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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(DALL-E/CoinDesk)
Arbitrum Surges Ahead as Ethereum’s Layer 2 Landscape Takes Shape
Layer 2 rollups now see more transaction volume than Ethereum’s main network.
(DALL-E/CoinDesk)
(Pornpak Khunatorn/Getty Images)
How the SEC Could Reshape Ethereum’s Staking Landscape for the Better
By shutting down Kraken’s staking service, the SEC could shift power over Ethereum toward solo stakers and decentralized alternatives.
(Pornpak Khunatorn/Getty Images)
Uniswap unicorn balloon (Getty Images)
Uniswap Vote on BNB Deployment Ends With Silicon Valley’s A16Z on Losing Side
Uniswap’s community wants to bring the exchange to BNB Chain before copycats can launch identical competitors.
Uniswap unicorn balloon (Getty Images)
(Sanja Baljkas/Getty Images)
Contentious Uniswap Vote Highlights the Opaqueness of Decentralized Governance
A16z didn’t quash a proposal to launch Uniswap onto Binance’s BNB Chain, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t have.
(Sanja Baljkas/Getty Images)
(Creative Commons)
The =nil; Foundation Says Its New Software Is Rocket Fuel for Zero-Knowledge Developers
The firm has already raised $22 million to build a suite of zero-knowledge developer tools.
(Creative Commons)
Wormhole (Getty Images)
Wormhole Wins Vote to Be Uniswap’s Designated Bridge to BNB Chain
Uniswap aims to deploy its version 3 decentralized exchange on BNB Chain before its business source license expires on April 1. LayerZero, a target of recent criticism for und...
Wormhole (Getty Images)
LayerZero CEO Bryan Pellegrino at Crypto Bahamas 2022 (Danny Nelson/CoinDesk)
Bridge Platform LayerZero Denies Allegations It Kept ‘Backdoor’ Secret
The allegations from the head of Nomad, a LayerZero competitor, come just before Uniswap votes on whether to partner with LayerZero.
LayerZero CEO Bryan Pellegrino at Crypto Bahamas 2022 (Danny Nelson/CoinDesk)
The outcry at Secret Network has spilled out into the open. (Willgard Krause/Pixabay)
Secret Blockchain Suffers Departures as Foundation Head's $2M-Plus Dividend Sparks Outcry
Several validators have paused operations on the privacy-focused Secret Network in recent weeks, which could spell trouble for the blockchain’s survival.
The outcry at Secret Network has spilled out into the open. (Willgard Krause/Pixabay)
(Pixabay)
The Money in Ethereum's Middleware: Can Flashbots Still Call Itself a 'Public Good'?
Should a “public good” have a $1 billion valuation?
(Pixabay)
(Billy Huynh/Unsplash)
Stellar Foundation Nicked by Genesis Bankruptcy With $13M Claim
The Stellar Development Foundation was revealed to be among the bankrupt crypto lending desk’s largest creditors.
(Billy Huynh/Unsplash)