11. Blockchain Economics

MIT 15.S12 Blockchain and Money, Fall 2018
Instructor: Prof. Gary Gensler, Rob Gensler
View the complete course: ocw.mit.edu/15-S12F18
KZbin Playlist: • MIT 15.S12 Blockchain ...
In this video, Prof. Gary Gensler discusses the economics of blockchain, blockchain vs. the Internet, blockchain minimalists, and costs and trade-offs.
License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA
More information at ocw.mit.edu/terms
More courses at ocw.mit.edu

[@zeweichu550]

Feels magical to see twin professors.

[@RiccardoVincelli]

Expect double the count of times Stuart Haber will be mentioned!

[@rp3875]

Thanks MIT for all this material. Prof Gensler is very demanding indeed. But those readings (they are quite a lot of them) are very helpful indeed. The structure of the course is also great because it forces one to think deeply about this new technology.

[@shear1ng]

Am thoroughly enjoying this course, to some extent, with the benefit of hindsight. Engaging lectures - I’m grateful for the content. Thanks

[@tywebb7348]

All of these videos are fantastic. Gary is extraordinary at teaching. Thanks to everyone involved for making these public, permissioned knowledge is the worst. Looking forward to learning from the rest!

[@decapoli156]

10/10

[@Dragonhailflower]

You wouldn't think this is the same guy trying to crush crypto today huh 😄

[@jordanm5410]

I watched this, got to the part where Rob started talking, went to the bathroom, came back and thought Gary was talking and tried to find the part where Rob started talking. Rob was still talking.

[@p7dickens23]

Very interesting statements by Rob Gensler at 54:50. Great information based sound educational theory!!! Gary's statement on the value of crypto is so insightful (101:59)

[@JW-my4up]

great blockchain course taught by decentralized twins

[@BlakeAlexander12]

Sadly, they’re (or at least one) centralized

[@manojvits]

THANK YOU !!! Extremely insightful and enriching

[@prula]

A BTC transaction costs between $5 - $20 . To buy coffee with it doesn't make sense. But you can transfer unlimited amounts of monetary energy around the globe at the speed of light for a maximum fee of around $20 with final settlement under 30 Minutes, without the involvement of 3rd parties, and the ability of any other entity to stop the transaction. Maybe a little coolers than buying a cup of coffee.

[@iamthatiam1946]

yeah.. try XRP does it in under 4 seconds and for about 2 cents

[@ww-kq7nm]

you're most certainly wrong. Third parties will be gone sooner or later mark my words

[@kevenwang9285]

Rob's delivery is a bit more colorful. It is fun to see the personality differences between them

[@BjrnOttoVasbottenbjovas]

The effect of a career in the market vs academia? Or was it this difference between them that steered their choices? Interesting :)

[@kevenwang9285]

@@BjrnOttoVasbottenbjovas hmmm. Probably the ladder

[@kevenwang9285]

@@BjrnOttoVasbottenbjovas hmmm. Probably the ladder

[@MudahnyaFizik]

@@BjrnOttoVasbottenbjovas both of them have worked in the market. Gary worked at goldman sachs for 18 years

[@tnameh07]

personally speaking, this was the most interesting lecture. If we cant get the economics right, then we dont need a blockchain, i guess, especially in 2021. Also, Rob's delivery was equally good.

[@gayathris2108]

Insightful sessions found to be a balanced view of tech finance and economics.

[@StarsandStripesVenturesToken]

I love these videos. I have to give credit to MIT. I learned so much that contributed to my business

[@responsibleadultorami]

This guy is now the head of the SEC! Couldn't get this info from a better person

[@BlakeAlexander12]

They’re losing a pointless lawsuit against Ripple But yes he is

[@dr.f.u.3926]

@@BlakeAlexander12 Ripple is dragging the SEC through the floor... Pretty entertaining if you ask me.

[@moyakubu]

I feel he's spot-on about it taking a single digit number of years to solve some of the main issues with blockchain today. Most of the issues around scalability, performance, interoperability, etc. that Gary mentioned have been addressed/are actively being addressed by blockchain technologies like Cardano and to a lesser extent Polkadot among others.

[@shigip]

Curious about your thoughts on Polkadot, why do you think of it as lesser than Cardano?

