Guest's Quote
“If we succeed in keeping the CROPs layer strong while pushing adoption, we won’t just build another fintech — we’ll change the fate of the internet.”
Jason Chaskin is the App Relations Lead at the Ethereum Foundation, where he supports application builders and ecosystem teams working across Ethereum’s infrastructure and application layers. A former banking professional who transitioned into crypto during the 2021 cycle, Jason taught himself to code, began publishing technical explainers on Ethereum protocol upgrades, and eventually joined the Foundation after sharing his research publicly.
Today, he focuses on strengthening Ethereum’s application ecosystem — particularly around CROPs (Censorship Resistance, Openness, Privacy, and Security) — and advocates for self-sovereign access across the stack. Jason is also an active voice on Farcaster and X, regularly engaging with builders and contributing to conversations around protocol design, public goods, and Ethereum’s long-term mission.
Jason explained that he began his career in banking but found the work unfulfilling. The 2021 macroeconomic environment — particularly large-scale monetary expansion — led him to revisit the idea of immutable money. From there, he dove deep into Ethereum, taught himself to code, and began publishing detailed protocol research. His public writing eventually led to a direct outreach opportunity and his role at the Ethereum Foundation, where he now leads App Relations and supports ecosystem builders.
Jason clarified that CROPs — censorship resistance, openness, privacy, and security — represent the properties that make blockchains uniquely valuable. While programmable money can exist on centralized databases, it lacks trustlessness and exit guarantees. Ethereum’s mission, as he described it, is to preserve strong self-sovereign access while still enabling broader adoption. He emphasized that the Foundation exists to defend builders who make difficult long-term trade-offs that benefit humanity rather than short-term convenience.
Jason acknowledged the tension between revenue-driven, venture-backed adoption models and the CROPs-first philosophy. He explained that Ethereum aims for a middle path — enabling institutions and mainstream use while preserving a robust exit option for users. Institutions are choosing Ethereum, he noted, not because of branding but because of tangible neutrality and reduced counterparty risk. The ability to exit and retain identity, assets, and social graph is the structural advantage Ethereum offers.
Jason described AI agents as being in a stage comparable to Ethereum in 2015–2016 — early but promising. He explained that AI agents will require neutral, trust-minimized infrastructure without counterparty risk. Unlike centralized systems that require jurisdictional compliance or identity gating, Ethereum treats AI agents as equal actors. This neutrality, combined with scalable Layer 2 infrastructure and micro-payment capability, makes Ethereum a compelling foundation for AI-native commerce.
Jason acknowledged that while Ethereum is not yet universally adopted, it is already actively used in regions with weaker financial infrastructure, citing real-world USDT payments on Ethereum in Argentina. He explained that the first decade focused on making Ethereum sustainable, scalable, and secure. The coming decade, he believes, will focus on distribution and usability — bringing infrastructure into more hands without compromising CROPs principles. He emphasized that progress requires storytellers, builders, institutions, governments, and community participants alike.
Ethereum’s path is intentionally difficult. It is not simply building a faster payment rail or another fintech product — it is attempting to embed exit rights and build an internet that cannot rug its users.
Jason made clear that this balance will not be easy. There will be tension between adoption and principle. There will be market pressure. But if Ethereum succeeds in maintaining a strong CROPs layer while scaling institutional and AI-driven adoption, it will not merely compete with traditional systems; it will redefine them. And as Jason put it — “if that’s not worth fighting for, there are plenty of easier companies to work for.”