The Chopping Block: Berachain’s Hype, Portnoy vs. Cramer, & Negative Market Sentiment - Ep. 783

Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner chop it up about the latest in crypto. In this episode, we’re joined by Laura Shin, host of the Unchained Podcast, for a no-holds-barred discussion on the current state of the crypto landscape. We dive into Berachain’s shaky launch, dissecting its tokenomics, insider allocations, and why the hype didn’t hold. Then we uncover the rise of celebrity memecoin scams—how influencers are cashing in while their followers get rugged. Finally, we tackle the Ethereum vs. Solana debate: is Ethereum losing its edge, or is Solana’s growth just a speculative bubble? It’s an episode full of bold takes and sharp insights you won’t want to miss.
Show highlights
🔹 Berachain’s Big Faceplant: Launched with $10B hype, now scraping $2.5B FDV. There are too many VCs and not enough vibes to keep it afloat.
🔹 Memecoin Madness: Celebs faking hacks to rug followers? The dark side of crypto grifts gets exposed.
🔹 Is Ethereum Lost? Once the king of culture, it is now weighed down by L2 sprawl and fading relevance. Has Solana stolen the spotlight?
🔹 Solana’s Winning the Youth Vote: Fast, fun, and flooded with memecoins—exactly what Gen Z craves.
🔹 Peak Memecoin Energy: When the scams get this blatant, are we hitting the top—or just getting started?
🔹 Cramer vs. Meme Lords: Who’s worse for your wallet—a clueless TV pundit or a shameless influencer?
🔹 Regulators, Where You At? Chasing good actors while real frauds run wild. Classic crypto chaos.
Hosts
⭐️Haseeb Qureshi, Managing Partner at Dragonfly
⭐️Robert Leshner, CEO & Co-founder of Superstate
⭐️Tarun Chitra, Managing Partner at Robot Ventures
⭐️Laura Shin, Journalist, Author of ‘The Cryptopians,’ Founder and CEO of Unchained
Disclosures
Timestamps

00:00 Intro

01:53 Berachain Launch and Community Sentiment

05:23 Market Sentiment and Crypto Cycles

18:03 Kanye West Leaks Scam Playbook

32:17 Cramer’s Curse vs. Portnoy’s Pump

39:23 Ethereum & Solana Drama

49:06 Ethereum's Existential Crisis (Again?)

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