What Bitcoin Did

Sam Wouters is the Director of Marketing at River. In this episode, we discuss why the U.S. is emerging as the dominant force in Bitcoin adoption, how proof-of-reserves has evolved in a post-FTX world, and why retail interest in Bitcoin remains muted despite all-time highs. We also discuss how institutional involvement might be both a blessing and a curse, the psychological barriers stopping new r...

Joe Carlasare is a Commercial Litigator, a long time Bitcoiner, and macro commentator. In this episode, we discuss the U.S. sovereign debt debate, why the doom loop narrative might be missing the bigger picture, and how rapid advances in AI and automation could unleash a wave of productivity strong enough to reshape the fiscal outlook. Joe argues that the real risk isn’t a collapsing dollar, but i...

Matt Corallo is an Open Source Engineer at Spiral, a long time Bitcoin Core contributor and Lightning dev. In this episode, we discuss the current state of Lightning: what's finally working, what UX breakthroughs are coming, and why 2024 might be the year lightning delivers. We also get into the risks of U.S. policy treating non-custodial services like custodians, the threat of regulatory capture...

American HODL is an OG Bitcoiner. In this episode, we explore how the state may co-opt Bitcoin not by banning it, but by absorbing it into public markets, enabling control through financial instruments like ETFs and convertible bonds. We also get into the rise of Bitcoin treasury companies, why Michael Saylor’s strategy is just the beginning, and the threat of an Executive Order 6102 style attack....

James Lavish is a macro investor, former hedge fund manager, and managing partner at the Bitcoin Opportunity Fund. In this episode, we explore the fragility of the U.S. bond market, how sovereign credit ratings work, and why the U.S. is now priced by markets as a default risk on par with Greece. We discuss the structural privilege of the dollar as the world reserve currency, why that privilege is...

Jack Mallers is the Founder and CEO of Strike, and the Co-Founder and CEO of 21. In this episode, we discuss the breakdown of the post-WWII monetary order, the consequences of the U.S. exporting dollars, and why the dollar’s global reserve status is becoming a liability rather than a strength. We also get into 21’s plan to take Bitcoin-native principles into the heart of Wall Street, how companies...

Harry Sudock is SVP at CleanSpark, one of the largest publicly traded Bitcoin mining companies in the world. In this episode, we explore why Bitcoin mining is reshaping America’s energy landscape, the evolution of corporate Bitcoin strategy, and the game theory behind early adoption by individuals, companies, and nation states. We also get into how companies like MicroStrategy and Metaplanet are u...

Matthew Mezinskis is a macroeconomic researcher, host of the Crypto Voices podcast and creator of Porkopolis Economics. In this episode, we discuss fractional reserve banking, why it's controversial among Bitcoiners, the historical precedent for banking practices, and whether fractional reserve banking inherently poses systemic risks. We also get into the dangers and instabilities introduced by ce...

Lyn Alden is a macro analyst, investment strategist and the author of Broken Money. In this episode, we discuss the structural imbalances underpinning the U.S. trade deficit and its link to the dollar’s status as the global reserve currency. We get into the mechanics of capital surpluses, why U.S. treasuries are at the heart of global liquidity, and how foreign ownership of American assets introdu...

Bitcoin Mechanic is the Chief Boiling Officer at OCEAN. In this episode, we dive deep into the battle over OP_RETURN and Bitcoin node policy. Mechanic explains why arbitrary data like inscriptions and JPEGs represent an attack vector, how Core developers have responded, and why he believes filters are essential to protecting Bitcoin’s monetary use case. We also cover the risks of miner centralisat...

Checkmate is an on-chain analyst and founder of Checkonchain. In this episode, we get into Bitcoin’s breakout back above $100k and what on-chain data reveals about who’s buying, who’s selling, and whether retail is finally showing up. We also discuss whether the Bitcoin cycles are over, how the global macro shift is influencing hard asset flows, and why gold might be the early signal for a longer...

Zack Shapiro is a lawyer and Head of Policy at the Bitcoin Policy Institute. In this episode, we discuss the Samurai Wallet case, how the U.S. government is using outdated laws to target non-custodial Bitcoin tools — and why the outcome of this case could criminalise running a node or writing open-source Bitcoin code. We also discuss the DOJ’s “regulation by prosecution” playbook, the fact that Fi...

