Before Blockchains, There Was State Machine Replication
The a16z Show
- Published
- July 13, 2026
- Duration
- 37:20
- Summary source
- description
- Last updated
- Jul 22, 2026
Discusses Every blockchain today relies on replication techniques first developed in the 1980s by researchers …
Summary
Every blockchain today relies on replication techniques first developed in the 1980s by researchers who weren't thinking about cryptocurrencies at all. In this episode, Tim Roughgarden speaks with MIT professor and Turing Award winner Barbara Liskov, one of the pioneers of programming languages, fault tolerance, and distributed systems. Joined by a16z cry…
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Show notes
Every blockchain today relies on replication techniques first developed in the 1980s by researchers who weren't thinking about cryptocurrencies at all. In this episode, Tim Roughgarden speaks with MIT professor and Turing Award winner Barbara Liskov, one of the pioneers of programming languages, fault tolerance, and distributed systems. Joined by a16z crypto research partner Ittai Abraham, they trace the evolution of ideas that now underpin modern blockchain networks. The conversation explores v