DeFi Degens Are Crypto’s Suicide Squad

A look at the subculture and ethos driving the white-hot DeFi space, which has grown from $2 billion to $9 billion in total value locked in just two months.

AccessTimeIconSep 3, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. UTC
Updated Sep 14, 2021 at 9:52 a.m. UTC
AccessTimeIconSep 3, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. UTCUpdated Sep 14, 2021 at 9:52 a.m. UTC
AccessTimeIconSep 3, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. UTCUpdated Sep 14, 2021 at 9:52 a.m. UTC

A look at the subculture and ethos driving the white-hot DeFi space, which has grown from $2 billion to $9 billion in total value locked in just two months.

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This episode is sponsored by Crypto.comBitstamp and Nexo.io.

Today on the Brief:

  • Traditional markets falter, led by tech stocks
  • Bitcoin falls under $11,000 for the first time since July
  • Stablecoins mint $100 million daily since mid-July

Our main discussion is about DeFi’s “degens.” NLW talks about:

  • The numbers behind DeFi’s recent run-up
  • What “degen” means in this context
  • Why degen is, in part, a reaction to previous bitcoiner critiques of Ethereum 
  • Why degen is (in even bigger part) a reaction to a no-yield, artificially low interest world

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