Superphiz | Layer Zero

If you have an ether and you want it to be valuable,

then you have to act in ways that bring value to the network.

Welcome to Layer Zero. Layer Zero is a podcast of unscripted conversations with the people that make up the Ethereum community. Crypto is built by code but is composed of people, and each individual member of the crypto community has their own story to tell. Cypherpunks understood that the code they write impacts the people that use it, and Layer Zero focuses on the people behind the code, because Ethereum is people all the way down, and it always has been. Today on Layer Zero, I'm talking with Superfizz, and SuperFizz is a community member of a number of different parts of the Ethereum community. The R ETH Finance subreddit, the Rocket Pool community, the ETH staking community. He's just fascinated by ETH staking. And so I would call him an ETH staking expert, although he probably wouldn't like that expert title. He's just a community member through and through, and living and breathing and dying for decentralized protocols. And Superfizz is worried at this present moment. He calls Ethereum under attack. And so what is Ethereum under attack by? This is the conversation of liquid staking derivatives, which has been a very significant conversation in the Ethereum space lately. And how liquid staking derivatives, things like tokenized staked ETH tokens, like staked ETH from Lido, RETH from Rocket Pool. We talk about the conversation of how liquid staking derivatives might come to centralize Ethereum and what we can do about that. And so this is a if you guys are looking to learn more about that conversation, this is a great place to get started. We also talk about other things like how SuperFizz got started with Bitcoin. Even before getting into Ethereum, we got started with Bitcoin and uh what how he felt that the Bitcoin community let him down and the lessons that he has learned from that era of his life and how he has applied that forward to Ethereum. So I hope you guys enjoyed this fantastic interview with Superfiz from Rocket Pool, from ETH Finance, from the EStakers. Right after we get to some of these fantastic sponsors that make the show possible.

What's up Superfish? How's it going?

Hey, how are you, David?

Good, really good man. Uh the RETH Finance and Rocket Pool communities are really stoked uh for to have you on here, uh which makes me stoked.

Uh yeah, so I mean those are my people. Um I

um

that's where I live. I I've been I've been an R Ethereum or an R R ETH Finance guy for uh you know since day one and ETH trader before that and ETH mining before that, and Ethereum before that. So um

you know I I really feel comfortable with those communities, and I'm really glad uh that they like me.

That matters.

Does it matter? It does. I mean it it's important.

Before we uh uh we were talking about the show before this, but w uh before we go any further, uh you sweating bro?

Yeah, so uh I make no secret, like I I do this this regimen. Like I I have like um peak fizz performance. Uh because normally, you know, I'm a I'm a slug. Uh and so

uh if I know I'm gonna do something like this, um if it's like a launch call or if it's if it's uh an opportunity to speak uh then

Like maybe a couple hours before I'll take a nap and then I'll get up and go for a really hard run. Uh and then I will uh snag the forbidden coffee.

Uh

and it it kind of lets me like

uh

be my favorite self. So

this is you're you're gonna get my favorite self, I hope.

So you're telling me that this is peak what peak performance looks like?

Yeah. I I it's it it's sad, like this is all. Like you think I know, right? Like uh like

oh so my um

I have a goal that I'm not gonna use foul language during a recording. Uh because

I I've learned the value of family friendly media. Like

Hmm.

Um, I really want this to be something that that anyone can play anywhere and feel comfortable playing with it. So I'm

I was gonna make a joke and say I'm not gonna say.

Right.

I I definitely got in trouble for having a potty mouth on the weekly roll-up, so now I try and keep it contained, but uh sometimes sometimes I let it out regardless. All right, so Fizz, I went to the ETH Finance uh subreddit where you basically live as far as I can tell, uh, and told them that you're coming on bankless and so they should drop some questions. So I got I got a bunch of questions from the from your friends and family over at ETH Finance. Uh and so I also have my own questions, but I kind of want to start with theirs. Uh so this first one I think is also the the question I would have asked anyways, coming from uh Masuanos. What drives you to be so involved in Ethereum's decentralization?

Uh

I I've been a part of failed networks. I I've been a part of

other L1s that um

allowed themselves to be captured or followed the wrong goals or uh

drank their own Kool Aid

and sold out on their core principles. And

As someone who's been involved with Ethereum for a long time,

uh

I I I've I've grown to this place where I don't want that to happen to Ethereum. Like I want Ethereum to

survive, and it's something that I'm willing to put energy into. Like it's that valuable to me.

Um

So

whatever it takes, like uh whatever I need to do to organize the community, to empower people, to educate people, uh, then I'm gonna do what I can to help Ethereum be successful.

What uh L1s were you a part of before you became part of the Ethereum community?

I I affectionately call it uh Blockstream coin

um or or grandpa.

Um

I I'm one of those people I don't I don't like to to give too much name credit to things that I'm not deeply

involved with or aligned with.

Um

but uh you know there was another cryptocurrency, I think it was founded in about 2008 or 2009.

Uh and uh there was all the rage for a while. It well it is, it's a perfect proof of work chain. I think it still exists. I'm not really sure, I haven't heard much about it lately. Really slow block time.

Yeah, yeah. But you know, I know these types

have you heard of this one? I loved that network. Um, but I realized

first that the community was the community wasn't always sour. The community became sour,

and the chain bec became captured by people who were not aligned with

the decentralization ethos. I mourn the loss of that project. Um it's funny, a lot of people don't even know it's dead, but I mourn the loss of it. And I

I I like Ethereum enough that I don't I don't want to stand by and let the same thing happen again.

Were you on the subreddit during the early days of said particular chain where a lot of that like 'cause like it it went through a fork in the road where it could have stayed community aligned or it could have gotten captured by Schmuck Shmeem.