In this episode of Composable, hosts Alysia and Ellie welcome Hasu, an expert in MEV and the strategy lead at Flashbots. They delve into the intricacies of MEV, which stands for Maximal Extractable Value, discussing what it is in detail, its evolution, and its implications for our multi-chain future. The conversation covers topics such as private RPCs, order flow auctions, and the impact of MEV on both user experience and protocol efficiency. The episode also explores the trade-offs between synchronous and asynchronous composability and predicts future trends in crosschain MEV and protocol design.

Relevant links from the show.

• Flashbots writing
• Flashbots forum
• Archive of all MEV-related content

Composable is a bi-weekly podcast exploring crypto's building blocks. Hosted by Alysia and Ellie, and brought to you by Espresso.

Find us on X:
Composable — @composablepod
Alysia — @alysiatech
Ellie — @ellierdavidson

In this episode of Composable, Ellie and Alysia dive deep into one of blockchain's most critical yet confusing concepts: finality. Triggered by a real-world story of someone losing funds due to misunderstanding finality in crosschain transactions, they explore the nuanced definitions of finality, settlement, and confirmations across different blockchain layers.

The discussion reveals how finality is not a fixed concept but rather depends on trust assumptions, application requirements, and the observer's perspective. They examine how different stakeholders, from centralized exchanges to DeFi protocols, make trade-offs between speed and security when defining finality for their users.

Key topics covered:

• Defining blockchain finality
• Finality vs settlement
• Layer 2 finality considerations
• Crosschain composability challenges
• Real-world application examples
• Developer trade-offs and decisions
• Confirmations and block times
• Variable finality factors

Composable is a bi-weekly podcast exploring crypto's building blocks. Hosted by Alysia and Ellie, and brought to you by Espresso.

Find us on X:
Composable — @composablepod
Alysia — @alysiatech
Ellie — @ellierdavidson

In this episode, hosts Alysia and Ellie tackle Ethereum FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) head-on by rolling a special "Ethereum FUD" die—a special piece of swag that Espresso Systems produced for ETHDenver 2025—and discussing common criticisms of Ethereum.

They cover everything from fee structures and L2 scaling solutions to fragmentation concerns and Ethereum's overall direction, diving into whether the FUD is valid or simply misconceptions and providing a balanced perspective on the challenges and design decisions facing Ethereum as it evolves.

Key topics covered:

Fees Too Low - Discussion of the criticism that low Ethereum fees indicate lack of usage and declining demand

Parasitic L2s - Debate over whether Layer 2 solutions help or harm Ethereum by potentially siphoning value from L1

Fragmentation - Analysis of liquidity and ecosystem fragmentation across multiple L2 chains

No North Star - Examination of claims that Ethereum lacks clear direction compared to competitors like Solana

Validator Economics - How fee levels impact validator profitability and network security

Product Market Fit - Challenges of finding sustainable use cases for blockchain technology

User Experience vs. Decentralization - Trade-offs between ease of use and maintaining decentralized principles

Composable is a bi-weekly podcast exploring crypto's building blocks. Hosted by Alysia and Ellie, and brought to you by Espresso.

Find us on X:
Composable — @composablepod
Alysia — @alysiatech
Ellie — @ellierdavidson