In The Middle of The Before and After with Ariel Wengroff

Oct 28, 2025

Ariel Wengroff, EVP of Marketing & Communications at Ledger and a former VICE executive, unpacks the convergence of media and crypto in the age of transparency. She reflects on her VICE days and the critical demand for truth against AI-driven skepticism. Ariel emphasizes the necessity of secure signers for digital ownership and warns against the risks of biometrics. They also discuss how crypto struggles with messaging and the importance of a clear identity in an increasingly polarized political landscape.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

ADVICE

Center Messaging On Ownership

Focus messaging on ownership and control rather than only on trading or speculation.
Preserve core crypto values while scaling to mainstream audiences.

ANECDOTE

First Ledger Makes Crypto Feel Owned

Sam describes getting his first Ledger in 2017 and feeling like he actually owned his crypto.
That experience underscores why hardware signers mattered to early adopters.

INSIGHT

Ledger Is Becoming A Secure-Signing Platform

Ledger evolved from hardware into an integrated suite: secure signing devices plus Ledger wallet and services.
The company aims for users to adopt the signer as the primary control point for identity, privacy, and transactions.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

Ariel Wengroff, EVP, Marketing & Communications, Ledger, explores how media and crypto are converging around transparency, trust, and digital ownership in today’s evolving digital landscape.

In this episode of Gen C, Ariel Wengroff, EVP of Marketing & Communications, Ledger, reflects on her time at VICE and discusses the changing landscape of the media industry and the growing demand for truth and authenticity in the age of AI. In running marketing for the unicorn hardware company, Ledger, Ariel connects these shifts to Ledger’s vision of digital ownership—giving individuals control over their privacy, identity, and assets through secure signing and self-sovereign technology.

Links mentioned from the podcast:

Sam Ewen, CoinDesk

From our sponsors:

Break the cycle of exploitation.

Break down the barriers to truth.

Break into the next generation of privacy.

Break Free.

Free to scroll without being monetized.

Free from censorship.

Freedom without fear.

We deserve more when it comes to privacy. Experience the next generation of blockchain that is private and inclusive by design.

Break free with Midnight, visit midnight.network/break-free

Bridge simplifies global money movement. As the leading stablecoin issuance and orchestration platform, Bridge abstracts away blockchain complexity so businesses can seamlessly move between fiat and stablecoins. From payroll providers and remittance companies to neobanks and treasury teams, Bridge powers payments, savings, and stablecoin issuance for thousands – like Shopify, Metamask, Remitly, and more. Visit https://hubs.ly/Q03KGbRK0.

OwlTing (Nasdaq: OWLS) is building invisible rails for global payments. With OwlPay, businesses and users can bridge fiat and stablecoins, send money instantly across borders, and access stablecoin checkout at lower costs. Licensed worldwide, OwlTing delivers secure, compliant, and regulated infrastructure for the digital economy. Learn more at https://www.owlting.com/portal/?lang=en&utm_source=CoinDesk&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=CoinDesk_Banner

-"Gen C" features host Sam Ewen. Executive produced by Uyen Truong.