The Bitcoin Standard Podcast

In today’s episode Saifedean talks to former investment banker and author of Heaven’s Bankers, Harris Irfan. They discuss Harris’ decades of experiences in Islamic finance and what sparked his interest in bitcoin as a Muslim. Harris explains why bitcoin might be the most sharia-compatible money, why the decentralized nature of bitcoin should be appealing to Muslims, and what Islamic scholars get w...

In this episode Saifedean talks to libertarian author and comedian Dominic Frisby about the history of taxation, the rise of Bitcoin and whether we are moving towards a more or less statist world. They cover the story of how Dominic first found out about Bitcoin in December 2010, how voluntary taxation worked in ancient Greece, the rise of digital nomads, and whether land value tax represents the...

In this episode Saifedean talks to regular seminar attendees about Elon Musk’s recent bitcoin comments, and what they teach us about him & his business empire. Saifedean compares Elon Musk to John D. Rockefeller – both the richest men in the world in their eras – and discusses the extent to which their innovations have had an impact on the lives of everyday people, to give us an idea of how fi...

In this episode Saifedean talks to Rahim Taghizadegan, the president of the Free Private Cities Foundation, and one of the few Austrian School economists still operating in Austria. They discuss the history of the Austrian School, the problems of modern fiat academia and why Rahim sees Bitcoin as an essential part of the monetary infrastructure that would support Free Private Cities.   Resources T...

In today’s seminar Saifedean talks to regular attendees about whether increasing a nation’s exports should be seen as a desirable policy goal, and why countries that devalue their currencies don’t necessarily export more. The discussion focusses on the post-war experience of Germany and Switzerland and how these countries grew prosperous through maintenance of a strong currency. Books referenced d...

In this podcast Saifedean and Lyn discuss Bitcoin and trends taking place in the macroeconomy. Lyn starts by giving her view on the investment case for Bitcoin, PlanB’s Stock to Flow model, and whether Bitcoin can be characterized as a Ponzi scheme. They then move on to discuss global macroeconomic conditions and why Bitcoin represents a more attractive investment in a world where fiat currency su...

Described by Jordan Peterson as "frighteningly smart", Allen Farrington is a member of saifedean.com who has written some excellent essays on bitcoin, and also spent an enormous amount of time studying the work of various fiat intellectuals, so you don't have to. He joins us for a deep dive into why fiat intellectuals have such a hard time understanding bitcoin, why it triggers them...

Saifedean and seminar regular Peter Young discuss what price indeces such as CPI tell us about inflation. They discuss whether ageing demographics lead to inflation or deflation, whether inflation measurements are even theoretically possible, and the historical failure of central bank attempts to manage the economy based on price index data.   Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast sem...

Experienced high-yield credit trader Greg Foss joins Saifedean Ammous for a discussion on why bond investors should own Bitcoin. They talk about why Bitcoin represents insurance against sovereign debt defaults, how Greg’s values Bitcoin using data from the Credit Default Swap markets, and why those same markets suggest that Canada’s official credit rating is too high. Greg makes reference to: This...

We compare the precautionary principle approach of obsessing over avoiding one negative outcome to the economic way of thinking, which entails examining the seen and unseen consequences of each action, and is a much more sane, safe, and intelligent way of approaching complex issues. We examine two contemporary episodes of global mass hysteria to see how dangerously reckless and counterproductive u...

We discuss the economics of electric cars, and what the heavy subsidies they receive tell us about their future potential. Will they save earth from CO2 emissions? Is eliminating emissions possible? Is it even desirable?   Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out m...

In this seminar, we apply the economic way of thinking to figure out the opportunity cost of a century of fiat money. How would the world look like if it had hard money over the past century? What would be the impacts on capital accumulation, international trade, poverty alleviation?   Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his...