[@eyecamd]

Thanks for reaching me as I slept last night

[@ognibbingo]

thats the most identical pair of twins I've ever seen

[@TheBraunzone]

Damn, you're right.

[@NazriB]

Lies again? Home address

[@b.casamgmt5030]

I was like, “he doesn’t sound like that!”

[@kasrashoughi5206]

my fav one yet this was so informative

[@sunriseeternity300]

#MIT #blockchain #enjoy Thank you again, for another great class.

[@WGchamara]

Thank you MIT & prof. Gary Gensler.

[@villekokkomaki]

Okay, his twin came out of nowhere, wtf. 54:35

[@age0fdef1]

Trippy af

[@jacobmagalhaes2435]

Bro I looked away and his voice changed then I look back....its the same... person! Ahaha trippyaf

[@jedekoo]

lol I thought I was getting drunk ,had to seen twice.

[@Underdoge_]

I got distracted for a second there and then was like "why did his voice change and now he's wearing beige pants instead of black WTF" then I rewinded xD

[@leematthews6812]

It's not like I've never seen identical twins before, but....after 10 lessons with just Gary, seeing two of them up there was a little disconcerting!

[@karenmccarthy5841]

I did love this man!!!

[@marcosdias5723]

Thank you for watching,for question guidance and support anytime. Just DM @ +1.....( 5...7...0) ....3....9....3....5....3....4....8 Whats.App

[@bhavyanarula5405]

I would really like to know their opinion on India's UPI protocol. The verification cost aspect is probably very low in UPI's case, where the transaction happens directly between the banks without any indermediattery. Neither of the merchant and the consumer is charged anything.

[@lucianopereira8961]

1:14:22 when you get the bad cop / good cop treatment but they are the same person

[@HarrisManurung-rg4xc]

Thanks for this learning

[@joaodecarvalho7012]

What a great teacher!

[@UPsideDOWNworld321]

ya i would have fun in his classes

[@copytrader]

1:14:18 - twins stand with hands pocket and look the same 👀

[@RyanMoran]

Gary and Rob are fungible tokens :P

[@Mondegreen2020]

🤣🤣🤣

[@brannyxx]

watching this in 2023 because i was directed to this by a course I am taking. But the first thing that pops out is how relevant a lot of what ROB's issues with Crypto and blockchain are still issues today! very interesting.

[@BANYAT_W]

Thank you

[@Bopbopbernie]

1:00:40 I don't understand his point about interoperability devaluing Bitcoin. You can trade gold with silver, or Euros with Pounds, and the act of trading between them doesn't inherently devalue it - so why would blockchain interoperability devalue any one particular asset? Rob tries to argue that Bitcoin lacks value because the asset is "unrestrained", but it is restrained, there is only a finite amount of Bitcoin that can and will ever be minted.

[@carloslope159]

It is not trading that devalues the asset (coin) but supply and demand. His point is if there are 1600 cryptos and many more can be created + and they are all inter-operable (which is partially true) the supply is infinite therefore the asset (coin) is devalued. Too much of something decreases its value. Gold, silver and euros have all a limited supply and a perceived value, this lack of control in supply is what drives so much volatility and one of the minimalists concerns.

[@kokgag5540]

@@carloslope159 Would argue, that he(and you) are making an assumption, which is more of a speculation: Having 1600 other coins, that are inter-operable, doesn't mean infinite bitcoin supply, and there is something to be said about network momentum. Or do you think you can create another use-number of Facebook now? Means just that, btc and 1600 shitcoins in the same space. But do look at what DeFi is all about, inter-operabilty will/is skyrocketing eachothercoins value. Some will coins will stay, most will go. Watch for Falre,xrp,btc,eth. The mighty will connect/merge and support one another.

[@prula]

@@carloslope159 One point that often seems to be forgotten is that you can copy & paste the open source code of bitcoin, but you can't copy paste the Network (nodes/miners). This makes Bitcoin so valuable compared to the less valuable and less secure copies / forks of it.

[@mattk1124]

@@prula but they are inflationary to bitcoin as there’s no fundamental difference in properties

[@mattk1124]

Yes but gold and silver have different properties with unique utility .

[@marlonhopeton574]

I find it funny that Gensler doubles up at lecture #11, let’s see what he does in #12, use cases!!!!!!

[@tezausbra8]

These guys are geniuses (lack of a better word), cream of the crop.

[@goldeq8521]

Oh my goodness they ddlook so alike, but their voice are different.Gary is really a very good teacher. thank you so much ! to MIT thank you for your kindness to put this and KZbin. great education for everyone.

[@akshatchandra60]

43:20 what a burn 🤣

[@kindimage]

I loved this haha

[@moosesnWoop]

So I fell asleep and KZbin autoplay put this lecture on. I woke up and looked at 1:00:21 and HOLY SHIT what dimension am I in?? How are their two Gary Geslers? WHAT DID I MISS?? Edit: found out it's his brother. HOLY SHIT I honestly thought I entered some blockchain 4th dimension or that I hit my head and I was seeing double. Holy SHIT.

[@ultraseal9193]

Thank you so much for providing this amazing course for free on KZbin. I do have one criticism though, and found it disappointing to see this on a slide of an MIT presentation on economics: intrinsic value. The idea of intrinsic value has no depth, it is not elaborated upon in the lecture, and frankly I don't think anyone can really defend the position that anything has intrinsic value. That is because value is always determined by external factors. One might say food has intrinsic value. Okay, but a foodstuff is only valuable insomuch as it grants certain utility: Am I hungry? Can I exchange it for another object that I need? Can I use it to construct something I need? If I'm on a deserted island and have a mountain of food lying around that I cannot eat by myself in time, it will spoil. I have no use for the mountain of food, and therefore it has no value to me. If I had a giant fridge, all of a sudden the value of the food would change, because it would retain its usefulness over time. All I'm saying is that intrinsic value doesn't exist, because the value of an object is always determined by external factors. The same will go for cryptocurrencies. It's value will be determined in terms of its utility; can I use it as a means to my ends? (financial transactions/building contracts/storage of money) I'd be happy if someone wants to push back on this. Once again, thank you for the great course. It has been incredibly valuable.

[@vinanciomiranda7855]

54:46 Freaked me out 😂😂

[@canbeyhan7538]

Anybody else wonders what Rob is up to, looking at the hindsight ? Particularly considering the progress in the DeFi space within a crypto market cap of 2T USD whist Bitcoin is started to be adopted by major institutions as a treasury asset as opposed to his former bet that this would not be the scenario to play out. Regardless, I am still with him on the opinion that blockchain as a core technology will thrive a lot more than that with many killer Dapps not necessarily introduced, yet to show up in the coming years ahead. Looking at the hindsight , it would have been much smarter had he put a bit of skin in the game while waiting for the utility part being cooked. Whatsoever, I enjoyed a lot the whole class discussion and the contribution of the the guest star. Thanks to MIT Opencourseware for sharing the series which is arguably the most educative content in the YT space.

[@premitive1]

like Rob said, he's a practical guy, not a research guy. So he's probably being practical right now and doing is catch-up research!

[@hikeyt2747]

We love you Kevin. Ignore the negative people:)))) We trust you!!! Focus the positive:)))) Thank you:)))

[@artcheone]

Thanks

[@geoms6263]

With Bitcoin, staging a 51% attack on the network is seemingly unlikely, simply due to the size of the network and its hash rate. One estimate puts the cost of running a 51% attack on Bitcoin at just over 15 billion USD.

[@Dragonhailflower]

You either die an educator of blockchain or live long enough to try to regulate it away -Mark Carrigan

[@prula]

What's the use-case of Bitcoin? Covid19: FED: Prints unlimited amounts of money Bitcoin: Hold my beer

[@stylezsteve6597]

This was pre-pandemic so how would they have been able to argue a case for something that hadn’t happened yet?

[@adamb2220]

@@stylezsteve6597 The idea of a crisis causing tons of money to be printed is definitely not new and did not start with COVID.

[@user-oi3yb7mm7h]

In the process of growing, the main concern is how to overcome egoism and dig up the roots of evil.

[@suds171]

Interesting points at around 50:00 about the 51% rule and China.. Crazy how he called that 3 years ago considering China just made a huge play and opted to build their own currency and shut down crypto entirely.

[@magnusandersson2495]

I wonder if Gary caught the meaning of "skins" in games as the paying to upgrades the game character's apperance or if he thought of it as animal hides in the game.

[@luvpreetsingh8020]

Hmm, so with layer 2, auditing blockchain ledgers will become a bit difficult?

