A historical overview of pro cdh descent in algebraic $K$-theory and its relation to rigid analytic varieties

This note was prepared after the workshop on cdh descent and algebraic $K$-theory in Hara-mura, Japan (1 - 5 Sept. 2016), to complement the author's talk on the history and applications of pro cdh descent. In the final section pro cdh descent is used to define $K$-groups of rigid analytic varieties. This note was revised and released in light of Kerz, Strunk, and Tamme establishing pro cdh descent in general (arXiv:1611.08466).