E75: Gabe Shapiro on Cyborgs, MetaLex and Building Smarter Crypto Governance

This week on Beyond the Code, Yitzy sits down with one of the most outspoken minds in crypto law: Gabriel Shapiro. Known for his deep legal chops, unfiltered takes, and pioneering work at the intersection of smart contracts and governance, Gabe takes us through his journey—from tech M&A prodigy to crypto lawyer and decentralization maxi.

We dive into:

• Gabe’s early big law career and how Facebook's acquisition of WhatsApp led him down the crypto rabbit hole;

• The real reason “decentralization” became crypto's favorite legal strategy;Why current DAO structures are flawed—and how MetaLex and the Borg concept aim to fix them;

• A deep look at on-chain legal engineering: how entities, trusts, and smart contracts can blend into a new governance paradigm;

• The emergence of $GOR, a meme coin inspired by Gabe himself;

• The state of crypto regulation in the U.S., Trump’s pivot on Bitcoin, and why Gabe’s bullish on the new market structure bill;

• Big law’s limitations in crypto and the rise of agile, crypto-native legal shops;

• Anonymity in crypto—how to build trust without a legal name;

And yes—we talk politics, Israel, identity, and whiskey.