The "What is Money?" Show Core vs Knots — Is Bitcoin Being SABOTAGED from Within? w/ Justin Bechler
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Oct 1, 2025 In this discussion, Justin Bechler, an entrepreneur and Bitcoin advocate focused on decentralization, dives into the contentious Core versus Knots debate. He argues against expanding OP_RETURN, claiming it creates vulnerabilities and strays from Bitcoin's monetary purpose. The duo also explores who decides what constitutes spam and the potential influence of bad actors on protocol changes. Bechler emphasizes the importance of running alternative nodes and individual actions in preserving Bitcoin’s decentralization and urging listeners to safeguard its future.
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Bitcoin’s Singular Monetary Purpose
- Justin Bechler insists Bitcoin's sole purpose is money and it will be used as money if it survives.
- He argues expanding non-monetary use cases threatens Bitcoin's monetary future and decentralization.
OP_RETURN Expansion As An Attack Vector
- Increasing OP_RETURN from 80 bytes to 100,000 bytes creates a massive new attack surface.
- Bechler frames the change as unjustified because no clear problem is being solved by it.
Run A Sovereign Node
- Run your own Bitcoin node to make your use permissionless and censorship-resistant.
- Prefer NOTS or older safe releases instead of upgrading to Core 30 if you disagree with changes.
