About
Josef speaks about his time working at the Ethereum Foundation, and what led him to leaving in order to found PWN, the most universal lending protocol.
Summary
This podcast episode features a conversation between the host, Hake, and the guest Josef, the CEO of PWN, a peer-to-peer lending protocol. Josef discusses his journey, starting with his interest in cryptocurrency, through to his college years, the discovery of blockchain technology, and dabbling in start-ups related to Educational Technology.
His interest in the Ethereum blockchain led him to become part of the Ethereum Foundation. At EF, Josef was involved in multiple functions, ranging from HR, financial processes, giving feedback on various protocols and even helping on the organization of DEVCON. However, as he moved up the ranks, he noticed his coding skills were diminishing.
He saw EF was a place for innovation and experimentation but not for long-term career goals. Josef committed to honing his Solidity coding skills and started working on PWN. With PWN, he has developed a decentralized lending protocol built on Ethereum, allowing any user to lend or borrow any token without the need for a third-party oracle system.
Josef explains how PWN stands out from similar protocols owing to being permissionless and oracle-free, reducing potential attack vectors, and provides increased autonomy for the users. He also provided insights on the PWN wallet hookup and its benefits to users, specifically those struggling to gain credit from traditional banks, a personal experience that motivated Josef to develop PWN.
The podcast also covers Josef's thoughts on organizing Blockchain events, including DEV CON. Josef's passion for fostering local communities through these events is balanced with the consideration of logistical challenges and the monetary costs associated with event organization.
Additionally, the podcast goes over Josef's contributions towards the "Crypto Native Economy Report" that looks at revenues generated from on-chain transactions on different protocols. The report is used for industry analysis, trend forecasting, and is also shared publicly to benefit the wider crypto community. In conclusion, Josef shares his vision for decentralized finance and blockchain's potential to change the way individuals and businesses borrow and lend assets.
