The Breakdown
Blockworks
The Breakdown dives into the deepest topics in crypto, blockchain, and the macro forces shaping markets and power structures. Each episode breaks down complex ideas into clear, grounded analysis — separating signal from noise across crypto, finance, and geopolitics.
Hosted by David Canellis, The Breakdown features explainers, interviews, and conversations with the people building, regulating, and challenging the financial system.
A Blockworks podcast.
Subscribe to The Breakdown newsletter: https://the-breakdown.carrd.co/
Hosted by David Canellis, The Breakdown features explainers, interviews, and conversations with the people building, regulating, and challenging the financial system.
A Blockworks podcast.
Subscribe to The Breakdown newsletter: https://the-breakdown.carrd.co/
Episodes
Mentioned books
Dec 29, 2020 • 24min
Bitcoin, Bank Coins and Bonds, feat. George Goncalves
George Goncalves has been a macro analyst specializing in bonds for more than 20 years. In this conversation, he and NLW discuss the story bonds are telling the market and why central bank digital currencies are likely to have an important part of the macro conversation in 2021. Find our guest online: @bondstrategist
Dec 28, 2020 • 24min
Sound Money vs. the Great Reset, feat. Mark Moss
Mark Moss is the host of a fast-growing and popular YouTube channel covering economics, bitcoin and more. In this conversation, he discusses why gold, bitcoin and sound money have become even more important in the context of central bank printing gone wild. Find our guest online: @1MarkMoss The Breakdown is produced and distributed by CoinDesk.com
Dec 27, 2020 • 25min
Central Banks Gone Wild! Feat. Bill Barhydt
Bill Baryhdt is the CEO of Abra, a mobile crypto banking app. In this discussion with NLW, Bill talks about the year in bitcoin and why the mass expansion of central bank balance sheets was the most important economic story of the year. Find our guest online: @billbarhydt The Breakdown is produced and distributed by CoinDesk.com
Dec 26, 2020 • 26min
The View on Bitcoin From Inside Fidelity Digital Assets, feat. Ria Bhutoria
Ria Bhutoria is the director of research at Fidelity Digital Assets. In this conversation she gives listeners a look at how one of the most important institutional players in the space has viewed the evolution of bitcoin over the past year. Find our guest online: @riabhutoria The Breakdown is produced and distributed by CoinDesk.com
Dec 25, 2020 • 22min
‘Bitcoin and Ethereum Have Gone Completely Separate Directions,’ Feat. Bully Esq.
Bully Esquire is a Crypto Twitter personality, lawyer, founder of AlphaMarkets and host of the “Bully Esquire” podcast. In this conversation, he and NLW discuss what was good and bad about the DeFi boom of 2020 and more. Find our guest online: @bullyesq
Dec 24, 2020 • 26min
Why 2020 Unlocked a New Generation of Investors, feat. Jill Carlson
No one would have expected an economic crisis to bring a new generation of investors to the table, but that's exactly what it did.
Dec 23, 2020 • 27min
Hacking Humanity With Bitcoin, feat. Max Keiser and Stacy Herbert
Max Keiser and Stacy Herbert are one of bitcoin's most dynamic duos, producing a variety of content, including the Orange Pill podcast. In this discussion with NLW, they talk about why this year was transformational in terms of how people view the aging economic system, and why 2021 is poised to mint even more new bitcoiners. Find our guests online: @maxkeiser @stacyherbert
Dec 22, 2020 • 25min
Raoul Pal on the Coming Transformation of Monetary and Fiscal Policy
Raoul Pal is the founder and CEO of Global Macro Investor and Real Vision and one of the leading voices in modern macroeconomic discussions. In this conversation, he and NLW discuss bitcoin's monster 2020, how DeFi compares to ICOs, and why we should be paying more attention to central bank digital currencies. Find our guest online: @RaoulGMI The Breakdown is produced and distributed by CoinDesk.com Follow on Twitter: NLW: https://twitter.com/nlw Breakdown: https://twitter.com/BreakdownNLW
Dec 20, 2020 • 21min
Why Bitcoin and Rehypothecation Don’t Mix
On this week’s Long Reads Sunday, NLW starts with the latest essay by Jeffrey Snider, “A Nonsensical Jumble of Misused Words Requires Discussion” and then with Caitlin Long’s followup thread, putting the discussion of rehypothecation in the bitcoin context.
Dec 19, 2020 • 1h 6min
Preston Pysh on Why Currencies Fail [Encore]
On March 12, as the U.S. government struggled to wrap its head around the emerging COVID-19 pandemic and markets floundered, bitcoin had one of its worst days in history, crashing by thousands of dollars and even hitting below $4,000 on some exchanges. That evening, NLW and podcaster Preston Pysh recorded a conversation about bitcoin, central banks and what happens when currencies fail. Nine months later, the conversation is as salient as ever. Find our guest online: @PrestonPysh
