"Understand your users, not just whether they care about something, but how much they care about it...."
In this edition of 'Coffee with Calyptus,' we sit down with Keyao Shen, Senior Software Engineer at Espresso Systems.
She delves into the challenges and triumphs of developing solutions like HotShot, decentralized sequencing, and more, offering invaluable insights for developers and entrepreneurs eager to navigate decentralized systems.
Your journey from academic roles at Purdue and UC Berkeley to leading innovative projects at major tech companies is truly inspiring. What was the defining moment that propelled you into the world of decentralized technology and Web3?
I had a mixed educational background in math, computer science, and economics, so I always wanted to explore something beyond coding at a big tech company. As I considered different career paths, Web3 stood out as something that matched my fintech interests as well as the direction the world was heading. At the time (and even now), Web3 was full of noise, making it hard to identify real opportunities—and real teams. Meeting Espresso’s co-founders made the decision easy. Their vision, technical approach, and overall vibe aligned with what I was looking for.
At Espresso Systems, you're pioneering approaches like HotShot and decentralized sequencing. Could you share one of the toughest challenges you faced while developing these solutions and how you managed to overcome it?
HotShot is designed for high-throughput, fast-finality consensus, but deployments introduced asynchronous execution challenges. Specifically, we had to carefully handle view synchronization inconsistencies due to network conditions. We solved this by implementing stricter event-driven logic, ensuring nodes stayed in sync even in adversarial conditions. This reinforced the importance of testing beyond controlled environments and building systems that remain robust under unpredictable conditions.
The Espresso Network is breaking new ground with fast confirmations and low-cost data availability. For developers and entrepreneurs eager to dive into the Web3 space, what key lessons or actionable insights would you offer from your own journey?
Understand your users—not just whether they care about something, but how much they care about it. For example, decentralization is important, but it may not be the top priority for all chains. When looking for ways to achieve fast and secure confirmations, many may prioritize composability over full decentralization. Understanding subtle distinctions like this helps find the pain points, allowing you to build something real to solve them.
Artificial intelligence is reshaping many tech landscapes. How are you integrating AI into your work at Espresso Systems, and what exciting possibilities do you see at the intersection of AI and decentralized systems?
Our current projects don’t have AI-integrated features, but there are many promising intersections between AI and decentralized systems. One clear area is distributed model training, allowing AI models to be trained collaboratively while preserving privacy. AI can also improve interoperability by optimizing transaction ordering and detecting anomalies in cross-chain operations. As the ecosystem grows, I expect AI to play a bigger role in enhancing security, efficiency, and automation.
Solidity Challenge 🕵️♂️
What can go wrong with this contract?
Jobs 💼
We have over 200 roles on our platform from companies like Aave, Aragon, Balancer, Gnosis, etc. Check out a select few below:
1. Senior Fullstack Engineer - Rhinestone
Location: Hybrid, London
Highlights: JavaScript/TypeScript, Web3 (EVM), dev tooling. Rust, DevOps ideal.
2. Community & Social Media Manager - Superfluid Finance
Location: Remote, Europe
Highlights: Web3, community engagement, autonomy, proven success (figures, sign-ups).
3. Senior Smart Contract Engineer - Eco
Location: Remote, North America
Highlights: 4+ yrs BE & Solidity. Built production-ready systems, Tier 1 exp preferred.
4. Head of Growth - Ostium Labs
Location: Hybrid, London or NYC
Highlights: DeFi expert, token dynamics, strong branding. Crypto-native, great communicator.
Solidity Challenge Answer ✅
Answer: The fallback function might fail if it exceeds the gas stipend of 2300 gas.
