Ep10: Bitcoin in Historical Perspective

Last week on the news I told you about how Yale University has decided to get into the crypto market through its endowment.

It’s just another sign of the inevitability of this technological phenomenon. The major universities have accepted that it’s real. We already know that Wall Street has as well.

Now, let’s go back to the University thing. Of course, they want to teach things that are relevant to students right?

Well, sure enough, you are seeing blockchain and distributed ledger courses pop up at Universities left and right. That doesn’t mean they know what they are talking about but they are trying, that’s for sure.

The University of California, Berkeley has been on the cutting edge of many new technological and social movements so it is not surprising that my guest today, Greg LaBlanc is one of the instructors of the latest course introducing Berkeley students to blockchain.

Greg comes at this from a pretty unique perspective as a financial historian so make sure to tune in to this interview.

Greg LeBlanc

Greg is a lecturer and distinguished teaching fellow at UC Berkeley’s Boalt Hall School of Law, and Director of Hass School of Business’s Fintech Center. 

Greg has an LLM from Boalt, his JD from George Mason University, and did undergraduate work at University of Pennsylvania where he studied Financial History, Political Science, Economics and Philosophy. Prior to lecturing at UC Berkeley, Greg held positions in the Department of Economics at both University of Virginia and Duke, and was a lecturer at the Wharton School in Finance and Management. 

Greg’s research and interest include work in Data Analytics, Business Model Innovation, Alternative Investment Strategies, Evolutionary Decision Theory, Behavioral Law and Economics, Behavioral Corporate Finance. 

Recently, Greg co-developed the first class offered at UC Berkeley on Blockchain Called “Blockchain and the Future of Technology, Business, and Law.” The course was cross listed between the schools of engineering, law and business and provided an overview of the technology behind blockchain and exploration of the huge range of current and potential real-world applications this technology brings with it.