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# Demystifying Crypto & Web3: A Technical Journey Through 15 Years of Innovation


- **Date:** Friday, Jul 11, 2025
- **Time:** 13:40–14:10 (30 min)
- **Room:** Stage 2
- **Event:** World Congress 2025
- **Tags:** ai, blockchain, javascript, python, web3

## Recording

[Watch recording](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1516-demystifying-crypto-web3-a-technical-journey-through-15-years-of-innovation)

## Description

Despite 15 years of groundbreaking innovation in distributed ledger technology, much of the world still equates Web3 with crypto scams or speculative assets. This talk cuts through the noise to explore the technical foundations that make these systems revolutionary for applications beyond cryptocurrency.

We'll examine the evolution of consensus mechanisms from Bitcoin's resource-intensive Proof of Work to modern approaches like Hedera's asynchronous Byzantine Fault Tolerance. You will learn about topics like data structures, smart contracts, tokens, zero-knowledge proofs, and other innovations that enable today's applications.

The session highlights real-world implementations delivering value now, from asset tokenization to supply chain verification. We'll explore how the convergence of distributed systems with AI is laying the foundation for new economic models and industry transformations, so developers can build distributed applications that deliver utility rather than speculation

## Speaker

### [Ed Marquez](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/@ed-marquez)

Ed Marquez, Head of Developer Relations for Hedera


## Related talks at this congress

- [Build with Blockchain & AI Agents](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/events/world-congress-2025/sessions/578-build-with) — Ed Marquez, Jake Hall
- [Pragmatic Blockchain Design Patterns: Integrating Blockchain into Business Processes](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/events/world-congress-2025/sessions/606-pragmatic-blockchain) — Michiel Mulders
- [End-to-End TypeScript: Completing the Modern Development Stack](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/events/world-congress-2025/sessions/759-end-to-end) — Marco Podien
- [If You Know TypeScript, You Know Blockchain: Learn How to Create a TypeScript Smart Contract](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/events/world-congress-2025/sessions/571-if-you-know) — Gabriel Kuettel