Lighter CEO on 'Democratizing Finance' with a zero-fee, ZK perp DEX

The podcast explores the architecture and tokenomics of Lighter, a perpetual DEX built on Ethereum. Vlad Novakovski, founder of Lighter, details his background in high-frequency trading and AI, which shaped his approach to decentralized finance. A key discussion point is Lighter's zero-fee model for retail users, inspired by Robinhood, and how it aims to democratize finance by attracting a broader range of traders. Vlad also addresses the strategic decision to build on Ethereum Layer 2 for security and composability, despite other options like faster Layer 1 chains. The conversation touches on the potential for future integration with Robinhood, given their investment and shared mission.