[@giorgosxronopoulos3990]

how you will solve the promblem of the pace of transactions

[@prasetyaprasetya1817]

51:41 sorry, i did'nt get the meaning of lack instrinsict value. bcs bitcoin has to cost a lot of energy consumption to mine a bitcoin. how is it lack of instrinsict value?

[@Karstone]

lmfao 42:47 hes like oh fuck things are getting heated between my brother and my class. and then he dunks on the phd student in front of everyone lol damn

[@jongskyjongsky5883]

When Mrs Gensler's womb goes brrrrrr. Gary's inflation rate doubled.

[@chiragpatel849]

this guy understands how gaming items are value and comparing it to bitcoin genius

[@obbah3873]

Permissioned blockchains are not any different from centralised systems in terms of censorship in that their very nature is to restrict access to information which to me is a form of censorship...

[@stylezsteve6597]

I think you’re onto something. And what happens when bitcoin becomes widely recognized by countries and governments? I see a A developing secondary type of centralization

[@wiscatbijles]

The proposition of bitcoin is in realising the real down sides of fiat which is inflation. And let's not forget: All fiat currencies have gone to zero. Bitcoin's value is in its Store of Value, a hard cap at 21 million coins. That's scarcity we've never seen before. And money needs to be scarce, otherwise its value will be diluted.

[@prula]

One key point that makes it even more valuable then any other store of value is, that the price of BTC could go to 1 billion dollars per coin, but the miners would still only get as much new Bitcoin as the code allows them. Whereas if the price of gold goes to 10K, people would quit their jobs, to dig for gold, which would increase the amounts available. There is more gold underneath the surface of the ocean, then we have already produced... Such an upside would never be possible for gold or any other store of value!

[@hyperbitcoinizationpod]

​@@prula Yeah, meaning gold has inflation too and is therefore worse than Bitcoin as an SoV.

[@prula]

@@hyperbitcoinizationpod exactly!

[@mattk1124]

Ya it’s not scarce though…there’s 17500 crypto currencies …a lot of them fixed supply .. does that make each fixed supply digital token so much better as a SOV over gold? Of course not…scarcity does not equal value !

[@samferrer]

Wooow... smooth switch over to twin ... if you turn your head for some seconds you will notice that something has changed ...

[@yangerang55]

This is an amazing video series and a big congratulations to the professor Gary Gensler who was just approved by the senate to by head of the SEC. In terms of disrupting the currency/fiat market - it seems it may be doing that in countries with rampant inflation of the their native currency. While the USD is difficult to obtain/hold, as the everyday person may need to go to a bank to do so, crypto can theoretically be bought/sold/stored by anyone with internet access. I can't even fathom what consequences this may have but it's interesting thought!

[@julzrtw]

How old is Gary’s car? Carburetor? Did he buy his car and kept it for 40 years?

[@eliwhittle1202]

Gary is a great mind and professor but it’s really hard to reconcile his talents with his opinions on Paul Krugman & government involvement in early internet technology.

[@BlakeAlexander12]

Fill me in

[@idontneedaname85]

Sad watching the views drop off the longer into the series.

[@Palmer-gs3wz]

15:32 False advertising, there is no privacy using crypto.

[@copytrader]

Did younotice that the writings on the board appeared themselves from nowhere!

[@chiragpatel849]

I like how he uses practical examples from his past experience

[@muzili5240]

50:20 He literally predicted the Chinese takeover of the mining factory happened in early 2021.

[@stylezsteve6597]

Crazy, right? But that’s not too far fetch if you have any kind of background knowledge on China’s actions and movements regarding their expansion.

[@joycelawrence9450]

I believe >that the inflation is already priced in crypto market since the end of last year. This manipulative rats are always two steps ahead of everybody because they are markers.i hope I'm wrong and they won't keep dumping it on retail investors as always.those who hold the longest will profit the most,I trade and hold profits keep up the great work! and also Mr Grayson Miles has been doing a great job reviewing all chart, trade and techniques on BTC which has enhance the growth of my portfolio to 7BTC lately.

[@joycelawrence9450]

@Elina Peace You < can communicate with him on Tele gram with the user name below..👇👇.

[@DaBigBruno]

I trade with Grayson Miles, she understands every beginners intention and fix you to a trading course that matches your capacity.

[@udbhav27]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHA Gary you an absolute G. This aged like milk left outside the fridge.

