117: Winning and Losing Millions in Crypto Confidential

07/05/24 • 70 min

“I could hardly form the words. My mouth wasn’t working. My heart hammered in my ears and pins and needles burned my hands and feet. I squeezed my fists as hard as I could to get them to stop hurting as I stumbled into my office and fumbled through my laptop password, pulling up the message that had thrown me out of bed:

“Nat, someone found a way to hack us. It sounds bad. All of our funds might be at risk.”

This was the absolute worst-case scenario. The one I’d pushed to the back of my mind. The one I pretended was impossible so I could sleep at night. I’d always accepted the risk that I could lose all of my money. But if I lost a hundred million dollars of other people’s money...”

Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! Today’s episode is extra special as we talk all things Crypto Confidential, a brand-new book by our very own co-host, Nathaniel Eliason. Join us as Nat shares the behind-the-scenes journey of writing and launching his book. Whether you're a seasoned crypto enthusiast or just curious, this episode offers a fascinating glimpse into the world of crypto through Nat’s insightful storytelling.

We cover a wide range of topics including:

Nat's journey of writing Crypto Confidential
Differences in promoting fiction vs. nonfiction
How Nat learned from other successful book marketers
Challenges of book promotion and strategy
The creative process behind book cover design

And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode.

Links from the Episode:

Mentioned in the Show:

Crypto Confidential early release in Toronto (1:56)
Brandon Sanderson signing 5,000 copies in 3 hours (8:37)
Brandon Sanderson advice and lectures (8:56)
10 Things I Learned Losing 10 Million Dollars (18:30)
Olympus (50:55)
Outside the System: Crypto Confidential with Nat Eliason (58:55)

Books Mentioned:

Crypto Confidential
The Founders (22:24)
Zero to One (23:23) (Nat's Book Notes)
Red Rising (25:08)
Atomic Habits (26:49) (Nat's Book Notes)
The Three-Body Problem (28:33) (Book Episode) (Nat’s Book Notes)
The 4-Hour Body (36:11)
The 4-Hour Workweek (36:26) (Nat's Book Notes)
Trust Me, I’m Lying (38:48)
The Obstacle Is the Way (40:40)
Ego is the Enemy (41:00) (Nat's Book Notes)
Deep Work (41:40) (Nat's Book Notes)
Elantris (42:32)
Endurance (43:58)

“Nat, someone found a way to hack us. It sounds bad. All of our funds might be at risk.”

We cover a wide range of topics including:

Nat's journey of writing Crypto Confidential
Differences in promoting fiction vs. nonfiction
How Nat learned from other successful book marketers
Challenges of book promotion and strategy
The creative process behind book cover design

And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode.

Links from the Episode:

Mentioned in the Show:

Crypto Confidential early release in Toronto (1:56)
Brandon Sanderson signing 5,000 copies in 3 hours (8:37)
Brandon Sanderson advice and lectures (8:56)
10 Things I Learned Losing 10 Million Dollars (18:30)
Olympus (50:55)
Outside the System: Crypto Confidential with Nat Eliason (58:55)

Books Mentioned:

Crypto Confidential
The Founders (22:24)
Zero to One (23:23) (Nat's Book Notes)
Red Rising (25:08)
Atomic Habits (26:49) (Nat's Book Notes)
The Three-Body Problem (28:33) (Book Episode) (Nat’s Book Notes)
The 4-Hour Body (36:11)
The 4-Hour Workweek (36:26) (Nat's Book Notes)
Trust Me, I’m Lying (38:48)
The Obstacle Is the Way (40:40)
Ego is the Enemy (41:00) (Nat's Book Notes)
Deep Work (41:40) (Nat's Book Notes)
Elantris (42:32)
Endurance (43:58)

Previous Episode

116: What Was It All For? WWI by Martin Gilbert

“If the war was to be over by Christmas, as many believed, or at the latest by Easter 1915, tens of thousands of soldiers might be killed or wounded before the guns fell silent. Every army believed that it could crush its opponents within a few months.”

Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! Join us as we dive into The First World War by Martin Gilbert. We'll explore the intricate details of WW1, from the seemingly pointless triggers to the significant aftermath that reshaped the world. We'll also touch on intriguing historical anecdotes, like Germany's return in WW2, and the far-reaching consequences of redrawing borders. History lovers, buckle up for this one!

We cover a wide range of topics including:

Technological advancements from cavalry to tanks and planes
How WW1 redrew the map and ended empires
The concept of 'war guilt' and its impact
America's pivotal role and the intercepted telegram
The seemingly unnecessary triggers of the first World War

And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode.

Links from the Episode:

Mentioned in the Show:

Books Mentioned:

People Mentioned:

Show Topics:

(0:00) Today, we’re covering The First World War by Martin Gilbert. While the book offers a detailed play-by-play of WW1, it wasn't the most enjoyable read. However, we gained significant insights into the war.

(4:53) The war’s triggers and conflicts felt somewhat pointless. Despite this, WW1 felt more significant than WW2 as it redrew maps and ended four empires. Unlike WW2's clear-cut good vs. evil narrative, WW1 began with cavalry and ended with advanced technology like planes, tanks, gas, and submarines.

(8:02) Numerous underlying tensions grew and eventually exploded in unpredictable ways. One of the triggers was Germany’s insecurity about its geographical position. We delve into the circumstances that led to the start of the war.

(11:10) A major theme was the widespread belief that the war would end quickly, without long-term consequences. We discuss what wars were like before WW1, typically regional with smaller armies and less impact on civilian populations.

(13:57) What was the aftermath of the war like? You might belong to a different town or region, but it may not have affected your daily life much.

(18:00) Nat, Neil, and Adil talk about the multiple empires that collapsed during this time.

(20:10) War gui...

Next Episode

118: Attention is All You Need: The World After Capital

“The amount of human attention in the world is finite. We have 24 hours in the day, some of which we need to spend paying attention to eating, sleeping and meeting our other needs. The attention during the remaining hours of most people in the world is taken up by having to earn an income and by consuming goods and services, leaving relatively little time for attention to be freely allocated. A hard limit on available attention also exists for humanity as a whole—as I argued earlier, we are headed for peak population, at which point we will no longer be increasing the total amount of potentially available attention by adding more people. ”

Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! In this episode, we're covering The World After Capital by Albert Wenger. We'll explore the transition from the Industrial Age to the Knowledge Age, the new scarcity of attention, and the potential for widespread societal change. Join us in this futuristic discussion as we ponder how digital technologies are reshaping our world and the future of human civilization.

We cover a wide range of topics including: