# Top Tech Topics, Explained

> EPISODE SUMMARY @tim_roughgarden @josephbonneau @skominers with @alive_eth @cdixon A tour though top-of-mind blockchain & crypto tech topics, explained by several a16z crypto researchers, including VDFs (verifiable delay functions); zk-rollups, SNARKs, and zero knowledge in general; and others. We q...

- URL: https://a16zcrypto.com/posts/podcast/top-tech-topics-explained
- Authors: [Tim Roughgarden](https://a16zcrypto.com/team/tim-roughgarden), joseph-bonneau, [Scott Duke Kominers](https://a16zcrypto.com/team/scott-kominers), [Ali Yahya](https://a16zcrypto.com/team/ali-yahya), [Chris Dixon](https://a16zcrypto.com/team/chris-dixon)
- Published: 2022-08-06
- Updated: 2025-06-08
- Focus areas: tech trends, research
- Tags: data availability, scaling & throughput, VDFs, SNARKs, crypto basics, glossaries & terminology, how innovation happens, podcast, zero knowledge & succinct proof systems
- Format: podcast

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[Embedded media](https://player.simplecast.com/191679e9-fdc7-420b-ab1d-c395667743ea?dark=false)

### EPISODE SUMMARY

@tim\_roughgarden @josephbonneau @skominers with @alive\_eth @cdixon A tour though top-of-mind blockchain & crypto tech topics, explained by several a16z crypto researchers, including VDFs (verifiable delay functions); zk-rollups, SNARKs, and zero knowledge in general; and others. We quickly zip up and down the stack, and across themes — such as scalability; data availability; reputation and the creator economy, also discussing applications for NFTs and more. Be sure to also subscribe to our YouTube channel — search for ‘a16z crypto research’ — as well as our newsletter at a16z crypto Substack for more content, and videos from researchers, with overviews of the topics discussed in this episode and beyond.

### EPISODE NOTES

@tim\_roughgarden @josephbonneau @skominers with @alive\_eth @cdixon

A tour though top-of-mind blockchain & crypto tech topics, explained by several a16z crypto researchers, including VDFs (verifiable delay functions); zk-rollups, SNARKs, and zero knowledge in general; and others. We quickly zip up and down the stack, and across themes — such as scalability; data availability; reputation and the creator economy, also discussing applications for NFTs and more.

It is based on a conversation that took place a few months ago (on the heels of our a16z crypto research lab announcement), live on Twitter with:

-   Tim Roughgarden, Head of Research at a16z crypto and professor in the computer science department at Columbia University;
-   Joseph Bonneau, research partner at a16z crypto, who also wrote the textbook on cryptocurrency technologies, pioneered VDFs, and has taught cryptocurrency courses at several top universities;  and
-   Scott Duke Kominers,  research partner at a16z crypto and professor of business administration at Harvard Business School, and a faculty affiliate of the Harvard Department of Economics, who also advises a variety of marketplace businesses, startups, and crypto projects, and serves as an expert on NFT-related matters.
-   …with moderators and general partners Chris Dixon and Ali Yahya.

**Be sure to also subscribe to our** [**YouTube channel**](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTHq3W46BiAYjKUYZq2qm-Q/featured) **— as well as our newsletter at a16zcrypto.substack.com — for more related content, and videos from researchers, going deeper on the topics discussed in this episode and beyond…** 

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*Welcome to web3 with a16z, a show about building the next generation of the internet, from the team at a16z crypto — this show is for anyone (whether researcher, developer, engineer, artist, company leader, community manager, entrepreneur or other builder) — seeking to understand, and go deeper on all things crypto and web3:  towards a decentralized, community-owned, and creator-owned internet.*

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Source: [Top Tech Topics, Explained](https://a16zcrypto.com/posts/podcast/top-tech-topics-explained) — a16z crypto. Full archive: https://a16zcrypto.com/posts