In this episode we discuss the link between fiat money and fiat food, based on the latest chapter from The Fiat Standard, available to subscribers on saifedean.com . We discuss: fiat's encouragement of high time preference thinking causing soil depletion and bad food choices; why fiat governments heavily subsidize fiat foods to make inflation look better; and how a hard monetary standard ince...

I joined Tom Woods to discuss current trends in Bitcoin, whether it’s in a “bubble,” what its advantages are, what the future may hold, and why all of this should matter to libertarians.   THE BITCOIN STANDARD TOOLKIT The Bitcoin Standard Toolkit is a selection of the Bitcoin services I recommend to readers and learners on saifedean.com, as they upgrade from The Fiat Standard to The Bitcoin Standa...

Peter Young hosts a debate between Saifedean and gold investor Mark Valek on the monetary status of precious metals. Has bitcoin obsoleted gold as money? Is gold being demonetized? Do gold's uses in jewellery and industry help or hinder its monetary status?    Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by...

We discuss the economics of energy, based on the chapter on the topic in my Principles of Economics textbook, which is available to subscribers on saifedean.com . What is the economic rationale for consuming energy? How has energy use increased the value of human time, helped end slavery, and improved living standards? What does this teach us about bitcoin's energy consumption? What are the r...

We look at the economic problems of cracking down on bitcoin, and how that's working out for governments trying it. What can we learn from prohibition of drugs & alcohol? Will India's recent ban on bitcoin be as big a historic mistake as staying on the silver standard in the nineteenth century?   Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses...

Are markets efficient? How do we think of this question from an Austrian perspective? We discuss how the absence of constants in economics has always been the problem with all quantitative approaches to economic questions, and what bitcoin means for this.   Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming...

Professor Steve Hanke has many decades of experience studying currencies and fighting inflation, but does not see value in bitcoin. He joins Saifedean and Hong Fang, the CEO of OKCoin, to discuss Bitcoin's value, whether bitcoin has intrinsic value, if bitcoin is just a speculative bubble, and if a currency board would work for a digital currency.   THE BITCOIN STANDARD TOOLKIT/SPONSORS NYDIG...

In this seminar we discuss chapters 4 to 7 from my book The Fiat Standard, the forthcoming sequel to The Bitcoin Standard, available to subscribers on saifedean.com . How does the fiat standard work internationally? We look at how mining fiat by lending it incentivizes international financial institutions, how it shapes international politics and the domestic politics of developing countries, and...

As insurance industry giants begin to enter the bitcoin space, we discuss the implications for bitcoin’s proposition as a store of value. Will the satoshi rate become the new risk-free rate? Are there any good reasons for bonds to exist in a world in which bitcoin works? What is the case for holding gold in a bitcoin world? Links: NYDIG Announces Appointment of New York Life Chairman and CEO Ted M...

This week we host the poster child for carbohydrate deficiency, carnivore elite athlete, orthopedic surgeon, author, and bitcoiner Dr. Shawn Baker! We discuss Shawn's personal experience as an athlete, and his professional experience as a surgeon, on the carnivore diet, the rationale for eating meat-only, the health benefits, and why dietary interventions are far more effective than public he...

This week we discuss: What are shitcoins good for? Can shitcoins help bitcoin scale? Do shitcoins take market share from bitcoin, or from each other? Plus, find out why backing gold with bitcoin is far more likely than backing bitcoin with gold!   Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifede...

Should you borrow fiat to buy bitcoin? Is it better to sell bitcoin or borrow against it? In this seminar we discuss optimal fiat strategies for bitcoiners, and the risks involved, based on Michael Saylor's comments in seminar 34 , and the early chapters of The Fiat Standard .   Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his fo...

In this seminar we are joined by Stephen Chow, founder of Chow Art Fund, whose mission is to embrace the bitcoin standard in order to sponsor living artists to create masterpieces, and @FractalEncrypt, an artist who has produced a magnificent bitcoin full node sculpture. We discuss my book, The Bitcoin Standard, and how its discussion of time preference was influential in their artistic journeys;...