Host Jan Baran sits down with Coinbase Chief Policy Officer Faryar Shirzad for an educational and illuminating deep dive into cryptocurrency's intersection with law and politics. Faryar, whose journey from Iranian diplomat's son to White House advisor to Goldman Sachs executive led him to crypto's frontier, breaks down the complex technology in refreshingly accessible terms. He explains how the recently passed Genius Act creates the framework for dollar-backed "stablecoins" - essentially digital dollars that can transfer peer-to-peer without traditional banking intermediaries - and why this represents the next evolution of the internet's promise to eliminate middlemen.

The conversation reveals crypto's surprising political transformation from niche technology to major electoral force. Faryar details how Coinbase helped build the largest political operation any industry has ever assembled, mobilizing 2.4 million advocates through “Stand with Crypto” and strategic Super PAC spending to combat what he describes as the prior administration's "disgraceful" targeting of crypto users. With 60% of crypto advocates being Democrats but 54% voting for Trump in 2024, the crypto voter bloc has emerged as a genuinely bipartisan political force that could reshape future elections - making this episode essential listening for anyone trying to understand where money, technology, and politics intersect in modern America.

About Faryar Shirzad

Faryar Shirzad is Chief Policy Officer at Coinbase, where he leads the company’s
engagement with policymakers around the world and has become a trusted source for thought leadership in the global crypto policy space. Under Faryar’s leadership, Coinbase has become a driver of crypto-regulation discourse in the U.S. He oversaw the creation of Coinbase’s Digital Asset Policy Proposal (or dApp), which laid out a fit-for-purpose regulatory framework for the rapidly-emerging industry and was recognized as “a dramatic shift from current policy in the United States”, sparking an ongoing conversation on how crypto should be regulated while safeguarding American innovation.

Before joining Coinbase, Faryar was Global Co-Head of Government Affairs at Goldman Sachs. He has served as counsel to the highest levels of the U.S. government, including as deputy national security advisor for international economic affairs for President George W. Bush. In that role, he served as The President’s personal representative to the G-8 (the “G-8 Sherpa”). Prior to his time in the White House, Faryar was assistant secretary for import administration at the U.S. Department of Commerce and international trade counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance. Earlier in his career, he practiced law in Washington, DC. Faryar earned a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law, a MPP from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and a BS from the University of Maryland, College Park.