Bitcoin Takeover Podcast

Prof. Richard Werner is best known for his book ”Princes of the Yen”, his paper on quantitative easing & his support for small local banks. In this interview, he talks about recent events in economics & the role he believes Bitcoin will play.

Liz Steininger is the CEO of Least Authority: a company which specializes in auditing open source software since 2014. Originally founded by Zooko Wilcox, Least Authority has conducted more than 100 security audits in the space. Some of the best known contractors who requested an expert review include the Ethereum Foundation, the Electric Coin Company, Metamask, the KeyStone hardware wallet, and Avalanche. Least Authority also builds products that make use of Zero Knowledge Proofs: PrivateStorage (a cloud storage system that's designed to make the host unaware of the files being stored), ZKAPs (Zero Knowledge Access Passes, an authorization system that separates the payer from the data on the items being bought), and Winden (a file-sharing service that's encrypted and requires no identity from the sender and receiver). In a space which often defers to "check the code, it's open source", companies such as Least Authority offer high quality verification which makes it easier for the average non-technical person to trust that something is safe. Also, it helps builder have the peace of mind that what they're working on will not bring any unforeseen consequences.

Diego Salazar & Luke Szramowski are working to build Cypher Space: a privacy & sovereignty company. In this episode, they compare + rate the privacy of Bitcoin, Monero, Zcash, Firo, Mimble Wimble (Litecoin, Grin), Zano & Beam. Time stamps: (00:00:59) Introducing Diego Salazar & Luke Szramowski (00:02:04) Tribalism and Privacy Protocols in Crypto (00:03:55) Why Privacy Matters & Personal Motivations (00:04:58) Diego’s Background and Cypher Stack (00:06:58) Luke’s Background and Mathematical Perspective (00:08:40) CoinJoin and the Limits of Bitcoin Privacy (00:09:10) Threat Models and Privacy Tool Selection (00:12:22) CoinJoin’s Effectiveness and Metadata Attacks (00:14:18) Comparing CoinJoin to Tor/VPN Usage (00:17:26) Overconfidence and Under-Researched Privacy Claims (00:19:52) Levels of Privacy and User Education (00:24:31) Defining Adversaries in Privacy Research (00:26:10) CoinJoin’s Real-World Threats and Research Gaps (00:27:17) Social Media, Nuance, and Privacy Debates (00:29:11) CoinJoin as “Add-On” Privacy and Side-Channel Attacks (00:31:46) Underestimating Adversaries and Attack Tools (00:38:37) Sponsor Plugs and Criteria for Privacy Evaluation (00:42:47) Scoring CoinJoin on Privacy Criteria (00:51:09) WabiSabi and Wasabi Wallet Improvements (00:59:29) Other Bitcoin Privacy Tools: BIP47 & Silent Payments (01:06:19) Human Error and Privacy Tool Usability (01:08:51) The Limits of Privacy Ratings and the Need for Nuance (01:12:19) Tribalism, Community Research, and Productive Debate (01:15:33) Non-Interactive Proofs and Security Assumptions (01:16:27) Bitcoin Maximalism and the Limits of Debate (01:17:34) Academic Rigor and the Need for More Research (01:20:01) Bitcoin’s Privacy Risks if Mainstream Adoption Happens (01:21:44) The State of Bitcoin Privacy Research and Funding (01:34:03) Bitcoin’s Missed Privacy Opportunities (01:37:14) Monero’s History and Privacy Technologies (01:41:03) Monero’s Anonymity Set and Privacy Trade-Offs (01:46:52) Monero’s Current Weaknesses and Upcoming FCMP (01:55:24) Monero’s Privacy Scores and Scalability (02:27:50) Zcash: History, Community, and Technology (03:00:29) Zcash’s Privacy Model and Accumulator Approach (03:05:56) Zero-Knowledge Proofs Explained (03:20:08) Zcash’s Privacy Scores and Tachyon Scalability (03:35:12) Firo (formerly Zcoin) and Spark Protocol (03:44:45) Firo’s Privacy Scores and Future Upgrades (03:52:06) Litecoin MWEB and Mimblewimble (04:01:32) MWEB Privacy Scores and Limitations (04:07:03) Other Privacy Projects: Zano, Beam, Salvium (04:10:02) Toxicity, Community, and the Human Element (04:17:00) Philosophy of Privacy and Human Nature (04:24:28) Fungibility, Bitcoin, and Social Realities (04:44:15) Summary and Chart of Privacy Scores (04:57:52) Resources for Privacy Research and Final Thoughts

Andrew Camilleri, known as Kukks, is a key contributor to BTCPay Server and is currently building Bitcoin Layer 2 applications at Ark Labs. He discusses the innovative ARK framework that enhances Bitcoin's transaction efficiency and user experience. The conversation dives into privacy solutions integrated with BTCpay, the significance of off-chain transactions, and the challenges of regulatory compliance. Kukks emphasizes the importance of community collaboration while exploring future advancements in cryptocurrency, particularly in scaling and usability.

