Empire
Hosted by Jason Yanowitz
Crypto founders and investors break down market trends and company strategy with the co-founders of the Blockworks media brand.
A hybrid crypto business podcast that serves two functions. One format is a classic, long-form interview with founders and builders, focusing on the strategic evolution and business models of major crypto projects. The other is a weekly roundtable discussion where the hosts and guests like VC Rob Hadick analyze the week's news, from market sell-offs and regulatory changes to the intersection of AI and crypto.
“Empire's dual format of strategic deep dives and timely news analysis sets it apart. The hosts are not just commentators but active participants in the industry as a media founder and prolific investor, lending their questions and analysis significant weight.”
Who hosts this show
Hosted by Blockworks co-founder Jason Yanowitz and investor Santiago Santos, Empire offers an insider's perspective on the crypto industry. The show alternates between deep-dive interviews with founders and executives about their business strategies and weekly news roundtables analyzing market movements in crypto, AI, and macroeconomics. It is produced by Blockworks, a financial media brand focused on digital assets.
Credentials & credits
- Jason Yanowitz: Co-founder, Blockworks
- Jason Yanowitz: BA in Economics, University of Colorado Boulder
- Santiago Santos: Founder & CEO, Inversion
- Santiago Santos: Former Partner, ParaFi Capital
- Santiago Santos: BA in Economics, Boston University
- Rob Hadick (recurring host): General Partner, Dragonfly
Other ventures
- Blockworks (Jason Yanowitz)
- Inversion (Santiago Santos)
- EON Capital (Santiago Santos)
- Roca Capital (Santiago Santos)
- Dragonfly (Rob Hadick)
What kind of podcast
- Country
- United States
- Region
- usa
When new episodes drop
- 01State of The Market, The Prediction Market Wars & Kraken Pursues AaveJun 27, 2026 · 54 min
- 02Optimism Co-Founders: What Happened to the L2s?Jun 22, 2026 · 1h 09m
- 03
- 04The Bull Case For Hyperliquid | Ryan WatkinsJun 15, 2026 · 1h 09m
- 05CFTC Chair Michael Selig On Perps, Prediction Markets & Crypto In The U.SJun 8, 2026 · 1h 03m
- 06SpaceX’s $1.75T IPO, Strategy Sells Bitcoin & Crypto’s Hard ResetJun 5, 2026 · 1h 17m
- 07Avichal Garg On Investing in Crypto, AI and Ethereum’s Path ForwardJun 1, 2026 · 1h 01m
- 08Why’s Everyone So Bearish, Robinhood's AI Agent and SoFi's Stablecoin LaunchMay 29, 2026 · 1h 02m
Notable episodes
- 01Optimism Co-Founders: What Happened to the L2s?
A clear example of the show's deep-dive interview format, focusing on the strategic pivot and business model evolution of a major L2 project.
- 02CFTC Chair Michael Selig On Perps, Prediction Markets & Crypto In The U.S
Features a high-profile US regulator, demonstrating the podcast's access and relevance to the critical topic of crypto regulation.
- 03State of The Market, The Prediction Market Wars & Kraken Pursues Aave
A representative sample of the 'Weekly Roundup' format, where hosts and guests analyze a wide range of current events in crypto and tech.
What you'll be asked on this show
Jason Yanowitz typically opens an interview by framing the conversation around a recent, significant market trend or event, such as the 'reckoning of L2s.' He demonstrates a strong grasp of the guest's business, often summarizing their model to ask for confirmation or correction. He consistently uses 'how' questions to probe the internal decision-making and strategic thinking behind company pivots. While not confrontational, his style is direct and focused on uncovering the business logic and key validation points, such as asking if the Coinbase deal was the moment Optimism's enterprise model felt viable.
The show alternates between two distinct formats: single-guest deep-dive interviews and multi-person weekly news roundups. The roundups, co-hosted by Jason Yanowitz, Santiago Santos, and often Rob Hadick, are conversational and mix personal banter with market analysis. The interviews, typically led by Yanowitz, are more structured, probing, and focused on business strategy and product evolution.
