S16 E48: Christopher Smith on Quantus, Bitcoin & Quantum Resistance

Oct 7, 2025

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Christopher Smith (aka Yuvi Lightman, aka Ganesha 1024) is the founder of the Quantus network: an mbitious quantum-zk blockchain which he proudly built with his team in just 6 months, with a budget of $500k. In this episode we talk about the threat of quantum computing, how quantum resistant cryptography works, and how Bitcoin can be saved from a potential disaster. Time stamps: 00:01:31 - Introducing Christopher Smith (Yuvi Lightman), known on Soundcloud Music as Ganesha1024 00:02:22 - Quantis: Zero-Knowledge Quantum-Resistant Blockchain 00:02:39 - Christopher's Background, Early Bitcoin Involvement 00:03:41 - Current Views on Bitcoin, All-Time High at $125K 00:04:19 - Discovering Bitcoin in 2012, Contributions to BitcoinJ 00:04:36 - Founding BitMesh: Micropayments via Payment Channels 00:04:42 - Mike Hearn and Payment Channels 00:05:17 - Bitcoin Whitepaper Praise, Satoshi's Genius 00:05:55 - Essence of Money, Overcomplication Critique 00:06:49 - Bitcoin's Corporate Takeover, Cultural Ethos 00:08:38 - SegWit Changes, Big Block Debate 00:09:45 - Bitcoin Cash Sympathy, Shift to Ethereum 00:10:41 - Vitalik Buterin and Gavin Wood as Geniuses 00:10:53 - Lunar Startup: Blockchain Wikipedia with ICO 00:11:08 - Bitcoin Threats: Throughput, Privacy, Quantum Security 00:11:29 - Child Porn Blackmail Tactics in Debates 00:12:18 - Social Bottlenecks in Coordination 00:13:09 - BTC Token vs Network Separation via ETFs 00:14:06 - Proof of Keys Day by Trace Mayer 00:15:23 - No Trusted Third Parties Philosophy 00:16:04 - Cryptography as Military Tech 00:18:04 - Open Source Importance, ERC20 Simplicity 00:19:21 - BlackRock as Central Bank, Cult of Saturn Symbolism 00:20:17 - Bitcoin Threats: Throughput with Shai Reference 00:22:50 - Privacy and Zcash Praise 00:23:32 - Quantus as Bitcoin Fork with Falcon Signatures 00:24:50 - Solana as Big Blocker Inheritor 00:25:04 - Overton Window Constraints 00:26:41 - Quantus Timelines Skepticism, PsiQuantum Investment 00:28:14 - Ethereum Proof of Stake, Stablecoin Control 00:29:27 - Catholic Church Analogy, Satoshi's Time-Buying Quote 00:30:04 - Weaponized Schizophrenia Concept 00:31:09 - Schizophrenia as Catch-All, LSD Benefits 00:32:21 - False Positives/Negatives in Machine Learning 00:33:34 - Arbitrary Thresholds in Science/Medicine/Physics 00:34:46 - Autistic Definitions, Bitcoin Redefinition 00:36:25 - Douglas Hofstadter's Godel Escher Bach Inspiration 00:37:32 - Ads: Bitcoin.com News 00:38:39 - Citrea: ZK Rollup on Bitcoin 00:40:21 - BIP300 Drivechains by Paul Sztorc 00:41:53 - Hacker Ethos, L2 Complexity Critique 00:43:27 - Lightning Network Failures 00:44:22 - Open Source vs Closed Source Thought Experiment 00:47:00 - Check Phrase for Security 01:00:00 - Quantum Mechanics Wave Function Collapse 02:02:17 - Chris Doesn't Sound Like Typical Founder 02:02:50 - Quantus Features: Reversible Transactions 02:05:23 - Check Phrase Innovation 02:07:29 - HD Wallets for Lattice Cryptography, QIPs 02:08:46 - Pro-Social to Industry, Ethereum Ethos 02:09:00 - Ross Ulbricht on Blockchain Decentralization 02:10:00 - Bitcoin Maximalism Critique 02:10:34 - Satoshi on ZK Proofs Efficiency 02:11:01 - Grin Fair Launch, Kaspa DAG Innovation 02:12:16 - Zcash Innovations, ZK Snarks 02:13:25 - Libraries from Zcash, Fluffy Pony Dismissal 02:14:07 - Zcash Made ZK Practical 02:15:36 - Ethereum Net Positive Despite Mess 02:16:04 - Stablecoins as Freezable CBDCs 02:18:19 - Eye-Openers: Iran Banking Struggles, Argentina Tether Use 02:20:40 - COVID Psychology Lessons 02:22:27 - QE Money Printing Realization 02:23:33 - Legal vs Moral, COVID Non-Compliance 02:25:13 - Forgetting COVID Coercion 02:26:36 - Psychedelic Community Enforcement 02:27:47 - Nature's Cruelty 02:28:55 - Vaccine Divisions 02:30:02 - Each Vaccine Unique, Pavlov's Association 02:31:03 - Freedom License Concept 02:32:01 - Agency and Responsibility 02:34:05 - Frustrated Developers, Utility Missed 02:35:07 - User Adoption Challenges 02:36:01 - Funnel for Adoption, Co-Founder Complement 02:37:38 - Check Phrase for Wallets 02:39:04 - Plato on Politics 02:39:46 - Habeas Corpus History 02:40:40 - Optimism: Sunlight, World Complexity 02:41:36 - Manifesting Intentions 02:42:28 - Soundcloud Recommendation, Quantus Docs 02:43:02 - Music Like Pink Floyd's Great Gig in the Sky 02:44:47 - Amir Taaki 7-Hour Record 02:45:43 - Zooko's 6-Hour Interview 02:46:47 - WeaponizedSchizophrenia.com Blog 02:47:00 - Closing Words