Nishant Sharma: Bitmain – Rising to Mining Dominance (#314)

Bitmain is one of the most well known, and one of the most polarizing companies in the blockchain space. The largest ASIC manufacturer and operator of several mining pools, Bitmain is the center of many controversies and discussions around centralization in the space. But not only is it the subject of discussion, Bitmain breaks out of the “passive miner” stereotype and is very active in many of the discussions in the community, most notably the Great Scaling Debates.

In this episode, we sit down with Nishant Sharma, Head of Community Relations, who is responsible for acting as a bridge between the Bitmain company and the many communities it interacts with through its mining and ASIC operations. We explore the origins of Bitmain and its founders, the economics of ASIC production, its past and current relationships with different communities, and the future of the company.

Topics discussed in this episode:
- Nishant's Story in the Bitcoin mining space and how it led to joining Bitmain
- Origin of Bitmain and its founders, notably Jihan Wu
- Does Bitmain contribute to centralization in the blockchain space
- How Bitmain maintains its superiority in the ASIC manufacturing space
- Economics of ASIC production and manufacturing
- Balancing business models of ASIC production, operating multiple mining pools, and exploring new verticals
- Bitmain's role in blockchain debates like the scaling debate, Bitcoin Cash split, and ProgPow

Links mentioned in this episode:
- Bitmain Website: https://bit.ly/2D9HHTf
- Nishant on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2pBywaU
- Bitmain on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2OpCxHP
- Fallout: Everyone’s a loser after Bitcoin Cash split – Brave New Coin: https://bit.ly/331LyfB
- Bitmain Wikipedia: https://bit.ly/2KAAIGY
- BTC.com Pool: http://bit.ly/2NZTjOM
- Antpool: http://bit.ly/2NZTjOM
- Leaked Transcript Details Power Struggle Inside Bitcoin Mining Giant
Bitmain – CoinDesk: http://bit.ly/2r6rwDd
- Dovey Wan on Twitter: http://bit.ly/2qiMLBV

Sponsors:
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- Cosmos: Change the future of finance at the SF Blockchain Week Defi Hackathon – $50,000 prize pool for winning teams - https://epicenter.rocks/sfcosmos

This episode is hosted by Sunny Aggarwal. Show notes and listening options: https://epicenter.tv/314