Ethereum vs. Its Own Roadmap: Rollups, Rivalries, & the Great Blockchain Pivot – The Chopping Block
Posted March 20, 2025 at 12:00 pm EST.
Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner chop it up about the latest in crypto. In this episode, the crew unpacks Ethereum’s existential crisis and whether the rollup-centric roadmap is backfiring. Plus, AI is rapidly changing how crypto is built, traded, and secured—so what happens when blockchain and AI collide? We also dig into Solana’s controversial ad, Ethereum Foundation’s leadership shake-up, and why macro forces are still running the show.
to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Show highlights
AI’s Invasion of Software Engineering – Why AI is replacing developers & what it means for crypto startups
Ethereum’s Rollup Reckoning – The “rollup-centric roadmap” was supposed to save Ethereum, but is it actually weakening it?
The Solana Ad Disaster – How Solana’s political ad backfired & alienated both sides of the aisle
Is Ethereum Becoming IBM? – Why Ethereum risks getting stuck as the slow-moving corporate giant of crypto
The Great AI Pivot – Why top engineers are abandoning language models for robotics & what it means for the future
AI Trading Bots & Crypto Security Risks – How prompt injections could turn AI-powered wallets into honeypots
Ethereum’s New Leadership – Does the Ethereum Foundation finally have a plan to fix its credibility problem?
The XRP Bartender Index – The unexpected bar tab metric that tracks XRP market sentiment
Will AI Replace VCs? – The case for AI-led investment strategies & automated due diligence
Hosts
Haseeb Qureshi, Managing Partner at DragonflyRobert Leshner, CEO & Co-founder of SuperstateTarun Chitra, Managing Partner at Robot VenturesTom Schmidt, General Partner at Dragonfly
Disclosures
Links
Solana Ad repost by @basedkarbon: https://x.com/basedkarbon/status/1901809992514052319
