Ep. 92: Bob Burnett - The Wild Truth About Bitcoin Mining

My guest today is Bob Burnett, veteran technologist, former Gateway CTO, and now CEO of Barefoot Mining. From consumer tech pioneer with eight U.S. patents to leader in sovereign Bitcoin mining, Bob shares his vision for “wild mining,” where miners own their energy using innovative energy sources. He challenges the myth that mining is only for massive corporations, showing how small, strategically placed operations can be both profitable and decentralizing. We discuss adoption curves, block template decentralization, why nation-states should build mining infrastructure before buying Bitcoin reserves, lessons from the early PC revolution, and the coming energy race with AI and High-Performance Computing.

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-- LINKS –

Bob’s Twitter: https://x.com/boomer_btc Barefoot Mining: barefootmining.com 

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-- CHAPTERS –

00:00 – Coming Up

01:29 – Bob’s Background & His Long Tech Career

05:15 – Bob’s Patents & Innovations, Early Adopter Mindset

10:00 – Leap Frog Into New Tech Frontiers - AI & Bitcoin

14:00 – PC As Prerequisite For The Internet Revolution

17:00 – Good & Bad Actors

19:00 – Why Bob Chose Bitcoin Mining

21:10 – Bob’s Bitcoin Mining 101 Explanation

25:00 – Why Bitcoin & Barefoot Mining?

34:20 – Smaller Scale 0.5-5MW “Wild” Mining Sites Can Be As Cost Effective As Larger 50-200MW Sites

39:40 – Barefoot Mining Expansion

41:40 – The Energy Landscape and Bitcoin Mining

43:44 – Opportunities for Small-Scale Mining

46:39 – Meaning of HODL & Role of Citizens in Bitcoin

48:24 – Key Trends in Bitcoin, Inc. Template Creation

54:54 – Political Implications & Weaponization of Bitcoin Mining

1:00:54 – Economic Sovereignty through Mining

1:04:36 – The OP_Return Debate & Facilitating Change

1:12:06 – Bob’s Hope for the Future