Open Sourcing the Superchain (with Optimism)

web3 with a16z crypto

Andreessen Horowitz

Gaming, Blockchain, Web 3, Blockchains, Open Source, Business, Decentralization, Visual Arts, Computer Science, Ownership, Art, Entrepreneurship, Entertainment, Cypherpunk, Web 3.0, Music, Internet, Cryptography, Crypto, Computing, Web3, Innovation, Distributed Computing, Culture, Public Goods, Creator Economy, Arts, Technology

4.4 • 66 Ratings

🗓️ 23 May 2024

⏱️ 86 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Open source software powers much technology today, from web servers to phones. But what does it take to get an open source project going from scratch? Optimism Foundation CEO and executive director Jing Wang joins a16z crypto CTO Eddy Lazzarin and editor Robert Hackett to talk about the peculiarities of open source stewardship, from thinking through contributor incentives and business models to establishing a foundation and planning roadmaps — including Optimism's own vision for a blockchain-scaling "superchain."

Transcript

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0:00.0	I think there's been a lot of apt community criticism and I think the biggest thing that we've learned is
0:07.1	no matter how much time you spend debating strategic hypotheses
0:18.0	nothing beats putting code into production in front of users. It instantly validates or invalidates a whole slew of hypotheses.
0:23.3	And so just pick the thing that's quickest to ship.
0:27.2	Ship it and then see what happens. Hello and welcome to Web3 with A16Z, a show about building the next era of the
0:38.5	Internet by the team at A16Z crypto that me, host Robert Hackett.
0:44.0	Today's episode features Jing Wang, CEO and executive director of the optimism foundation,
0:49.3	along with A16Z crypto CTO Eddie Lassarin.
0:52.9	We discuss the peculiarities of open source software, including the incentives that bind contributors
0:58.5	together, tradeoffs between the freedom to customize versus sticking to standards and the challenges in setting up and running a foundation.
1:07.0	We also cover the nuances of governance and accountability, the importance of vibes, the indispensable of shipping products versus
1:15.5	debating roadmaps, and the vision behind the so-called superchain.
1:20.3	As head of the optimism Foundation, Wang helped steward the optimism collective, a band of
1:26.4	decentralized companies, communities, contributors, and others who are using a suite of open source
1:32.2	software called the
1:33.3	O.P. Stack to scale the Ethereum blockchain network. The O.P. Stack also
1:37.8	powers a number of popular layer two roll-ups, including
1:40.9	base, which we covered in last week's episode with its creator and lead,
1:45.6	CoinBaces head of protocols Jesse Pollack.
1:48.1	Be sure also to check out the A16Z YouTube channel for video podcast episodes, as well as talks from our recent
1:54.6	startup accelerator program CSX featuring Jing co-founder Carl Florsch and more.
2:00.3	As a reminder none of the following should be taken as tax, business, legal, or investment advice.
	...

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