Peter Rizun is the chief scientist at Bitcoin Unlimited: a software client that aims to scale Bitcoin with big blocks, while also empowering regular users to run nodes. In this episode, we talk about what went wrong during the block size wars & his research in scaling hardware. Time stamps: 00:01:15 — Introducing Peter Rizun 00:03:32 — Early Block Size Debates and Satoshi’s Vision 00:07:45 — Block Size Limit History and Miner Soft Limits 00:10:10 — Dan Kaminsky’s 2011 Scaling Predictions 00:12:01 — Scaling Philosophy: Zero, One, Infinity and Earth-Scale 00:15:09 — Block Size Wars, Chain Splits, and Altcoin Proliferation 00:16:43 — Stablecoins, Lightning, and Bitcoin’s Use Case 00:19:03 — Zcash, Ethereum, and Bitcoin’s Missed Opportunities 00:22:11 — Bitcoin’s Script Limitations and Smart Contract Innovation 00:25:10 — Scaling Limits: Hardware, Storage, and Bandwidth 00:35:31 — Node Software, Formal Specs, and Core’s Dominance 00:44:00 — Censorship, Reddit, and the Block Size Debate 00:48:04 — SPV Nodes, Custodial Wallets, and Decentralization 00:51:30 — Block Size, Internet Speed, and Global Node Access 00:57:26 — UTXO Model, Dust, and State Management 01:01:37 — Ethereum, Zcash, and Node Benchmarking 01:03:26 — Hardware Acceleration and Specialized Chips 01:07:00 — Sponsorship Break and Bitcoin Adoption via Debit Cards 01:14:59 — History of Block Size Proposals and Client Forks 01:21:07 — Consensus, Forks, and the Role of Exchanges 01:25:40 — SegWit, SegWit2x, and Political Compromises 01:33:04 — Bitcoin Cash, Market Dynamics, and Altcoin Competition 01:39:34 — Stablecoin Fees, Global Demand, and El Salvador 01:46:52 — Decline of Bitcoin Payments and Missed Opportunities 02:10:56 — Lightning Network: Promise vs. Reality 02:22:12 — Shitcoin vs. Bitcoin Maximalism and Open Source Innovation 03:05:52 — Spam, Miner Policy, and Transaction Filtering 03:17:05 — Hardware Scaling: M.2 Accelerator and Node Commoditization 03:29:11 — Nexa: Experimenting with Proof-of-Work and Node Bottlenecks 03:37:44 — Craig Wright, Satoshi Identity, and Big Block Movement Damage 04:02:03 — Fork Proliferation, Community Division, and Stablecoins 04:04:31 — Bitcoin’s Future, Experimentation, and Open Research

