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Sam Kessler

Sam Kessler

Sam is CoinDesk's deputy managing editor for tech and protocols. His reporting is focused on decentralized technology, infrastructure and governance. Sam holds a computer science degree from Harvard University, where he led the Harvard Political Review. He has a background in the technology industry and owns some ETH and BTC. Sam was part of the team that won a 2023 Gerald Loeb Award for CoinDesk's coverage of Sam Bankman-Fried and the FTX collapse.

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Hayden Adams, CEO of Uniswap Labs. (LinkedIn)
Technology
Uniswap
Uniswap's Hayden Adams: Q&A on Weathering the Regulatory Storm, What’s Next for DeFi
After the recent release of a proposal for a new "v4" version of the decentralized exchange Uniswap, CoinDesk's Sam Kessler chats with Uniswap Labs CEO Hayden Adams about the...
Hayden Adams, CEO of Uniswap Labs. (LinkedIn)
By Sam Kessler
Jun 26, 2023 at 7:22 p.m. UTC
Jun 26, 2023
Uniswapdecentralized exchangesDecentralized exchangeDeFiDEXEthereum
(Unsplash/Dan Cristian Pădureț)
Technology
Zkevm
ZkSync Developer Releases Toolkit for Building Ethereum Rollups
The toolkit will make it easier for crypto developers to spin up fast and cheap blockchains powered by zero-knowledge proofs, one of this year’s hottest technologies in the di...
(Unsplash/Dan Cristian Pădureț)
By Sam Kessler
Jun 26, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. UTC
Jun 26, 2023
ZkevmZksync eraSDK
Flashbots is beefing up its hiring ahead of a reported Series B funding round. (Danny Nelson/CoinDesk)
CoinDesk News
Flashbots
Flashbots Confirms Top Strategy Researcher Obadia to Depart Amid ‘Strategic’ Hiring Push
Obadia cited personal reasons for his departure but warned of "serious challenges" for Flashbots in a letter posted to Twitter.
Flashbots is beefing up its hiring ahead of a reported Series B funding round. (Danny Nelson/CoinDesk)
By Sam Kessler
Jun 20, 2023 at 10:37 p.m. UTC
Jun 20, 2023
FlashbotsMEVFundraiseHiring
(Aleksandr Barsukov/Unsplash)
Technology
Uniswap
Unveiling the Uniswap Foundation's Bridge Report: Winners and Losers
Wormhole and Axelar take top honors after a months-long assessment process aimed at addressing concerns with Uniswap’s previous bridge selection practices.
(Aleksandr Barsukov/Unsplash)
By Sam Kessler
Jun 15, 2023 at 4:00 p.m. UTC
Jun 15, 2023
UniswapBridgeDAOaxelarWormholeLayerZero
Uniswap booth at ETHDenver 2023 (Danny Nelson/CoinDesk)
Technology
Uniswap
Uniswap Labs Releases Its Plan for Uniswap v4, Invites Community Feedback
The biggest decentralized crypto exchange is opening its development process to the public for the first time as the SEC cracks down on its centralized competitors.
Uniswap booth at ETHDenver 2023 (Danny Nelson/CoinDesk)
By Sam Kessler
Jun 13, 2023 at 12:54 p.m. UTC
Jun 13, 2023
UniswapUniswap LabsDEXCEX
Screen grab from video purporting to show a user smashing a hardware wallet with a hammer and then setting it ablaze with a blowtorch. (@oklahodl1/Twitter)
Technology
Analysis
Ledger Recover Fiasco Exposes Gap Between Blockchain Ideals and Technical Reality
After a video went viral of what appears to be a hardware wallet getting smashed with a hammer and then blow-torched into a charred mass, Ledger (and all of the crypto industr...
Screen grab from video purporting to show a user smashing a hardware wallet with a hammer and then setting it ablaze with a blowtorch. (@oklahodl1/Twitter)
By Sam Kessler
May 24, 2023 at 5:19 p.m. UTC
May 24, 2023
Analysishardware walletLedgerTrezorBitcoinEthereumSelf custodyThe Protocol
Ledger hardware wallet (Hendrik Morkel via Unsplash)
Technology
Ledger
Ledger Bats Back Criticism of New Wallet Recovery Service
“You’re saying this is not what customers want. Actually, this is what future customers want,” said Ledger CEO Pascal Gauthier.
Ledger hardware wallet (Hendrik Morkel via Unsplash)
By Sam Kessler
May 16, 2023 at 6:30 p.m. UTC
May 16, 2023
LedgerSecurityHardware
(Getty Images)
Technology
Ethereum
Ethereum Resumes Finalizing Blocks after Second Performance Hiccup in 24 Hours
When blocks are not being finalized, it is possible that pending transactions might be re-ordered or dropped from the network. Developers haven't determined the source of the...
(Getty Images)
By Sage D. YoungSam Kessler
May 12, 2023 at 7:32 p.m. UTC
May 12, 2023
EthereumSecurityBlockTransactions
(Getty Images)
Technology
Wallet
Crypto Security Firm Dfns Adds Biometric Support to Wallet Development Toolkit
The addition will allow wallet developers to incorporate Face ID, fingerprints, and other convenient authentication methods into their products.
(Getty Images)
By Sam Kessler
May 9, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. UTC
May 9, 2023
WalletSecurity
(Carol Yepes/Getty Images)
Technology
Worldcoin
Sam Altman’s Crypto Project, Worldcoin, Releases First Major Consumer Product
Worldcoin’s “minimalist” wallet, World App, wants to help you prove you’re human in the age of AI.
(Carol Yepes/Getty Images)
By Sam Kessler
May 8, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. UTC
May 8, 2023
worldcoinAIIdentity