S16 E52: Paul Sztorc on Bitcoin's Culture Wars

Oct 24, 2025

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While the Bitcoin Core v30 vs Knots debate went on, Paul Sztorc was hard at work building the Drivechains software. However, this doesn't meant that he doesn't have any opinions about the recent events and their greater significance. Time stamps: 00:01:30 - Welcome to the Bitcoin Takeover Podcast and Paul's Second Appearance This Season 00:02:28 - Bitcoin Civil War: Core v30 vs Knots Debate 00:03:02 - Nick Szabo Joining the Debate and Ties to Samson Mow's Company 00:04:11 - Op Return Limit Silliness and Historical Bitcoin Uncensored Humor 00:05:21 - Shift in Bitcoin Community: From Subversive to Suit Coiner Route 00:06:02 - Resistance Money, Privacy, and Black/Gray Markets 00:09:18 - Rambling Due to Sickness/Jetlag and Software Demo Tease 00:09:29 - LayerTwo Labs Software Overview and Download Instructions 00:11:55 - Tweet on Turning Transactions into JPEGs 00:13:00 - Bit Window Software Explanation vs Bitcoin Knots 00:15:31 - Bit 300 Activator vs Bitcoin Core Pull Requests 00:17:25 - No More Soft Forks in Bitcoin and Activation Challenges 00:18:23 - CTV Almost Activated, Shift to Filter Debates 00:19:10 - Bitcoin's Potential Death from Complacency 00:19:36 - Derangements of Bitcoin Post and Lightning as Sacred Cow 00:20:02 - Tabconf Presentation on Lightning Network Issues 00:22:52 - Lightning Network Blackpill Article and Updates 00:24:40 - Lightning Cult and Misunderstandings 00:26:24 - Promoting Chaumian Ecash and Human Rights Foundation 00:27:03 - Funding R&D: Ecological Impacts and Bad Ideas 00:29:02 - Maginot Line Example: Funding Bad Defenses 00:30:16 - Drivechains Activation on Litecoin Progress 00:31:58 - Next Tests: Testnet 4 and Forknet Realism 00:32:58 - Litecoin Activation Process and Differences 00:34:49 - Dogecoin Merged Mining and Potential Activation 00:35:26 - Sky Doge as First Drivechain Chain 00:36:50 - Bit Window Advantages Over Knots 00:37:25 - Views on Mining Pools and Game Theory 00:40:05 - Critique of Luke Dash Jr.'s Ideas on Pools 00:41:05 - Transaction Relay Policies and Miner Incentives 00:41:47 - Emotional Manipulation in Debates 00:43:13 - Raising Funding and Different Approaches vs Luke 00:44:02 - Marketing: Funny Videos and Memes 00:45:05 - Luke Dash Jr.'s Character and Expertise 00:46:05 - Experts vs Elites in Bitcoin 00:48:08 - Testing LayerTwo Labs Software on OSes 00:48:38 - Windows/Linux Discussion and Preferences 00:59:30 - ZK Rollups and Data Availability on Bitcoin (Post-Truncation) 01:00:06 - Non-Miner L2s Have No Future 01:01:47 - Drivechain as Minimal, Optional Soft Fork 01:02:55 - Tom Cruise Party Analogy for Bitcoin Upgrades 01:03:08 - Derangements of Bitcoin Post Recommendation 01:03:50 - Viewer Comment: Layer 2s Bad, More Altcoins Needed 01:04:03 - Importance of Competition in Crypto 01:07:02 - Altcoins as Regression Due to Switching Costs 01:08:33 - Sponsor Plugs: LayerTwo Labs, SideShift, Bitcoin.com, NoOnes 01:09:07 - Questions: Why Zcash for Fungibility Sidechain? DAGs? 01:13:35 - Prediction Market L2 and Ambitious Design 01:14:24 - Truthcoin History and Inspiration for Others 01:16:34 - Robin Hanson as Prediction Market OG 01:17:23 - Zcash vs Monero: Code Forks and Privacy Comparison 01:21:30 - Privacy via Decoys vs Pools in Zcash/Monero 01:24:10 - Zcash Advantages for Sidechains 01:26:30 - Zcash Drawbacks Ideal for Sidechain Rollovers 01:27:42 - Zcash as Research Lab for Bitcoin/Ethereum 01:28:07 - R&D as Creative Endeavor Over Funding 01:30:19 - Zcash Launch Story and Roger Ver's Influence 01:31:08 - Truthcoin Parallels and Sidechain Intent 01:32:03 - Maximalist Sacrifices for Bitcoin 01:32:31 - Blockstream's Failure and Altcoin Rise 01:34:29 - Thoughts on DAGs (e.g., Kaspa, Quai) 01:36:20 - SPV Importance and Satoshi's Vision 01:39:05 - SPV Balances Security and Convenience 01:39:59 - DAGs Not Solving Key Scaling Problems 01:42:42 - Shitcoin Definition: Outdated Dichotomy 01:43:53 - Optimism for Bitcoin's Future Choice 01:45:32 - One Coin to Rule Them All Analogy 01:45:38 - Thanks, Wrap-Up, and Jay Berg Recommendation 01:46:54 - Future Live Demo Tease 01:47:16 - Join Drivechain Insiders Telegram Group 01:48:41 - Closing and Thanks