Crypto Gloss

Unchained (Laura Shin)

Unchained is a crypto media brand and podcast series created by Laura Shin, a veteran financial journalist who previously covered crypto for Forbes. Launched in 2016, Unchained (and its companion show Unconfirmed, for shorter news-focused episodes) is one of the oldest and most respected journalism-first crypto podcasts, known for long-form, prepared interviews with major figures in crypto — including regulators, protocol founders, investors, and researchers. Shin is regarded as one of the most credible journalists in the crypto space.

Background

Laura Shin began covering crypto for Forbes in 2015 as one of the first mainstream financial journalists to report seriously on Bitcoin and Ethereum. She launched the Unchained podcast independently in 2016, building it outside of a traditional media employer. This independence — and her journalism background — has given Unchained a reputation for balanced, well-researched interviews that go deeper than most crypto media podcasts.

Shows

Show Format
Unchained Long-form (1–2 hour) interviews with crypto founders, investors, and policy figures
Unconfirmed Shorter (30 min) weekly news recap with guest commentary

Notable Coverage

  • “The Cryptopians” (2022) — Shin’s book on the early Ethereum community and internal conflicts, including the ET DAO and post-DAO fork debates. It drew on years of direct sourcing and was noted for revealing the identity of the person behind the 2016 DAO hack.
  • Regulators and policy figures — Unchained frequently interviews sitting regulators (SEC commissioners, CFTC officials) who are unusually willing to speak to Shin given her journalistic reputation
  • FTX and collapse coverage — early reporting and analysis of the FTX collapse through the lens of journalism rather than commentary

“The Cryptopians” (Book)

Shin’s 2022 book The Cryptopians: Idealism, Greed, Lies, and the Making of the First Big Cryptocurrency Craze is the definitive account of the early Ethereum ecosystem, with particular focus on:

  • The internal conflicts among Ethereum co-founders
  • The 2016 DAO hack and the contentious fork decision
  • Shin’s exclusive reporting on the identity of the DAO attacker

Related Terms

Sources