Zooko has been thinking about building decentralized Chaumian ecash since the mid 1990s. When Bitcoin came out, he was the first cypherpunk to write a blog post about it. And today, he's honoring Satoshi's last wish of researching ZK proofs with Zcash. Time stamps: Introducing Zooko (00:00:55) Early Cypherpunk and Digital Cash Days (00:03:18) Cypherpunk vs. Cryptography Mailing List (00:03:52) Discovering Digital Cash and Chaum’s Blind Signing (00:04:44) The Internet, BBS, and the Fall of the Berlin Wall (00:09:10) Growing Up with Technology in Eastern Europe (00:12:04) First Computers and Early Programming (00:13:02) Loading Games and Computer Limitations (00:14:05) Impact of Tariffs and Internet Access (00:16:47) Economies of Scale and Computer Conferences (00:18:28) Social Media, Privacy, and Information Overload (00:19:33) Twitter Blocking & Echo Chambers (00:21:06) Personal AI and Information Control (00:24:08) First Computer Memories and Speech Synthesis (00:28:55) Programming Languages: BASIC, Pascal, and C++ (00:31:15) Vocoder Technology and Privacy (00:32:27) Video Games and University Life (00:34:28) Science Fiction and Cypherpunk Literature (00:36:10) Working at DigiCash and Early Digital Currency (00:39:04) Nick Szabo, Social Scalability, and Economic Thought (00:46:27) AI-Generated Personas and Real-Life Community (00:52:42) Global Talent, Work Ethic, and Financial Management (00:55:51) David Chaum as a Boss and DigiCash’s Downfall (01:00:06) Decentralizing Ecash and Early Bitcoin Attempts (01:04:50) Wei Dai, Crypto++ and Peer-to-Peer Innovation (01:06:19) Open Source Maintenance and Funding Challenges (01:10:00) Why Digital Cash Mattered in the 1990s (01:12:30) Cypherpunks, Remailers, and Privacy Motivation (01:13:46) Bitcoin’s Early Days and Zooko’s Initial Skepticism (01:19:55) Bitcoin Advocacy and Security Flaws (01:39:07) Zooko’s Triangle and Naming Systems (01:43:31) Altcoins, Experimentation, and Maximalism (01:51:09) Bitcoin’s 2013 Privacy Papers: ZeroCoin & ZeroCash (01:55:12) Funding Innovation and Open Source Economics (02:00:27) Zcash Launch, Sidechains, and Market Dynamics (02:03:40) Sponsors and Bitcoin Innovation Renaissance (02:09:01) Proof of Stake, Hybrid Models, and Cross Link (02:26:14) Network Sustainability and Burn Mechanisms (02:33:37) Quantum Resistance and Lost Coins (02:37:26) Peter Todd’s Compute Node, Zcash Ceremony and Trusted Setup (02:42:19) Zero Knowledge Proofs and Counterfeiting Bug (03:05:35) Zcash Design Choices and Block Size (03:43:04) Bitcoin Blocksize War and Evolution (03:49:09) Zcash vs. Monero and Privacy Models (04:27:33) Tachyon: Sean Bowe’s Scalable Privacy Breakthrough (04:08:22) Live Zcash Demo and Address Privacy (05:27:00) Zcash Mining, Liquidity, and DEX Integration (05:49:57) Decentralization, Transparency, and the Future (06:02:22) Closing Remarks and Podcast Wrap-Up (06:05:15)

In a predominantly Proof of Stake world, The Proof of Work Alliance emerges as a champion of research & education among Proof of Work miners. Fractal Bitcoin's Charles Chong & Spencer Yang, plus Bitmars' ASIC Queen Summer Meng tell us how it all works. Time stamps: Introducing Charles, Summer & Spencer (00:00:50) Overview of the PoW Alliance (00:01:43) Challenges in Launching PoW Projects (00:02:32) Formation of the PoW Alliance (00:04:19) Importance of Collaboration (00:05:21) Significance of the PoW Alliance (00:06:48) Members of the PoW Alliance (00:08:26) Addressing Environmental Concerns (00:09:24) Renewable Energy in Bitcoin Mining (00:10:29) Electricity Usage Comparisons (00:12:37) AI and Bitcoin Mining Competition (00:15:21) Centralization vs. Decentralization in Alliances (00:20:55) Discussion on Risk and Collaboration (00:22:50) Analogy with Polling (00:23:44) Social Coordination in Bitcoin (00:24:15) ASIC Manufacturing Oligopoly (00:25:04) Challenges for New ASIC Manufacturers (00:26:55) Emerging Competitors in Mining (00:28:43) Mining's Capital Intensity (00:29:39) ASIC Resistance Debate (00:30:42) Economic Incentives in Mining (00:31:16) Proof of Work Alliance Benefits (00:32:38) Historical Context of Mining Innovations (00:33:50) Decentralization vs. Large Mining Pools (00:35:10) Impact of Economic and Social Factors (00:36:34) Innovation in Proof of Work (00:38:05) Challenges in Mining Innovation (00:40:30) Broader Ecosystem Innovations (00:41:11) Micro Innovations in Mining (00:42:15) Merge Mining Popularity (00:43:17) Proof of Stake Popularity (00:45:03) Validator Business Models (00:45:29) Alignment Issues in Mining (00:47:10) Blind Merged Mining Discussion (00:48:34) Risks of Drivechains (00:49:20) Concerns Over Block Rewards (00:52:14) Debate on OP_Return Function (00:54:19) Passion in Bitcoin Debates (00:56:20) Concerns About Ossification (01:00:04) Impact of Inscriptions on Miners (01:03:26) The Importance of Cross-Chain Integration (01:05:30) Challenges of Bitcoin Adoption (01:06:05) Gas Fees Comparison (01:07:12) Stablecoins in the Bitcoin Ecosystem (01:08:05) Celebrating Pizza Day (01:10:53) Fractal Bitcoin's Pizza Challenge (01:14:30) Reflections on Market Volatility (01:16:14) Joining the PoW Alliance (01:18:22) How to Contact Charles, Summer & Spencer (01:19:12) Closing Remarks and Future Announcements (01:20:42)

