Overview

• A removed job listing from Aug. 3 revealed that Tempo is a stealth, five-member project described as a high-performance, Ethereum-compatible Layer 1 blockchain tailored for payments.
• The posting said Tempo is being built in partnership with crypto venture firm Paradigm, whose cofounder Matt Huang serves on Stripe’s board, and Stripe and Paradigm have declined to comment.
• Stripe’s earlier acquisitions of stablecoin infrastructure provider Bridge and wallet developer Privy gave it issuance and custody capabilities that Tempo could tie directly into its payment offerings.
• Operating its own Layer 1 network would let Stripe bypass external validators and maintain direct control over transaction processing and uptime.
• Experts warn that without robust privacy-preserving features and broad merchant integration, Tempo may find it challenging to differentiate from existing high-throughput chains.