Shinobi is the Technical Editor at Bitcoin Magazine. In this episode, we get into the latest "OP_RETURN war," exploring whether the debate is a cultural clash or a technical discussion about Bitcoin’s future. We discuss the origins of the OP_RETURN limit, how users are bypassing it, and the arguments for and against changing data limits. Shinobi lays out his view that filters designed to block cer...

Jesse Myers is the author of the Once in a Species newsletter. In this episode, we discuss why humanity’s obsession with scarce assets may be hardwired into our DNA and how this evolutionary trait could explain Bitcoin’s inevitable rise. We also get into how early humans monetised scarcity, why Homo sapiens may have outcompeted Neanderthals through money-based cooperation, and how Dunbar’s number...

In this episode we have three sessions recorded live at CheatCode in Bedford. In the first session, Checkmate, Preston Pysh, and Alex Thorn break down the cracks in the fiat system, the rise of deglobalization, stablecoins, Bitbonds, and how Bitcoin and gold are emerging as neutral reserve assets. In the second session, Matthew Pines unpacks the global economic reordering, the U.S.–China trade war...

Mark Moss is an entrepreneur, investor, and host of the Mark Moss Show and Market Disruptors. In this episode, we discuss why Bitcoin could 10x over the next five years as well as the political and financial cycles converging to drive massive change. We also get into the collapse of global institutions like the World Economic Forum, the role of AI and Bitcoin in reshaping money and power structure...

Alex Gladstein is the Chief Strategy Officer at the Human Rights Foundation and author of Check Your Financial Privilege, Hidden Repression and The Trojan Horse of Freedom. In this episode, we discuss whether Bitcoin’s adoption by governments and Wall Street threatens its original mission, the Trojan Horse theory of Bitcoin and why nation-state adoption may be essential to separating money from st...

Matt Odell is host of Citadel Dispatch, co-host of Rabbit Hole Recap, managing partner at Ten31 and co-founder of OpenSats and Bitcoin Park. In this episode, we discuss the risks of Bitcoin’s increasing financialisation, why only a small minority may ever use it as true “freedom money,” and whether Bitcoin is on track to become a global reserve currency. We also get into the rise of stablecoins an...

Junseth is the co-founder of the legendary Bitcoin Uncensored podcast and a longtime Bitcoiner. In this episode, we discuss whether Bitcoin has actually “done anything yet,” why financialisation might be both Bitcoin’s future and a serious threat, and how MicroStrategy’s could play a key role in that. We also get into the risks of leverage and ETFs, Junseth’s unique investment strategy based on vo...

Bob Burnett is the Chairman and CEO of Barefoot Mining and board member of Ocean. In this episode, we discuss why the future of Bitcoin mining is about much more than just hashing, how control of block space could determine who holds true economic power in a Bitcoinised world, and why building from the bottom up — starting with energy production — may be the only path to sovereignty. We also get i...

Lawrence Lepard is an investment manager and author The Big Print, which covers the broken monetary system and how Bitcoin fixes this. In this episode, we discuss Trump’s tariffs, their real economic impact, and why Lawrence believes they could trigger a major market crash and sovereign debt crisis. We also discuss how the fiscal doom loop is accelerating, why Powell may soon be forced into anothe...

Joe Bryan is a Bitcoin educator and the creator of What’s the Problem? In this episode, we discuss why our current system is rigged, how the hidden theft of inflation quietly corrodes everything from quality of life to trust in society, and why the “big red button” — the ability to print money — sits at the heart of so many global crises including the breakdown of family structures, mental health...

Brent Johnson is the CEO of Santiago Capital and the creator of the Dollar Milkshake Theory. In this episode, we discuss why the dollar may strengthen before it dies, how global debt markets rely on an insatiable demand for US dollars, and why Brent believes a global sovereign debt crisis will force a dramatic monetary reset. We get into the mechanics of the Eurodollar system, why stablecoins entr...

Michael Dunworth is an Australian entrepreneur and was one of the co-founders of Wyre, a Bitcoin payments and infrastructure provider established in 2013. In this episode, we discuss nation-states strategically acquiring Bitcoin, why the integration of Bitcoin mining into national energy strategies could become a key geopolitical advantage, and how Bitcoin adoption could revitalise struggling comp...

Peter Dunworth is the Director of a multi-family office and is the co-founder of The Bitcoin Adviser. In this episode, we discuss why Bitcoin is the only asset that can recapitalise the financial system, why Peter believes Bitcoin could become a $100 trillion asset within a decade, why credit markets are ultimately a collateral problem, and why financializing Bitcoin might be necessary to save Mai...