 32s
Aug 2021
The Flippening: Key Metrics Where Ethereum Is Outperforming Bitcoin
In this week’s episode of “Mapping out Ethereum 2.0,” CoinDesk’s Christine Kim and Consensys’ Ben Edgington invite Alexander Blum, the managing director of digital asset investment fund, Two Prime, to discuss institutional interest in ether, regulatory trends in DeFi and key metr ... Show More
36m 46s
Aug 2021
The Value of NFTs in the View of a Cybersecurity Lawyer
In this week’s episode, CoinDesk’s Christine Kim and Consensys’ Ben Edgington are joined by cybersecurity and privacy litigator Sean C. Griffin to discuss the regulatory environment of non-fungible tokens (NFTs). This episode is sponsored by Unique One Network.Edgington bought hi ... Show More
33m 49s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2020
RESEARCH: The One-Way ETH 'Burn' That Will Kick-Start Ethereum 2.0
With the final preparations for the launch of Ethereum 2.0 soon to be underway, CoinDesk's Christine Kim spoke with Developers Raul Jordan and Eduardo Antuña Díez about what's left to do.This episode is sponsored by Crypto.com, Bitstamp and Nexo.io.Lead developer at Prysmatic Lab ... Show More
35m 8s
Mar 2022
Crypto Update 3/29/22 | Traders Bet on Ether Staking After Eth 2.0 Upgrade
With ETH's net issuance pointing to a supply squeeze ahead and a look at what to expect with ETH 2.0, CoinDesk’s Markets Daily is back with the latest news roundup.This episode is sponsored by Kava, Arculus and PathDAO. Today's Stories:Bitcoin Nears 200-Day Average Ahead of Seaso ... Show More
11m 36s
Mar 2022
Crypto Update 3/23/22 | The Future of Ethereum Sucks, and I Feel Fine
With bitcoin and ether dropping as investors eye the bearish implications of lingering macro uncertainty, plus a brief look at the future of Ethereum, CoinDesk’s Markets Daily is back with the latest news roundup.This episode is sponsored by Kava, Arculus and PathDAO. Today's Sto ... Show More
15m 45s
May 2021
Ethereum: Into the Ether - [Business Breakdowns, EP. 09]
Today we will be breaking down Ethereum. Launched in 2015, Ethereum is an open-source, blockchain-based platform with a native cryptocurrency, Ether. Today, ETH stands as the second most valuable cryptocurrency to Bitcoin, and Ethereum is the preferred platform for blockchain pro ... Show More
1h 12m
Nov 2020
Bitcoin News Roundup for Nov. 24, 2020
With BTC breaking $19K and Ethereum 2.0 ready to launch, CoinDesk’s Markets Daily is back for your latest crypto news roundup!This episode is sponsored by Crypto.com and Nexo.io.Today's stories:Bitcoin Breaks $19K, New All-Time High Seems Imminent Bitcoin, the world's No.1 crypto ... Show More
7m 12s
Sep 2022
The Ethereum Network Just Experienced a Monumental Development
For years, it's been on the Ethereum roadmap to transition its blockchain from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake. Well, it's finally happened. This means that there are no more "miners" validating blocks on the Ethereum network. Instead, they've been replaced with "stakers" or "val ... Show More
1 h
Oct 2023
MARKETS DAILY: Crypto Update | Ether ETFs, Validator Growth, and Uptober's Strong Start
Noelle Acheson, the mind behind the Crypto Is Macro Now newsletter, delves into ether ETFs, Ethereum staking, macro moves, and more. Today's episode is sponsored by CME Group. Today’s Stories:Evergrande: China Comes Under Growing Pressure to Fix the Country’s Housing Market - WSJ ... Show More
12m 8s
Sep 2022
Babbage: Will Ethereum’s merge transform crypto?
A monumental shift is about to take place in the crypto world. One of the most important blockchain projects, Ethereum, is set to change the way it secures its network—from the energy-intensive “proof-of-work” system to the greener “proof-of-stake” method. Known as “the merge”, t ... Show More
42m 49s
Jan 2024
203 - ETH in 2024
✨ DEBRIEF | Ryan & David unpacking the episode: https://www.bankless.com/debrief-eth-2024  ----- 2023 wasn’t great for Ethereum… from a price perspective. But it was fantastic from a building perspective. Where does Ethereum go from here? What does 2024 have in store for ETH the ... Show More
1h 46m