Ex-Fed Economist Dr. Gordon Liao Joins Uniswap Labs As Research Lead
Uniswap Labs, the developer of the decentralized finance protocol Uniswap, has hired ex-Federal Reserve economist Dr. Gordon Liao to spearhead its research division.
Liao, who is a former Federal Reserve economist and Harvard Ph.D. in Economics, took it to Twitter to announce that he would be leaving the Fed to become Uniswap Labs’ new research lead.
A belated professional update: I’m delighted to share that I recently joined @Uniswap to lead research! https://t.co/IDu2aee0yw
In a 12-part Twitter thread, Liao explained his reasons to leave the Fed and join the world of decentralized finance (DeFi).
He said that he believes in the promise that Web3 would create a “better, safer, more accessible financial system,” and mentioned the surprise he felt upon learning through his experience at the Fed of how few intermediaries the global economy really relied upon, including the purported fact that only “24 primary dealers handle all of Treasury auctions.”
The former Fed economist warned that the traditional system has not worked as well since the Global Financial Crisis, citing various, highly consequential “financial frictions.”
Liao believes that Web3 and DeFi could address the above issues “by making finance non-intermediated, composable, and more transparent.”
However, it would need technologists, economists, and policymakers working together in order for Web3’s vision to be realized, he said.
Uniswap Labs was quick respond to Liao’s thread with a welcoming message, and also to encourage others interested in helping build a Web3 centered financial system to get involved.
Welcome, Gordon!
This 🧵 is worth a read. If you're interested in helping build the better, safer, and more accessible financial system on Web3 that Gordon describes, you can find opportunities to join him and the rest of our amazing team at https://t.co/d3IERsnQsE. https://t.co/3oYd0WD2dj
Uniswap is a popular decentralized trading protocol, known for its role in facilitating automated trading of decentralized finance (DeFi) tokens. While the protocol is managed by UNI token holders and delegators, it was initially developed by Uniswap Labs, which is still an active contributor.
Not all responses to Liao’s tweet were as positive. Twitter user “McKenna” responded to Uniswap Labs’ tweet questining why “a leading DeFi protocol” would bring on a “FED” to lead research.
