Universal Staking and Network Security with Symbiotic Co-founder Misha Putiatin

The Index Podcast

What if launching a decentralized network didn’t require reinventing tokenomics or compromising on trust and security?

This week on The Index, host Alex Kehaya sits down with Misha Putiatin, Co-founder of Symbiotic, to explore how their novel approach to universal staking is changing the game for protocol builders. Instead of issuing a new token to bootstrap security, Symbiotic enables networks to leverage existing assets like ETH, providing deep, native trust from day one.

What makes Symbiotic particularly fascinating is its versatility. After thousands of customer conversations, one insight stood out: networks needed more than just security. They needed customizable staking infrastructure for use cases like insurance, complex collateral systems, and highly specialized validator requirements.

Just weeks after launching on Ethereum mainnet, Symbiotic is already securing 14+ networks and hundreds of millions in value, proving that the future of staking isn’t one-size-fits-all, but modular, open, and composable.

Misha also unpacks why open-source remains core to their mission (despite the risk of vampire attacks) and how permissionless infrastructure creates the conditions for real innovation.

If you're building in crypto, this conversation is a masterclass in how to architect trust at scale.

→ Learn more at symbiotic.fi and follow the team on X.
→ Subscribe to The Index for weekly conversations with the builders shaping blockchain’s next frontier.

Show Links
The Index
X Channel
YouTube

Chapters

1. Introduction to Symbiotic and Misha (00:00:00)

2. Origins and Security Foundation (00:01:54)

3. Understanding Restaking vs Universal Staking (00:04:53)

4. Expanding Beyond Restaking (00:11:12)

5. Mainnet Launch and Network Structure (00:15:11)

6. Open Source and Network Effects (00:22:40)

7. Closing Thoughts (00:28:19)