Eric Cheung writes from a vantage point that spans both sides of this subject. Over a decade — from a PhD into hands-on R&D — he has come to understand how traditional finance actually works and where its problems lie. He is a trader himself, and he brings deep, practical experience in blockchain research and development. That combination — close enough to the markets to know how they behave under stress, and close enough to the technology to know how it is actually built — runs through every chapter. He believes in the future of permissionless finance.