Gm! In today’s episode we are joined by Harmonic CEO Ben Coverston to discuss his background in quantitative trading and transition to crypto, the evolution of DeFi on Solana, and Harmonic’s approach to block building and transaction scheduling. We also cover market structure debates, decentralization concerns, competition among block builders, and potential protocol changes like MCP and Alpenglow.

Enjoy!

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Timestamps:

(0:00) Introduction

(2:14) Ben's Background

(9:34) The Temporal Ecosystem

(13:14) Inside Harmonic: Solana's New Block Builder

(22:37) Block Builder Wars & Criticism from Competitors

(29:26) Solana's Future Architecture

(50:07) The Future of DeFi Market Structure

(1:00:13) Closing Comments

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Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation.

Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Danny, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.