21 in 21

Patrick Ball, Director of Research at the Human Rights Data Analysis Group, joins Haley Berkoe on 21 in 21 to discuss how data, bitcoin, and AI can help defend human rights. Patrick explains how his team uses statistics to document mass violence, how bitcoin can help protect the integrity of human rights evidence, and why nonprofits need decentralized tools and local AI to stay resilient. hrdag.or...

On this episode of 21 in 21, Calle discusses his work on Cashu, Bitchat, and Clawi. He explores how AI agents could use bitcoin-native payments and why privacy-preserving infrastructure matters in an increasingly agentic internet. Calle also reflects on his journey down the bitcoin rabbit hole, from early work on Lightning infrastructure to building eCash systems, and shares his perspective on the...

Linn Bieske, Co-Lead of the AI & Technology Track at the MIT Club of Northern California (CNC), AI Product Manager, and Co-Founder of Hack-Nation, joins Haley Berkoe on 21 in 21. They discuss the upcoming Hack-Nation event on April 25 and Spiral’s sponsored challenge exploring what becomes possible when AI agents can earn using the Lightning Network. Linn also shares her perspective on what motiva...

Rainey Reitman joins 21 in 21 for a conversation on financial censorship, free speech, and her new book, Transaction Denied: Big Finance’s Power to Punish Speech . Rainey co-founded Freedom of the Press Foundation and serves on the board as president. She also spent 11 years at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, first as Activism Director and later as Chief Program Officer. Drawing on years of wo...

Michael Saylor joined Haley Berkoe on 21 in 21 for a rapid-fire conversation on bitcoin, AI, and what’s coming next. He shares what’s top of mind for 2026, why he sees this year as a major turning point, and how he thinks bitcoin could evolve as digital capital beneath new layers of credit and currency. Then, Saylor gets into how AI will radically transform civilization, and how that shift could m...

Andi Pitt of Ego Death Capital joined me on 21 in 21 to talk about the rise of new startups in the bitcoin ecosystem, how the funding landscape has changed, and the growing intersection of bitcoin and AI. She also shares what she looks for in founders and offers advice for launching a startup. Beyond venture, Andi discusses her recent research into mind control and cognitive sovereignty. Note: We...

Mark Suman, co-founder and CEO of Maple AI, a privacy-first AI chat platform known as “the Signal of AI,” joins Haley Berkoe on 21 in 21. Mark explains how Maple AI uses secure enclaves to deliver a ChatGPT-like experience while getting as close to local-AI privacy as possible, without requiring users to run models on their own machine. He also covers why verifiability is essential for trust, the...

Haley Berkoe sits down with David Gumberg, a Bitcoin Core contributor at Localhost , a bitcoin-focused research center in the Bay Area. David shares how he got into bitcoin, what pushed him from curiosity to contribution, and how completing the Chaincode ₿OSS Challenge in 2024 helped him make the leap to contributing to Bitcoin Core full time. They also dig into what he’s focused on now in Core: C...

In this episode of 21 in 21, Haley sits down with Rod Roudi, co-founder of Bitcoin Park in Nashville and Austin. Rod breaks down how Bitcoin Park began, why in-person energy fuels strong communities, and how Nashville grew into a hub for bitcoiners, policymakers, founders, developers, and bitcoin-curious locals. He also shares what he’s learned about bitcoin payments from the business side, why re...

Haley Berkoe sits down with Joe Carlo, co-owner of Pink Owl Coffee, a café that began in San Rafael, California, and has since expanded to three locations across the Bay Area. Pink Owl is one of the earliest Square merchants to integrate bitcoin into its business model. For several years, Joe and his partner Saandra have been converting a percentage of sales into bitcoin as part of their long-term...

Kyle Olney joins Haley Berkoe to talk about defending bitcoin’s foundational freedoms. A longtime Silicon Valley product leader turned bitcoin advocate, Kyle helped launch Save Our Wallets, a coalition fighting for Section 109 of the Clarity Act, and the Satoshi Needs You campaign, a national call to action to protect open-source developers and the right to self-custody. Kyle shares his journey fr...

In this episode of 21 in 21, Nick Slaney joins Haley Berkoe during Presidio Bitcoin Design Week. Nick is the founder of Money Dev Kit, a new startup building tools that make it easy for developers to add bitcoin and Lightning payments to their applications. Previously, he was at Block, where he helped build Bitkey and c=, whose LDK node became one of the Lightning Network’s largest and most active...

