Erik Voorhees: ShapeShift – There's a New Fox in Town

We’re joined by Erik Voorhees, Founder & CEO of Shapeshift. His third appearance on the podcast is timed nicely as July marked ShapeShift’s fifth anniversary. From its early days as the “Google Translate for cryptocurrencies”, it has grown into an organization of 75 people, and Erik talks about the learning curves he has endured on his journey. Our conversation also coincides with the launch of ShapeShift’s brand new V2 platform, which includes a self-custodial asset management dashboard, hardware wallet support, and many other new features. One notable change is that ShapeShift now requires users to create an account and perform KYC, something which very much pains Erik. We also discuss Bitcoin, Libra, and the future of money, topics which are always fascinating to approach from Erik’s Libertarian viewpoint.

Topics covered in this episode:

• ShapeShift celebrating its 5th anniversary the lessons learned since launch
• What is ShapeShift 2.0 and the problems addressed by this product
• ShapeShift's new features and what people can expect to come in the future
• Why users now have to register and perform KYC
• What is the FOX token and what is it's utility
• ShapeShift's business model and target segment
• Why the company chose to shut down Prism
• Erik's views on the Bitcoin and Ethereum ecosystems today
• Speculations about Libra and the future of money

Episode links:

• ShapeShift
• ShapeShift on GitHub
• Building a Bridge to Financial Sovereignty (ShapeShift 2.0 announcement)
• Erik's tweetstorm on Libra
• KeepKey Release Notes
• ShapeShift Twitter
• Erik Voorhees Twitter

Sponsors:

• Trail of Bits: Trust the team at the forefront of blockchain security research - https://trailofbits.com
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• StarkWare Sessions: September 16th in Tel Aviv – 20% off with the code EPICENTER - https://epicenter.rocks/starkware

This episode is hosted by Sebastien Couture & Friederike Ernst. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/300