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Jesse Pollak to Explain Why Coinbase Is Launching Its Base Blockchain at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024
Last year, Coinbase has launched Baseits layer-2 blockchain. This is an ambitious project that could profoundly change not only Coinbase, but the entire cryptocurrency industry. That’s why we’re excited about Invite Jesse Pollak to TechCrunch Disrupt 2024. He is the head of protocols at Coinbase. And more importantly, he is also the creator of Base.
When Coinbase joined Y Combinator’s startup accelerator program, the company wanted to become the easiest and most secure way to buy, sell, send, and receive bitcoin. And over the past 12 years, the company has grown tremendously, much like the cryptocurrency industry, to become one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges and one of the most influential tech companies.
However, as the cryptocurrency industry matures, many companies are returning to the original premise of cryptocurrency and blockchain: everything should be decentralized.
Decentralization isn’t just a buzzword. It means things are more transparent for users, as on-chain transactions can be more easily tracked and verified. It also creates a level playing field for developers, as they can integrate with other products more easily; it promotes innovation.
That’s why Coinbase is moving toward on-chain products. Base is a secure, low-cost, developer-friendly layer-2 Ethereum blockchain. It may be Coinbase’s most ambitious bet on decentralization.
It serves as the home for all of Coinbase’s on-chain products, but anyone can also build decentralized apps on Base. It was built using open source technology, and more specifically, Optimism OP Stack.
Pollak was responsible for the ambitious Base project at Coinbase. Prior to that, he led all retail engineering at the company and worked on several projects, including Coinbase, Coinbase Pro, and Coinbase Wallet. Before joining Coinbase, Pollak worked on Clef, a 2FA mobile app. He began his tech career as a software engineering intern at BuzzFeed.
He will tell us why Coinbase is stepping out of its comfort zone and going protocol-centric. TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 will be held October 28-30 in San Francisco. You can buy tickers now and join us for this conversation about what it means to build a layer 2 blockchain and why decentralization matters.