0xResearch Jito BAM and Solana Market Structure | Lucas Bruder
Feb 20, 2026
Lucas Bruder, co-founder of Jito Labs who leads work on Jito’s BAM block builder, focuses on privacy, verifiability, and app-controlled execution. He explains why BAM was built and how application-controlled execution can improve trading and pricing. Conversation covers MCP, slot-time reductions, staking thresholds for adoption, JitoSOL ETF efforts, and how builders can coexist while reducing fragmentation.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Pacing Enables Effective Ordering
- Pacing transaction execution within a slot (rather than packing fast then idling) creates time to collect and sort txs for ACE.
- Lucas's validators build full blocks in ~150ms, so pacing spreads CU consumption to enable meaningful ordering.
MCP Changes, But BAM Still Matters
- MCP (multiple concurrent proposers) will change block building: many producers create blocks and the protocol stitches and orders by priority fee.
- MCP increases censorship resistance and redundancy but won't eliminate the need for verifiable, private builders like BAM.
Reach Critical Stake To Attract Apps
- Aim for a meaningful share of network stake (25%+ now) to show ACE value and attract app integrations.
- Provide fallbacks so applications handle both BAM and non-BAM validators smoothly during rollout.