During Bitcoin Design Week at Presidio Bitcoin, product designer and HRF grantee Erik Cativo joined the show to talk about designing the future of money. We get into his experiments with ecash and bitchat, the magic of bump-to-pay interactions, and how thoughtful UX can make bitcoin feel intuitive, private, and fun. Erik also shares lessons from living in a nearly cashless society, ideas for build...

Haley Berkoe is joined by Kyle Fletcher, Principal Design Director at Block, to explore the intersection of bitcoin, design, and culture. They discuss why artists and designers play a critical role in shaping bitcoin’s future, the sats vs. bitcoin denomination debate, and how thoughtful design can help bring bitcoin to the masses. Kyle also shares personal influences, dream projects, and why onboa...

In this episode of 21 in 21, Haley is joined by Christoph Ono, co-founder of the Bitcoin Design Foundation and longtime contributor to the Bitcoin Design Community. They talk about Bitcoin Design Week in San Francisco, the effort to redesign the Bitcoin Core wallet, and why design plays such a critical role in shaping the future of money. Christoph also shares how newcomers can get involved in the...

In this episode, Haley Berkoe interviews Conor Okus, a Product Manager at Spiral. Conor shares his journey from playing football to becoming a grantee at Spiral and now managing the grant program. He addresses common misconceptions about bitcoin contributors, emphasizes the importance of user experience in promoting adoption, and discusses the emergence of user-friendly (easy) bitcoin addresses. C...

Haley Berkoe sits down with Mogashni “Mo” Naidoo — UX researcher, designer, and co-founder of the Bitcoin Design Foundation. Mo shares her path into bitcoin design, why developers and designers need each other, and how the foundation supports designers across the ecosystem. She also talks about her UX Research Toolkit, the role of AI in product design, and previews Bitcoin Design Week in San Franc...

Haley Berkoe talks with Matthew Pines, Executive Director of the Bitcoin Policy Institute, about bitcoin’s growing role in U.S. policy. They cover building a bitcoin community in DC, how policymakers are treating bitcoin as a strategic asset, the risks of quantum computing and AI, and why this moment feels like one of “high agency and high leverage” for bitcoiners. TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Introduction t...

Haley Berkoe met with Tadge Dryja, a bitcoin developer, researcher, and co-creator of the Lightning Network. They discussed the importance of preparing for potential threats from quantum computing and Tadge’s proposed solution, called “Lifeboat.” Tadge also dives into how to attract the next generation of developers, the health of the bitcoin ecosystem, dream projects to improve usability and clie...

In this episode, Haley Berkoe chats with Jameson Lopp, longtime bitcoiner, cypherpunk, and Chief Security Officer at Casa, to explore the long-term threats and opportunities facing bitcoin. He discusses his latest bitcoin improvement proposal, how AI can be both a productivity booster and existential risk, and why bitcoin's future hinges on education, sovereignty, and conversation. CHAPTER HIGHLIG...

This episode features Alex Pruden, the Chairman of Aleo and the CEO of Project Eleven, an applied R&D lab focused on the intersection of quantum computing and cryptography. In this conversation with Haley Berkoe, Alex discusses quantum computing, future-proofing bitcoin, user experience upgrades, and his journey from the Army Special Forces to becoming a cryptographer. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS: 00:50 Di...

In this episode, Haley Berkoe sits down with Alex Gladstein, Chief Strategy Officer at the Human Rights Foundation. They discuss how AI tools are empowering activists, the importance of local governance, and what a world on the bitcoin standard could look like. Alex shares insights from HRF’s grant program, the UX hurdles activists face using bitcoin, and why he remains hopeful about bitcoin’s fut...

Haley Berkoe sat down with Ryan Loomba, a Bitcoin Engineer at Block. Ryan shares his journey from early startup life to working across Square, Cash App, and Block’s Bitcoin team. They get into the weeds on bitcoin custody, the power of open-source, how Lightning is rolling out in the real world, and why AI might be the next big unlock for developers. FOLLOW: Ryan Loomba: https://x.com/RLoombs Bloc...

In this episode, Haley Berkoe interviews Alex Zukauskas, the Presidio Bitcoin Lead. Alex shares his background, discusses past and upcoming events, and explains why Presidio Bitcoin is the best place to be. He will be joining the show quarterly to keep everyone updated on all the exciting developments at Presidio Bitcoin. Episode Highlights: * Time flies, it’s been 7 months since Alex took the job...

Haley Berkoe met with Clara Shikhelman, the Head of Research at Chaincode Labs. Clara has been researching complex mathematical problems for nearly a decade and is currently focusing on the Lightning Network and bitcoin in the age of post-quantum computing. Episode highlights include: * Her goals with the quantum computing report: provide an overview of the current status and future direction, red...