Questions Jason Yanowitz keeps coming back to
11 cataloguedIf you're going on this show as a guest, expect some version of each of these. Each note explains when Jason Yanowitz reaches for it.
industry
2- Q.01
“Can you walk me through the recent 'reckoning' of [a specific market sector]?”
The host uses this opening to establish a historical narrative and frame the core problem the guest's company is solving.
- Q.02
“After [a major news event like an FOMC meeting], what's going on in your mind?”
A common opener in the roundtable format to get an immediate macro-level take.
craft
1- Q.01
“What did [your sector] get right and what did they get wrong?”
This question prompts a critical assessment of a technology's thesis and execution.
money
2- Q.01
“How has the business model of [your company] evolved?”
A direct inquiry into revenue strategy and how it has changed over time.
- Q.02
“Was [a specific event] the moment you realized this was a viable business model?”
This question pinpoints the key moments of validation for a company's strategy.
process
3- Q.01
“How did you figure out the strategic evolution from X to Y?”
This seeks to understand the internal decision-making process behind a strategic pivot.
- Q.02
“Who is your customer: the end-user or the product/developer?”
Used to clarify whether the company has a B2B or B2C focus.
- Q.03
“Can you unpack what those calls from [a customer segment] wanting to use crypto look like?”
Asks for specific, qualitative details about a trend mentioned by a guest.
future
1- Q.01
“How has your thinking evolved on what [your product] will look like and be used for?”
This question explores the guest's vision for the future of their technology and market.
controversy
2- Q.01
“How would you respond to someone who says the [X] meta is over?”
This prompts the guest to defend their market thesis against common criticisms.
- Q.02
“Is there more negative public sentiment on AI than on crypto now?”
This question compares the public perception of two major tech sectors.
Signature segments
- · Weekly Roundup
Topics covered repeatedly
Who gets booked here
The show books founders and C-level executives from established crypto projects (like Optimism), general partners from major crypto venture funds (like Dragonfly), and high-profile figures from regulatory bodies (like the CFTC).
- Karl Floerschon Optimism Co-Founders: What Happened to the L2s?
- Ben Joneson Optimism Co-Founders: What Happened to the L2s?
- Jordi Alexanderon Anthropic's Fable Banned, Will Microstrategy Blow Up & Structuring A Portfolio in 2026
- Ryan Watkinson The Bull Case For Hyperliquid | Ryan Watkins
- Michael Seligon CFTC Chair Michael Selig On Perps, Prediction Markets & Crypto In The U.S
- Avichal Gargon Avichal Garg On Investing in Crypto, AI and Ethereum’s Path Forward
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
The primary sponsor noted is peaq. Given the audience of crypto-native professionals, investors, and developers, the show is a prime venue for other crypto protocols, infrastructure providers, exchanges, and financial services to advertise.
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
Pitch Jason Yanowitz
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People also ask
- Who are the hosts of Empire?
- The main hosts are Jason Yanowitz, co-founder of Blockworks, and Santiago Santos, an investor and founder of Inversion. Rob Hadick, a General Partner at Dragonfly, is also a frequent host on the weekly roundup episodes.
- What is the format of the podcast?
- The podcast has two formats: deep-dive interviews with crypto founders and executives on Mondays, and a weekly roundtable discussion on Fridays covering recent market news.
- Is the Empire podcast still active?
- Yes, it releases new episodes twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays.
- Who produces the Empire podcast?
- The podcast is produced by Blockworks, a financial media brand focused on digital assets.
- What kind of guests appear on the show?
- Guests are typically founders of major crypto projects, venture capitalists, and other influential builders and investors in the space.
- Where can I listen to Empire?
- The podcast is available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other major podcast platforms.
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · high confidence
- [01]Jason Yanowitz: Co-founder, Blockworksjasonyanowitz.com
- [02]Jason Yanowitz: Profile, Experience & Investmentsstartupintros.com
- [03]Santiago Roel Santos - CNBC Eventscnbcevents.com
- [04]Santiago Roel Santos Biography - Traders Uniontradersunion.com
- [05]Rob Hadick, General Partner at Dragonfly Biographyrosenblattsecurities.com
- [06]Empire Podcast - Blockworksblockworks.co
- [07]Empire - Apple Podcastspodcasts.apple.com
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