{"podcast":{"title":"Unchained","slug":"unchained-5662698","podcast_index_feed_id":5662698,"rss_url":"https://feeds.libsyn.com/83245/","website_url":"https://unchainedcrypto.com","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/b7bf264e-3874-11ed-a2fe-a3feab4203a7/image/f4aec706c3b7929f0528616e7f643eda.png?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"Laura Shin","episode_count":1228,"summary":"Crypto assets and blockchain technology are about to transform every trust-based interaction of our lives, from financial services to identity to the Internet of Things. In this podcast, host Laura Shin, an independent journalist covering all things crypto, talks with industry pioneers about how crypto assets and blockchains will change the way we earn, spend and invest our money. Tune in to find out how Web 3.0, the decentralized web, will revolutionize our world.","last_synced_at":"2026-08-01T22:19:58.729256+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/unchained-5662698"},"episode":{"title":"Uneasy Money: Illia Polosukhin on Why Onchain Commerce Needs Confidentiality","slug":"uneasy-money-illia-polosukhin-on-why-onchain-commerce-needs-confidentiality","published_at":"2026-05-27T18:28:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/unchained-5662698/uneasy-money-illia-polosukhin-on-why-onchain-commerce-needs-confidentiality","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/unchained-5662698","url":"https://pdrl.fm/98e0b1/traffic.megaphone.fm/LSHML3700949168.mp3","audio_url":"https://pdrl.fm/98e0b1/traffic.megaphone.fm/LSHML3700949168.mp3","summary":"Illia Polosukhin, founder of NEAR and co-author of 'Attention Is All You Need,' on why confidentiality will let crypto become daily commerce — plus, some Near lore. ======================================================== Thank you to our sponsors! ⁠⁠Multichain Advisors⁠⁠: Get help navigating TGEs, go‑to‑market, BD and partnerships, capital markets advisory, PR, media placements, KOL activations and more at ⁠⁠multichainadv.com⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Coinbase One⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: Get 20% off the first year of your Coinbase One annual plan at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠coinbase.com/unchained⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ======================================================== Before co-founding NEAR Protocol, Illia Polosukhin was on the eight-person Google Brain team that wrote the transformer paper — the architecture behind every large language model running today. He never mentioned it. When Kain Warwick found out two weeks ago, via a crypto AI chatbot, his reaction was: you have to be kidding me. That backstory sets the tone for a conversation that moves from how transformers actually came together, to why confidentiality is what unlocks on-chain commerce for real businesses, and what NEAR is doing to keep criminals off its network without becoming a surveillance layer. The hosts also get into the Ethereum Foundation's identity crisis, why Illia thinks decentralization is a tool and not a goal, and what the economy looks like when AI handles execution and blockchain handles coordination. Host: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Kain Warwick⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Founder of Infinex and Synthetix ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Taylor Monahan⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Security Expert ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Luca Netz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, CEO of Pudgy Penguins Guest: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Illia Polosukhin — Co-Founder, NEAR Protocol - https://x.com/ilblackdragon Timestamps 🧠 00:52 The transf…","meta_description":"Illia Polosukhin, founder of NEAR and co-author of 'Attention Is All You Need,' on why confidentiality will let crypto become daily commerce — plus, some…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":4955,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/unchained-5662698/episodes/uneasy-money-illia-polosukhin-on-why-onchain-commerce-needs-confidentiality/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/unchained-5662698/uneasy-money-illia-polosukhin-on-why-onchain-commerce-needs-confidentiality.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}