Welcome to the inaugural episode of our 10-week celebration of Ethereum’s 10th anniversary! In this special kickoff episode, we sit down with two key figures from the Ethereum Foundation: Josh Stark, who leads community initiatives, and Jason Chaskin, a researcher spearheading the new Ecosystem Intelligence Team. This isn’t just another crypto podcast—it’s a celebration of the builders, dreamers, and community members who have shaped Ethereum from an ambitious whitepaper into the global platform it is today.
Josh and Jason share their personal journeys into Ethereum. Jason recounts his path from a skeptical college finance major to becoming a researcher at the Ethereum Foundation. His journey took a significant turn during the ICO era, ultimately leading him to pivot from his banking career, learn to code, and dive fully into the Ethereum ecosystem. Meanwhile, Josh reflects on his transition from practicing law to becoming an essential contributor to Ethereum after discovering it in 2015. Before joining the EF, Josh was involved in operating Bitcoin ATMs, co-founding ETH Global, and working on early state channels with L4. Jason also shares how his participation in ETH Global NYC 2022 helped him find his community in the midst of a bear market.
The discussion then moves to their current roles and operations at the Ethereum Foundation. Josh talks about his dual focus: building out EF communications and leading the Trillion Dollar Security Initiative, aimed at strengthening Ethereum’s long-term resilience. Jason shares how he evolved to lead the newly formed Ecosystem Intelligence Team, which is responsible for tracking and interpreting metrics across the ecosystem. They explore the unique challenge the EF faces—how to win without exerting control—highlighting the delicate balance between decentralization and coordination.
A key part of the conversation centers on new metrics of success for Ethereum. Josh and Jason explain why stablecoin market share has become a critical indicator of Ethereum’s real-world utility. With over 50% of all stablecoins now residing on Ethereum, the network’s security and credible neutrality make it a natural choice for stablecoin issuers. They also emphasize interoperability as a core coordination function—ensuring Ethereum and its Layer 2 networks work seamlessly together.
The conversation transitions into community engagement and open development. Jason shares the story of Danny Ryan, who evolved from being a web developer to the Merge architect through participation in open research calls. They discuss the vital role of platforms like ETH Research, Ethereum Magicians, and Farcaster in enabling decentralized coordination and discourse. Josh and Jason highlight the various developer opportunities available within the ecosystem, such as the Build Guild, hackathons, and getting paid in ETH for contributions. They mention the Scout Game as an innovative approach to gamifying open-source contributions and encourage renewed experimentation and big thinking within the community.
Farcaster and social innovation are also central to the discussion. Jason shares his favorite Farcaster apps, including micro-tipping, GeoGuesser, and Paragraph, showcasing how decentralized social networks are evolving alongside Ethereum’s financial infrastructure. Josh introduces his three-bucket framework for understanding Ethereum’s growth: platform strength, application ecosystem, and distribution. Together, they stress that Ethereum’s values scale not just through philosophical alignment, but through embedding those values into the very technology itself. The analogy of email is used to illustrate how base layer properties ensure platform integrity and keep applications honest.
The conversation concludes with a focus on Layer 2 relationships and Ethereum’s future vision. Josh and Jason discuss the symbiotic relationship between the Ethereum Foundation and L2 teams, noting the remarkable speed of progress—from Layer 2 fees exceeding $1 to enabling micro-transactions within a year. They highlight advancements in interoperability, such as Succinct’s 12-second Ethereum block proofs, which signal a new era of trustless, efficient cross-chain communication. Their final advice to listeners: reach out, try new products, and continue supporting experimentation within the ecosystem.
Key Insights & Takeaways
Building at the Ethereum Foundation requires first-principles thinking, as there are no clear playbooks. Success means enabling Ethereum to win while avoiding centralized control. The EF operates under an open development model, where critical discussions like All Core Devs calls are held in public Zoom meetings that anyone can join.
New metrics such as stablecoin market share are now seen as key indicators of Ethereum’s real-world utility. With over 50% of stablecoins residing on Ethereum, the network’s security and neutrality give it a competitive edge. The focus is shifting toward capturing greater market share by offering superior user experiences.
Interoperability is central to Ethereum’s long-term vision—making Ethereum and its Layer 2 solutions feel like one cohesive product. Technical breakthroughs are enabling trustless interoperability in under 12 seconds, and the user experience is evolving to abstract away the complexity of multi-chain interactions.
Community-driven innovation is at the heart of Ethereum’s success. Platforms like Farcaster demonstrate the power of open social networks combined with permissionless money. New economic models, such as micro-tipping, are emerging, and there is a continued need for experimentation beyond established DeFi patterns.
There are multiple pathways to get involved in the Ethereum ecosystem. Technical contributions, hackathons, and forum participation are open to all, with financial incentives available through grants, the Build Guild, and retroactive funding. The ecosystem is especially welcoming to career switchers, many of whom come from non-technical backgrounds.
Notable Quotes
Josh Stark: “No one’s ever done this before. There are many novel questions that come across the Ethereum Foundation’s desk first that we need to think about from first principles.”
Jason Chaskin: “Imagine if Apple’s strategy calls were just an open Zoom that anybody can join. That’s just so unfathomable that a community would be so open about what they do.”
Josh Stark: “The philosophies that scale to the world don’t just scale because you wrote an essay—they scale because the technology itself embodies those values.”
Jason Chaskin: “We kind of lose track of time where a couple years ago [12-second block proofs] were thought to maybe be a decade away, and now it’s almost here.”
Resources Mentioned
Community Platforms: ETH Research (technical forum), Ethereum Magicians (community discussions), Farcaster (decentralized social network), and Ethereum.org (central resource hub).
Developer Opportunities: Build Guild (quest-based development), ETH Global (hackathons with prize pools), Scout Game (fantasy sports meets open-source contributions), and All Core Devs calls (weekly public meetings).
EF Initiatives: Trillion Dollar Security Initiative (community-driven security efforts), App Builder Spaces (regular ecosystem discussions), and the Ecosystem Intelligence Team (tracking metrics and trends).
About the Guests
Josh Stark is the Community Lead at the Ethereum Foundation, a long-time ecosystem builder who co-founded ETH Global, operated early Bitcoin ATMs in Toronto, and led the ethereum.org website reboot. He previously worked on state channels with L4 and consulted across various blockchain projects.
Jason Chaskin is a Researcher at the Ethereum Foundation, leading the new Ecosystem Intelligence Team. A former investment banker, he discovered Ethereum during the 2020-2021 cycle, learned to code, and joined the community through ETH Global hackathons during the bear market.
What’s Next?
This is just the beginning of our 10-week celebration! Join us during weekday at 1:00 PM EST as we continue to highlight the builders, innovators, and community members who have made Ethereum the vibrant ecosystem it is today. Coming up: representatives from ETH Global, Layer 2 builders, DeFi pioneers, and many more voices from across the Ethereum ecosystem.
Get involved: follow the celebration, share your own Ethereum story, or reach out if you’d like to be featured. This is a community-driven celebration, and every perspective matters.
This episode was recorded on Bitcoin Pizza Day 2025, adding an extra layer of crypto history to our Ethereum celebration. Happy Pizza Day to all who observe! 🍕