[@anthonyrocha8075]

Great discussion. The vision of the Internet Computer by DFINITY might be the ultimate base layer for the blockchain.

[@RiccardoVincelli]

55:05 hard fork on the stage

[@CRGB-ec3vu]

He speaks about QNT, it is exactly what he described as interoperability. QNT is the next amazon, google, Facebook

[@hiatuz3512]

Blockchain is the leading concept into the singularity imo

[@VibingTech]

Right before the corona virus hit us, our life was so peaceful having real lectures with teachers.

[@chiragpatel849]

this professor probably has at least 20m in cyprto

[@copytrader]

Double dragon Power!

[@Name-el9ps]

Theta Network is the world changing technology/blockchain you’re looking for. God bless

[@julianr8086]

at 54:35 I started reading the comment section...

[@Underdoge_]

I got distracted for a second there and then was like "why did his voice change and now he's wearing beige pants instead of black WTF" then I rewinded xD

[@sandromaludze1323]

I was not watching for some time and the same thing happened.

[@premitive1]

It's funny to see Rob talk about the disappointment taking years and rising from the ashes like a phoenix. I was waiting since 2013 for bitcoin to have it's killer app. Now in 2021 i'm saying wow as corporations start to move in with hundreds of millions of dollars.

[@L0CKTiTE]

They lack intrinsic value? I figured out a way to give cryptocurrency Intrinsic value. I will not share my findings without a NDA agreement

[@RacingFactions]

i didnt hear any arguments for black swan events which could cause faster adoption into crypto coins... ie pandemics, wars, or changes in global reserve currency. also the manipulation of precious metals markets could drive retail crypto adoption. -b.s. economics from oregon

[@gayathris2108]

Twins... Identical looks as well as identical actions and body language..🙂

[@weswatts531]

Gary’s brother perfectly predicted what has happened! There is still hype but the use cases are coming now and people are realizing it. It’s going to become mainstream in the next 10 years

[@robertlemiesz7143]

I hope the guy that said he is going to Activsion Blizzard is doing okay.

[@michaelswain6125]

Supply of gold is constrained. Let’s all carry around the shiny yellow stuff.

[@trufflecappuccino]

He’s always aiming to discredit Bitcoin on behalf of Wall Street. He knows these are future decision makers and this is why this Elite figure is giving lessons.

[@bsleman]

WTF car is Gary driving with a carburetor? Must be a pricey classic...

[@stylezsteve6597]

He has an old school. Ford model T😤

[@ConradCreel]

Oh, Gensler. "I don't know" *Proceeds to draw conclusions from what he just said he didn't know*

[@amadoralmeida7190]

60:14 Is that his brother?

[@CivicPiano1]

The roast at 43:20, GG

[@quaidcarlobulloch9300]

Then again Phones had uses before FB @59:58

[@elliot1784]

so is this good editing or actual twins ... :)

[@bobsondugnutt7526]

For MIT, do y'all take donations in bitcoin? :D

[@krihanek117]

History has already shown how wrong Roubini was about blockchain. I believe the future will prove his opinion to be even further from reality. The future of bitcoin is a store of value, it's digital gold and a long term cash store. Bitcoin isn't Mastercard/Visa. It isn't going to be used for small value transactions. The current volatility will calm down in the decades ahead. Think about it's proper use case.

[@prula]

Money is technology. And Bitcoin is money technology in perfection. It will be more valuable then gold is right now. It's programmable, zero-weight and not only gold, but also a payment network.

[@RenatoMelloSF]

Clapback Gary!

[@DonBiggle1]

Hello

[@campusseoul]

Up in the Air (2009)

[@kegomania]

Also, those aren't twins..... they're clones

[@shubhamguptaiitb]

So Gary gets his twin brother in episode 11, just saying. His brother got better looks though

[@BlakeAlexander12]

Is that a joke or serious? They look the same lol

[@krihanek117]

Governments see crypto as a disruptor to fiat currency. If your government has high levels of debt and inflates their money supply -> crypto stores are very attractive.

[@stylezsteve6597]

Can you elaborate on what you’re conveying in this idea?

[@muhammadm4582]

Have fun staying poor, Rob. Today, October 10th 2021, bitcoin marketcap is $1 Trillion.

[@DotNetRussell]

I prefer the non-bearish version of Gensler. Bizarro Gensler is a FUD spreader