Bitcoin Core Crisis: Why Risk a New Bitcoin War? | Tomer Strolight

Sep 30, 2025

Tomer Strolight, a former tech executive and Bitcoin author, dives into the contentious Bitcoin Core V30 controversy. He discusses the implications of removing the OP_RETURN limit, sparking fears of blockchain bloat and increased fees due to spam. With 20% of nodes shifting to alternatives, Tomer critiques the current developers' stewardship and calls for a cautious approach to changes. He also explores Bitcoin's ethos of sound money and the community's skepticism as a means to enhance resilience and trust.

01:24:37

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INSIGHT

Relay Policy Shapes What Reaches Miners

Bitcoin nodes use policy+consensus to relay transactions and policy changes can alter what gets propagated.
Removing the OP_RETURN size filter affects relay behavior and could enable much larger arbitrary-data transactions.

question_answer

ANECDOTE

Inscriptions Produced Temporary Spam Surge

Inscriptions exploited Taproot to embed JPEGs and tokens, triggering fee spikes and blockchain bloat.
Tomer observed most of those projects crashed and usage fell significantly over time.

insights

INSIGHT

Filter Removal Triggered Node Exodus

Core proposed removing the OP_RETURN filter, allowing up to consensus max (≈100k bytes), which sparked strong pushback.
About 20% of nodes began running alternative clients (Knots) that keep the filter.

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What Is Core v30 and the OP_RETURN Change?

01:20 • 2min

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How Inscriptions and Taproot Enabled JPEGs on Bitcoin

03:09 • 2min

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Why Removing the OP_RETURN Filter Sparks Outrage

05:17 • 2min

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Core's Justifications and the 'Do Nothing' Argument

07:09 • 4min

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Why Rapid, Untested Changes Feel Reckless

11:03 • 4min

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Reputation Loss: Why Core Needs Damage Control

14:59 • 4min

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Is Losing Trust in Core Actually Healthy?

18:43 • 10min

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How Bitcoin's Gossip/Relay Protocol Works

28:30 • 4min

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Libre Relay, Miner Policies, and Routing Around Filters

32:10 • 4min

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Do Core Maintainers Bear Responsibility for Bitcoin's Direction?

35:59 • 7min

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Does Bitcoin Have a Central Ethos or Spirit?

42:54 • 10min

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Worst-Case Scenarios From Both Sides

52:38 • 2min

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Is Leaving the OP_RETURN Filter Inconsequential?

54:22 • 3min

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Does Filter Removal Threaten Miner Centralization?

57:13 • 4min

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The Long-Term Economics of Bitcoin Mining

01:00:52 • 5min

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How Art and Storytelling Help Bitcoin Adoption

01:05:43 • 3min

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How Can People Contribute to Bitcoin Beyond Code?

01:08:52 • 6min

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Does Bitcoin Reveal an Existing Human Ethos?

01:15:08 • 2min

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What Defines Canada and Its National Character?

01:16:56 • 5min

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Where to Find Tomer's Work and Resources

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Mentor Sessions Ep. 031: Bitcoin Core V30 Controversy: OP_RETURN Limit Removal, Spam Risks, Bitcoin Knots Debate, & Bitcoin Ethos | Tomer Strolight

Is Bitcoin Core V30 a reckless betrayal or a pointless non-issue? Dive into this explosive BTC Sessions interview with Tomer Strolight, former tech executive and prolific Bitcoin author, as we unravel the polarizing Bitcoin Core V30 controversy. Discover why removing the OP_RETURN limit is sparking outrage—opening doors to spam like inscriptions, JPEGs, and BRC20 tokens, bloating the blockchain and hiking fees. Tomer exposes the Bitcoin Knots debate, with 20% of nodes ditching Core for alternatives, and questions Bitcoin developers' stewardship: Should they prioritize decentralization and neutrality, or risk diluting Bitcoin's ethos as sound money?

Chapters:

00:00:00 Intro & Teaser: Heightened Tension in Bitcoin

00:01:19 Core V30 Explained: Data Carrier Size Filter Removal

00:02:25 Inscriptions History & Shitcoining on Bitcoin

00:04:21 Community Uproar & 20% Node Shift to Knots

00:06:50 Suspicious Justifications for V30 Changes

00:08:19 Doctor Analogy: Removing "Useless" Features

00:10:23 Why V30 Feels Reckless: Untested Wholesale Changes

00:12:49 Experience vs Bad Judgment in Development

00:15:03 Core's Loss of Trust & Stewardship Issues

00:17:34 Silver Lining: Don't Trust, Verify & More Implementations

00:20:19 Learning from SegWit/Taproot Mistakes

00:23:12 Bitcoin's Political System: Proof of Work Consensus

00:26:17 How to Learn the Core vs Knots Debate

00:33:13 Visualizing Bitcoin's Gossip Protocol

00:35:57 Developers' Responsibility & Core Ownership Debate

00:39:41 Ideal Developer Role: Focus on Monetary Priority

00:43:41 Bitcoin's Ethos: Spirit of Sound Money

00:47:30 Non-Monetary Uses Detract from Bitcoin's Purity

00:50:39 Worst-Case Scenarios: Censorship vs Deterring Adoption

00:54:09 Cost of Leaving the Filter: Non-Issue Maintenance

00:57:34 Mining Centralization Risks from V30

01:00:51 Bitcoin Mining Evolution & Future Prognosis

01:05:47 Marketing Bitcoin & Role of Art

01:09:18 Tomer's Spiritual Awakening Through Bitcoin

01:13:05 Bitcoin Unlocks Humanity's Spirit of Freedom

01:17:29 State of Canada: Resources & Hardiness

About Tomer Strolight

Former tech executive, prolific Bitcoin author. Creator of films like "Bitcoin is Generational Wealth" and books like "Why Bitcoin."

X.com: @TomerStrolight

Nostr: tomer@nostrs.com

npub: npub1cq0ryx70gfpz0d8u3yz4qm8g6f3z8p3m4yq3g0y4j4gpnz6qm5mq9w3z0

Website: tomerstrolight.medium.com

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• BTC Sessions: @BTCsessions

• Nathan: @theBTCmentor

• Gary: @GaryLeeNYC

Check out the previous episode with Jeff Booth: https://youtu.be/SAHUkj9Lbno

#bitcoin #bitcoinCoreV30 #OP_RETURN #bitcoincore #spam #bitcoinKnots #bitcoinDevelopers #controversy #decentralization #ethos #neutrality #BTCSessions #TomerStrolight #crypto

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