In the Company of Mavericks: Bitcoin is Inevitable - What's The Problem? with Joe Bryan

May 30, 2025

Joe Bryan, a former derivatives trader turned sports betting entrepreneur, shares his journey into the world of Bitcoin. He discusses how societal issues like inequality and addiction are intertwined with flawed monetary systems. Joe's presentation, 'What's the Problem?', highlights the dangers of fiat money and advocates for Bitcoin as an inevitable solution. He critiques central banking and emphasizes Bitcoin’s potential to empower individuals and reshape finance. His passionate insights invite listeners to reconsider the future of money.

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ANECDOTE

Joe's Bitcoin Discovery Story

Joe Bryan discovered Bitcoin during the 2020 lockdown through Real Vision, exploring global macro topics with Raoul Pal.
This started his deep dive into Bitcoin, realizing its unparalleled importance and transformative potential.

INSIGHT

Money Quality Drives Society's Ills

Multiple societal problems like inequality, addiction, and obesity share a root cause: the quality of money.
Corruption of money through printing harms society broadly beyond just economics.

INSIGHT

Impact of Printing Money Explained

Printing money distorts price signals, misallocates capital, and leads businesses to raise prices, shrink products, or reduce quality.
These distortions cause asset inflation, worsen affordability, and contribute to obesity and health crises due to cheaper, lower-quality food.

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Joe Bryan is a former investment bank derivatives trader turned sports betting entrepreneur who, during lockdown, went down the proverbial Bitcoin rabbit hole.

After Joe exited the company that bought his sporting odds business last year, a friend invited him on a weekend away. Each guest had to prepare a short talk to lead a discussion on a topic of their choice. Joe chose Bitcoin; it was his passion and his specialist subject.

However, it's a big subject and he didn’t know where to start. So, assuming no prior knowledge, he told a story explaining why Bitcoin exists and what it fixes. He called his presentation, “What’s the Problem?," and Bitcoin was deliberately not mentioned until the last slide.

The success of his pitch encouraged him to make a video, and earlier this year, Joe launched What’s The Problem? on YouTube and X.

The film tells the story of two identical countries with perfect economies and perfect money, save for the existence of a big red button only for use in case of emergency in the country run by Fiatello.

For the avoidance of doubt, the big red button equates to a central bank and today’s monetary policy. In so doing, Joe explains the wide range of common societal problems that stem from fiat money. These include loss of trust, obesity, family breakdowns, addiction, wealth inequality, and, of course, inflation.

Joe leads his audience to the door of the Bitcoin rabbit hole. He wants to spread the word because, as he sees it, Bitcoin is inevitable; everyone will find it in their own time, but eventually everyone will get drawn in, and they will own it at their own price.

Joe is a Bitcoin Maximalist who points to the launch of Bitcoin ETFs and the US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve as evidence that there is no stopping this train.

Of course, he could be wrong, and as always, what you are about to hear is not investment or any other type of advice. It is for your critical evaluation and is only for your information and entertainment. Always do your own research and take professional advice tailored to your own requirements before investing a penny of your money in these crazy markets.