Ideas worth spreading

Demystifying the wild world of crypto

325,753 views | Laura Shin • TED Membership

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

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

Satoshi Nakamoto | bitcoin.org, 2008 | Article

"Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System"

It's incredible that such an amazing technological feat was described in just nine pages. Don't be scared by the math. Even without those parts, you can grasp the basics of the original crypto asset.

Chris Burniske and Jack Tatar | McGraw Hill, 2017 | Book

Cryptoassets

Although this book is a few years old, it is still a clear, valuable explainer on all the basics of crypto assets

Laura Shin | Unchained, 2021 | Article

"Interested in Crypto? Here Are 10 Essential Terms You Need to Know"

Here's an article I wrote on the basic crypto concepts and terms you're most likely to hear.

Nathaniel Popper | Harper, 2015 | Book

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

My book focuses on the history of Ethereum, but to understand crypto, it's important to know the origins of Bitcoin. Nathaniel Popper's book Digital Gold is a fun and engaging chronicle of how this coin, born of the cypherpunk movement, grabbed the imaginations of Silicon Valley and gained adoption on the wider world.

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.