BITCOIN SEASON 2: Comply or Die: Privacy or Palantir

Aug 9, 2025

Roman Storm's conviction for operating an unlicensed money transmitter highlights the risks facing privacy developers in crypto. In stark contrast, Peter Thiel's fund raised a whopping $353M for a compliant stablecoin sidechain, underscoring the regulatory double standards in the industry. The podcast dives into the tension between privacy-centric projects and establishment players thriving under regulatory approval. It challenges listeners to consider the future of privacy rights amid evolving regulations and the implications for innovation.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

Storm Convicted For Money Transmission

The jury found Roman Storm guilty of operating an unlicensed money transmitter business.
The trial hung on laundering and acquitted on sanctions, producing a mixed legal precedent.

INSIGHT

Regulators Clash Over Code As Speech

FinCEN's guidance said publishing anonymizing software is not money transmission.
The court ruling contradicts that guidance, creating legal uncertainty for open-source developers.

ANECDOTE

Crowdfunded Legal Funds For Defendants

Roman Storm and the Samurai developers had to crowdfund their legal defense funds.
Community donations covered expensive counsel they otherwise could not afford.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app