Ideas worth spreading

Demystifying the wild world of crypto

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Laura Shin |

TED Membership

• November 2022

Is crypto truly the next big thing, or is it just a money-sucking flash in the pan? In a wide-ranging interview, journalist Laura Shin explains what crypto is (and what it definitely isn't), taking us through the most recent turns in its constantly evolving story -- including the recent meltdown caused by the bankruptcy of FTX. (This conversation, hosted by TED tech curator Simone Ross, was part of an exclusive TED Membership event on November 30, 2022. Visit ted.com/membership to become a TED Member.)

Is crypto truly the next big thing, or is it just a money-sucking flash in the pan? In a wide-ranging interview, journalist Laura Shin explains what crypto is (and what it definitely isn't), taking us through the most recent turns in its constantly evolving story -- including the recent meltdown caused by the bankruptcy of FTX. (This conversation, hosted by TED tech curator Simone Ross, was part of an exclusive TED Membership event on November 30, 2022. Visit ted.com/membership to become a TED Member.)

Open a crypto wallet: Learn how crypto works. Open a wallet, put in an amount of money you're willing to lose and educate yourself by doing. Try making a payment, exchanging for another crypto, minting an NFT, buying or selling an NFT, voting in a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) or participating in decentralized finance (DeFi) by using a decentralized exchange or a decentralized borrowing and lending protocol.

Learn how to keep your crypto secure: Since crypto acts like cash, you can easily lose it or have it stolen from you. Make sure you learn the ins and outs of keeping your money safe.

About the speaker

Laura Shin

Author, crypto journalist, podcast host

See speaker profile

Laura Shin covers big ideas from the world of blockchain and cyrptocurrency.

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Nathaniel Popper | Harper, 2015 | Book

Digital Gold: Bitcoin and the Inside Story of the Misfits and Millionaires Trying to Reinvent Money

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Learn more

Open a crypto wallet: Learn how crypto works. Open a wallet, put in an amount of money you're willing to lose and educate yourself by doing. Try making a payment, exchanging for another crypto, minting an NFT, buying or selling an NFT, voting in a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) or participating in decentralized finance (DeFi) by using a decentralized exchange or a decentralized borrowing and lending protocol.

Learn how to keep your crypto secure: Since crypto acts like cash, you can easily lose it or have it stolen from you. Make sure you learn the ins and outs of keeping your money safe.