About
In this episode we talk with Merlin, founder of Morpho lending protocol. We discuss his learnings on developing a innovative lending protocol and his security approach to deploying immutable code safely to Ethereum
Summary
The conversation begins with Merlin talking about his origin from the countryside of France and his journey to Paris due to his studies and the startup community present in the city. Hake inquires about Merlin's transition from being a countryside boy to becoming involved in cryptocurrency. Merlin recalls having wanted to become a fighter pilot as a youth but found he was too short to qualify. He then turned his focus to studying and eventually got involved in the startup ecosystem, specifically within the crypto sphere.
The initial discussion gives way to a more in-depth conversation on Merlin's startup, Morpho, its evolution and decision-making process, including fundraising efforts, the building process, developing new features, and the importance of auditing and verification. Merlin explains that Morpho is a type of butterfly, symbolizing the transition from a caterpillar into a butterfly, akin to their progression as a company. The first version of Morpho, the 'Morpho Optimizer,' was a successful proof of concept leading to the development of 'Morpho Blue,' a protocol that minimizes governance, has permissionless market creation, offers free flash loans, and is designed to be built on top.
Merlin emphasizes the importance of keeping core systems simple and easy to understand for developers. He explains that each contract made needs to be reviewed by the entire team, and each new hire also needs to review the full history of contracts. This rigorous approach to security ensures that the team feels confident in the safety of the contracts they are shipping, reducing the risk of system failure.
Merlin and Hake discuss the branding of Morpho, the motivation behind it, and the empowered, magical feel they aim to portray. The branding is based on a butterfly that is blue, which is the meaning of 'Morpho.' Finally, they discuss merchandise and how listeners can get hold of a Morpho T-shirt.
