Sam Kessler

Sam is CoinDesk's deputy managing editor for tech and protocols. His reporting is focused on decentralized technology, infrastructure and governance. Sam holds a computer science degree from Harvard University, where he led the Harvard Political Review. He has a background in the technology industry and owns some ETH and BTC. Sam was part of the team that won a 2023 Gerald Loeb Award for CoinDesk's coverage of Sam Bankman-Fried and the FTX collapse.

Sam Kessler

Latest from Sam Kessler


Tech

The Protocol: Is Ethereum's Dencun Update All It's Cracked Up To Be?

Some developers think that shifting the Ethereum ecosystem further towards layer 2 networks could risk setting it down the wrong path.

(Andrea De Santis/Unsplash)

Tech

Debating Dencun: Will Ethereum's Big Update Help or Harm the Network?

While Ethereum's rollup-centric roadmap could help the ecosystem reach new levels of scale, some developers think relying on third parties to improve access to Ethereum could backfire.

Ethereum Foundation's Tim Beiko joined The Protocol podcast to discuss the implications of the Dencun upgrade. (CoinDesk, modified using PhotoMosh)

Tech

Ethereum Blockchain Counts Down to 'Dencun' Upgrade, Set to Reduce Fees

The upgrade is designed to usher in a new era of cheaper fees for the growing array of layer-2 networks that operate on top of Ethereum.

Blocknative's Ethernow countdown to Dencun (Blocknative)

Tech

BRC-20 Creator Domo Addresses Thorny Governance Issues With New 'Lead Maintainer' Appointments

Governance on Bitcoin is often a thorny subject, as highlighted at the start of this year when Ordinals marketplace UniSat and Domo came into a potential conflict

16:9 Bitcoin, BRC-20 (geralt/Pixabay)

Tech

USC Professor's Crypto Startup 'Sahara' Raises $6M to Reward AI Trainers

Sahara co-founder Sean Ren, a computer science professor at the University of Southern California, says his tech can help workers and businesses get compensated for their knowledge, data and expertise in the age of AI.

Sahara co-founders Sean Ren and Tyler Zhou (Sahara)

Tech

Bitcoiners, Solana Acolytes Crash Ethereum Conference in Denver – for a Reason

Last week's ETHDenver conference drew a significant presence from developers and reps of blockchain ecosystems beyond Ethereum, taken as a sign of just how influential the second-largest distributed network has become.

Yes, you saw that right: It's the Polkadot booth at the Ethereum-focused ETHDenver conference. (Sam Kessler)

Tech

Days After Ditching Aave, Risk Manager Gauntlet Moves to Rival Lender Morpho

According to Gauntlet, the move offers the potential for more money with greater flexibility.

Gauntlet founder and CEO Tarun Chitra (Gauntlet)