Ep 47 - Bitcoin DeFi Breakthroughs: Hadan from $ALEX Labs Talks AI UX, DAMM Liquidity, and $USDT via Taproot

In this episode of The Leather Lounge, host Sean Longstreet (@longstreetBTC ) sits down with Hadan Esperidiao (@DeFiPoet ), Poet-in-Residence at the $ALEX Lab Foundation (@ALEXLabBTC) , for a deep dive into the most powerful innovations in Bitcoin DeFi.

We cover $ALEX’s evolution from a standalone DEX to a full-stack DeFi platform with over $2.6B in TVL—now pioneering concentrated liquidity with $ALEX DAMM, AI-powered smart contract UX, and native $USDT integration via Taproot Assets.

Plus, Hadan shares exclusive insights into $ALEX’s Surge campaign, their cross-chain expansion plans, and how they recovered nearly 1 million STX after last year’s Lazarus Group hack—reaffirming their commitment to transparency, resilience, and user trust.

Whether you’re a DeFi builder or just curious about the future of Bitcoin-native financial infrastructure, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss.

00:00 - Intro
00:58 - Welcome to the Leather Lounge & Episode Overview
03:10 - Meet Hadan: From Harvard Physics to Bitcoin DeFi
07:30 - Pivoting into Ordinals & BRC-20: Following Community Signals
10:32 - What $USDT on Bitcoin L1 Means for DeFi
15:54 - Interoperability Between Taproot Assets & L2s Like Stacks
20:02 - Key Milestones & Total Volume Achieved by $ALEX
25:13 - UX, AI, and the Future of Onboarding DeFi Users
28:34 - What Is A Market Maker? DAM & Concentrated Liquidity Explained
39:49 - Risks, Strategies & Customizing LP Ranges in DAM
43:04 - Benefits for Traders & Building the Bitcoin DeFi Flywheel
46:59 - What Is the Surge Campaign? Overview & Gamified Rewards
52:39 - Earning in Between Surge Campaigns
52:45 - Permissionless Token Listings & Code Verification on Stacks
55:56 - The Lazarus Hack: Timeline, Response & Recovery
1:03:20 - Treasury Grant Program & Transparent Reimbursement
1:10:30 - Reflections on the Team, Resilience & Community Trust
1:11:16 - The “DeFi Poet” Name & Literary Influences
1:22:25 - Tennyson, Apathy vs. Engagement & Living with Purpose
1:30:04 - Moving to France & Choosing the Harder Path
1:32:36 - Final Thoughts & The Road Ahead
1:33:32 - Follow Hadan (@DeFiPoet) & $ALEX (@AlexLabBTC)