ZEROPOD

In Episode 2 of ZEROPOD Season 2, we dig in with Ryan Wyatt aka @fwiz about his first full year in the role of Optimism's Chief Growth Officer. Ryan shares how his leadership has helped to drive adoption of Optimism’s open source OP Stack and has attracted some S-tier partners for the so-called Superchain.We also learn about Ryan's interesting background as a lifelong gamer and esports streaming trailblazer, first with Machinima and later at Google as the head of gaming at YouTube. We discuss Optimism’s journey to becoming a powerhouse in Layer 2 solutions, what makes it the platform of choice for top companies, and the groundbreaking plans for seamless interoperability across the Superchain. Tune in for an inside look at what’s next for Optimism and the ambitious roadmap Ryan and his team have set for 2024 and beyond.

And as always, if you enjoy this podcast, please mint and share it with your friends!

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Timestamps:

0:00 - The Bitcoin Millionaire Story: Ryan’s early experience paying creators in Bitcoin and its surprising outcomes
1:37 - A Swagged-Out Superchain Welcome: Introduction and Ryan’s first impressions of Optimism
2:15 - From Gamer to Growth Officer: How Ryan’s love for gaming launched his career in tech
4:00 - Navigating a Career in Gaming: The challenges and rewards of working in the gaming industry
6:36 - Early Days in Onchain Video Content: Ryan’s journey from Machinima to YouTube Gaming
9:03 - YouTube, Gaming, and the Crypto Transition: Moving from Web2 to onchain with optimism
11:06 - The Crypto Skepticism of Gamers: Ryan’s perspective on why gamers resist blockchain
12:50 - Memorable Moments at Google: Key lessons learned at YouTube and Google
13:50 - Why Ryan Jumped Into Crypto: Career shifts and finding inspiration in the onchain space
15:10 - Joining Polygon and Scaling Crypto: Early roles at Polygon and the vision for onchain scaling
17:57 - The Shift to Optimism and the Superchain: New challenges and the road to a collaborative L2 ecosystem
19:03 - What Does a Chief Growth Officer Do?: Ryan explains the role and responsibilities
21:01 - Unique Governance at Optimism: How collective governance shapes Optimism’s vision
23:01 - Retroactive Public Goods Funding: Exploring funding models that reward impact
25:05 - One Year of Superchain Growth: A recap of Ryan’s first year with Optimism and the ecosystem’s growth
29:33 - Coinbase’s Role in OP Stack Adoption: How Base helped drive the Superchain’s momentum
31:27 - Navigating Competitors on the Superchain: Collaboration and competition in the onchain world
33:50 - Solving Liquidity Fragmentation: Why interoperability is key to Optimism’s future
36:30 - The Future of Onchain Interoperability: Ryan’s vision for seamless cross-chain transactions
39:54 - Challenges of User Experience: Bridging, liquidity, and simplifying the user journey
43:16 - The Value of Open Source: How Optimism’s open-source approach benefits the ecosystem
46:13 - Looking Forward: 2025 Intentions: Ryan’s goals for the Superchain in the coming year
47:50 - Final Thoughts: How community and innovation drive onchain growth