Key Takeaways
- • Linda Xie, co-founder and managing director of Scalar Capital and former Coinbase product manager, presents an introductory overview of cryptocurrencies, tokens, and networks in a talk delivered at an "Intro to Crypto" event hosted by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and #Angels in April 2018.
- • The presentation covers the history of bitcoin, the emergence of ethereum and smart contracts, and the role of open source "forking" in the crypto ecosystem.
- • Xie argues that crypto's significance extends well beyond money, pointing to new applications enabled by tokens and networks rather than only solutions to existing problems.
- • The talk also distinguishes between pseudonymous and anonymous systems and between public and private networks.
Summary
A 21-minute video titled "An Intro to Crypto: Building Blocks," published by a16z (Andreessen Horowitz) on its crypto site, provides a survey of the cryptoasset landscape. The talk was originally delivered as part of an "Intro to Crypto" event that a16z and #Angels held in April 2018, and it is presented by Linda Xie, co-founder and managing director of Scalar Capital, who previously worked as a product manager at Coinbase and has written a widely read series of beginner's guides on cryptoassets.
According to the publisher summary, the presentation traces the quest for digital money and the history of bitcoin, then moves to the emergence of ethereum and smart contracts. It also addresses a set of conceptual questions: what completely new applications crypto tokens and networks make possible beyond existing use cases, where open source development and "forking" fit into the picture, and how pseudonymity differs from anonymity and public networks from private ones. Xie frames the topic as "so much more than money," and uses that framing to structure both the opening and closing of her overview.
The publisher notes that the views expressed are those of the individual speaker and not necessarily those of a16z or its affiliates, and that the material is provided for informational purposes only. It is not investment, legal, or tax advice and is not directed at prospective investors in any a16z fund.
According to the publisher summary, the presentation traces the quest for digital money and the history of bitcoin, then moves to the emergence of ethereum and smart contracts. It also addresses a set of conceptual questions: what completely new applications crypto tokens and networks make possible beyond existing use cases, where open source development and "forking" fit into the picture, and how pseudonymity differs from anonymity and public networks from private ones. Xie frames the topic as "so much more than money," and uses that framing to structure both the opening and closing of her overview.
The publisher notes that the views expressed are those of the individual speaker and not necessarily those of a16z or its affiliates, and that the material is provided for informational purposes only. It is not investment, legal, or tax advice and is not directed at prospective investors in any a16z fund.
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