Stephan Livera Podcast

Lara Eggiman discusses Dubai lifestyle, misconceptions, and tips for setting up in Dubai. They also explore why UAE is well-placed for Bitcoin adoption and introduce Bitcoin Oasis. The podcast highlights the benefits of living in Dubai such as economic stability and safety, debunks misconceptions, and explores the unique government system in Dubai. They also discuss the open culture, diverse community, and thriving business scene in Dubai.

Anthropologist and Bitcoin expert Natalie Smolenski discusses the origin of money, the clash between anthropologists and economists, the limitations of fiat currency, and the rise of Bitcoin as a competing institution. She also explores topics such as jurisdictional arbitrage, the Texas Bitcoin Foundation, and the challenges facing universities.

Not everybody understands that blockchains themselves don’t scale. And this may create some tricky implications if we want to onboard large numbers of people to Bitcoin. This is why some of the discussion nowadays is about soft forks and covenants. Brandon Black rejoins me to talk about some of his ideas on how many people can use Bitcoin with current tech, and how covenants such as CTV (Check Template Verify) could help improve this. We discuss: How many people can use Bitcoin Why not build L3?  Thoughts on block size “Rush to the exits” Different kinds of forks Covenant proposals explained in english Concrete proposals Commercial demand Unforeseen risks Value density Links: X: @reardencode Timeout Trees explanation article by Shinobi Prior Episodes: SLP505 MuSig2 in Practice, APO, CTV & Bitcoin Soft Forks Sponsors: Swan.com (code LIVERA) CoinKite.com (code LIVERA) Mempool.space Stephan Livera links: Follow me on X: @stephanlivera Subscribe to the podcast

Pierre Rochard, VP of Research at Riot Platforms, joins to discuss Elizabeth Warren's anti-Bitcoin bill, policy objectives, 'unhosted wallets,' FATF, transaction fees, and the third school of thought on long-term fees.

Michael Saylor, Executive Chairman and Founder of MicroStrategy, discusses Bitcoin protocols, principles, dynamics, politics, and philosophy. They explore constructive dialogue on Bitcoin philosophy, the power of protocols, Bitcoin's role in the market economy, and its foundation in the future digital economy. They stress the importance of defending core protocols, natural frequency in mining dynamics, unique proof of work, and network security. They analyze Bitcoin's longevity, the difference between money and speculation, and the welcoming of different actors into the Bitcoin ecosystem. They also delve into Bitcoin's ideology of natural law versus human law.

Bobby Shell, an advocate for Bitcoiners investing in small businesses, shares insights on why SMBs matter. They discuss advantages of starting a business, securing Bitcoin, budget allocation, values-based businesses, due diligence, and predicting Bitcoin's future.

Paul Sztorc and Peter Todd debate the controversial proposal of Drivechain in Bitcoin. They discuss miner centralisation, legal risks, the ability to delegate running a node, and the impact of fees and blocksize limits. The debate covers various aspects including the benefits and challenges of drivechains, altcoin development, and the incentive for miners to steal in a drive chain system.

Exploring Bitcoin seed backups for multi-signature setups with the SeedHammer project. Discussing the use of passphrases vs. multi-sig, descriptor backup on steel, cost, attack vectors, changing standards, and future plans.

Severin Buhler, Lightning development expert, discusses the LSP spec and lightning development. Topics include: LSP marketplace, competition between jurisdictions, LSP business models, JIT channels, and downsides of using Lightning Network for smaller amounts.

Fernando Motolese, founder of Bitcoin Beach Brazil and Bitcoinize POS, discusses the creation of a Bitcoin circular economy. Topics include onboarding merchants, the Bitcoinize device, HODL vs Spend, and fundraising for Bitcoin Beach BR. They also explore the challenges of accepting Bitcoin payments and the importance of education in driving adoption.