Ready for Merge

Ready for Merge Ep. 30 👾

Christine D. Kim shares the final bi-weekly brief of Season 1 of the Ready for Merge podcast, recapping the latest developments in Bitcoin and Ethereum protocol development. She also breaks down the latest developments surrounding the Clarity Act, a major cryptocurrency market-structure bill advancing in the U.S. Senate, highlighting its implications for open-source developers, self-custody rights, and the growing role of decentralization as a legal framework for regulating digital assets. Finally, Christine shares how listeners can continue to follow major developments in blockchain technology throughout the summer via her newsletters and events. This episode was recorded on May 19, 2026. Timestamps: (1:53) Ethereum development updates (7:55) Bitcoin development updates (12:07) What is the Clarity Act?  (14:49) Why the Clarity Act matters   (25:05) How to stay up-to-date on blockchain development through the summer Enjoying this content?  Subscribe to the newsletter: https://christinedkim.substack.com/ [https://christinedkim.substack.com/] Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ready4merge [https://www.youtube.com/@ready4merge] Follow on X: https://x.com/ready4merge [https://x.com/ready4merge] Interested in sponsoring the show? inquiry@protocolwatch.com [inquiry@protocolwatch.com] This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit christinedkim.substack.com/subscribe [https://christinedkim.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Ready for Merge Ep. 29 👾

Meet Ben, a developer who works full-time on the Ethereum execution layer (EL) client, Nethermind. In just over two years, Ben has become one of the top three contributors to the Nethermind codebase — a remarkable leap for someone who once dismissed cryptocurrencies entirely. In this interview, Ben recounts how he found his calling working as a full-time Ethereum client developer and the twists and turns in his journey that led him through building online games and contributing to Microsoft’s .NET ecosystem to becoming one of Nethermind’s most prolific contributors. This interview was recorded on August 13, 2025. Timestamps: (0:49) Show announcements (1:23) Ben’s biggest contribution to Ethereum (19:59) Ben’s view on Ethereum leadership (31:50) What an average day looks like as a Nethermind developer  (39:38) Rapid fire questions Enjoying this content?  Subscribe to the newsletter: https://christinedkim.substack.com/ [https://christinedkim.substack.com/] Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ready4merge [https://www.youtube.com/@ready4merge] Follow on X: https://x.com/ready4merge [https://x.com/ready4merge] Interested in sponsoring the show? inquiry@protocolwatch.com [inquiry@protocolwatch.com] This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit christinedkim.substack.com/subscribe [https://christinedkim.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Ready for Merge Ep. 28 👾

In this episode of Ready for Merge, Christine D. Kim shares updates from the Soldøgn Interop, a week-long gathering of Ethereum protocol developers and researchers organized by the Ethereum Foundation. She also highlights a newly disclosed high-severity bug impacting outdated versions of Bitcoin Core. She then unpacks the ongoing fallout from the KelpDAO hack and DeFi United recovery efforts. The episode closes by questioning whether crypto products like strkBTC and stablecoins truly deliver on the promise of private, permissionless money.  This episode was recorded on May 5, 2026. Timestamps: (0:54) Show announcements (1:29) Soldøgn Interop takeaways (3:12) High severity bug in Bitcoin Core v28 (6:02) DeFi United fund recovery efforts  (10:50) What type of privacy strkBTC enables Enjoying this content?  Subscribe to the newsletter: https://christinedkim.substack.com/ [https://christinedkim.substack.com/] Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ready4merge [https://www.youtube.com/@ready4merge] Follow on X: https://x.com/ready4merge [https://x.com/ready4merge] Interested in sponsoring the show? inquiry@protocolwatch.com [inquiry@protocolwatch.com]  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit christinedkim.substack.com/subscribe [https://christinedkim.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Ready for Merge Ep. 27 👾

In this Ready for Merge episode, Christine D. Kim interviews Philip Ngo, a developer working on the Ethereum consensus layer (CL) client, Lodestar. Phil recounts his transition from the Canadian Armed Forces to working full-time on Lodestar for Chainsafe Systems. He shares what motivated him to make a career jump into crypto and his vision for the future of Ethereum protocol development.  This interview was recorded on July 23, 2025. Timestamps: (1:41) Show announcements (3:06) Phil’s biggest contribution to Ethereum (3:47) Phil’s career before Ethereum (13:51) What it’s like project managing the Lodestar client (29:35) The pressures of open-source development (53:07) What Phil plans to do next (54:30) Rapid-fire questions Enjoying this content?  Subscribe to the newsletter: https://christinedkim.substack.com/ [https://christinedkim.substack.com/] Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ready4merge [https://www.youtube.com/@ready4merge] Follow on X: https://x.com/ready4merge [https://x.com/ready4merge] Interested in sponsoring the show? inquiry@protocolwatch.com [inquiry@protocolwatch.com] This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit christinedkim.substack.com/subscribe [https://christinedkim.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Ready for Merge Ep. 26 👾

In this Ready for Merge episode, Christine D. Kim discusses the fallout from the KelpDAO and Layer Zero exploit. For many, this incident is radically redefining what decentralised finance (DeFi) means and the true value of blockchain-based applications.  This episode was recorded on April 21, 2026. Timestamps: (1:04) Show announcements (2:11) Bitcoin Core updates (4:32) Ethereum client updates (10:22) Overview of the KelpDAO and LayerZero hack (14:24) The Arbitrum Security Council’s response (17:37) The differences between DeFi and CeFi (26:28) Why public blockchains matter Enjoying this content?  Subscribe to the newsletter: https://christinedkim.substack.com/ [https://christinedkim.substack.com/] Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ready4merge [https://www.youtube.com/@ready4merge] Follow on X: https://x.com/ready4merge [https://x.com/ready4merge] Interested in sponsoring the show? inquiry@protocolwatch.com [inquiry@protocolwatch.com]  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit christinedkim.substack.com/subscribe [https://christinedkim.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]