David Seroy works at Alpen Labs: the company which aims to bring an extended suite of financial applications to Bitcoin via ZK (Zero Knowledge) rollups. In this episode, we talk about the ideological divide in Bitcoin between builders & moonbois. Time stamps: Introduction to the Episode (00:00:56) Background on Alpine Labs (00:02:08) The Concept of ZK Rollups (00:05:00) Comparing Alpen Labs with Drivechains (00:08:04) Concerns About Data Usage (00:10:18) Nuances of Data Posting (00:12:41) Opposition to Rollup Data (00:13:47) Filtering Transaction Data (00:14:43) Consensus on Bitcoin Usage (00:17:31) The Complexity of Changing Bitcoin (00:19:39) Historical Context of Data Insertion (00:22:29) Creating Layers on Bitcoin (00:22:43) Scaling Bitcoin Beyond Marketing Drama (00:23:28) Trust Assumptions in Multi-Sig Deployment (00:23:45) Soft Forks for Efficient Financial Services (00:24:16) Benefits of CTV and Check Sig From Stack (00:25:00) Improving Efficiency with New Soft Forks (00:25:56) Challenges of Multiplication in Bitcoin Script (00:27:01) Irony of CTV's Reception (00:27:43) Opposition to Change in Bitcoin (00:28:53) Concerns Over OP_CAT and MEV (00:30:14) Safety of MEV in Bitcoin's Ecosystem (00:31:14) Using OP_CAT in Bitcoin (00:32:22) Starkware’s Grant for Rollup Research (00:33:28) Building on Bitcoin Cash vs. Bitcoin (00:34:52) Bitcoin Price All Time High (00:36:38) Alpen Labs' Development Plans (00:39:07) Bitcoin.com’s Shift to BTC (00:40:10) Differences Between CTV and Alpen Labs (00:41:04) Backers of Alpen Labs (00:43:21) Ethereum People Investing in Alpen (00:44:28) Nic Carter's Fight Experience (00:45:02) Reflections on Fighting Culture & Karate Combat (00:47:00) Personal Athletic Endeavors (00:48:52) Debate on Ethereum's Influence (00:50:15) Nuances of Ethereum and Bitcoin (00:52:51) Rollups and Trust Assumptions (00:54:21) David Seroy’s Stratacast (00:55:19) Need for Niche Bitcoin Podcasts (00:56:23) Bitcoin's Existential Crisis (00:58:17) Stock Portfolio Sacrifices (01:00:01) Bitcoin as a Store of Value vs. Payment (01:00:56) Concerns Over Stablecoins (01:01:06) Legitimacy of Stablecoin Claims (01:03:14) Building Bitcoin-Backed Stablecoins (01:04:36) Bitcoin-backed Stablecoins Demand (01:05:31) Intersection of Stablecoins and Privacy (01:06:34) Potential for Privacy-focused Stablecoins (01:07:29) Changing Adoption Narratives (01:08:35) Synergy Between Stablecoins and Bitcoin Adoption (01:09:48) Ideological Shifts in Bitcoin Use (01:10:51) Alpen Labs and zk Technology (01:12:56) Client-Side Validation Origins (01:15:51) Zero-Knowledge Proofs in Transactions (01:18:31) Bridging Bitcoin to Privacy Protocols (01:20:30) Privacy vs. Market Attention (01:21:00) Legal Implications for Privacy Protocols (01:22:37) Historical Context of Privacy Advocacy (01:25:10 Privacy in Bitcoin (01:27:51) The Future of Privacy Solutions (01:28:07) Understanding zk Technology (01:29:54) Current Rollup Implementations (01:31:20) Interoperability of Rollups (01:32:28) Critique of Lightning Network (01:34:19) Challenges of Lightning Network (01:36:13) Cultural Commentary on Bitcoin's Evolution (01:39:47) Drivechains and Rollups for Miners’ Revenue (01:43:14) Mainstream Bitcoin Events (01:48:10) Alpen Labs and Tokens (01:49:38) The Ethereum Token Dilemma (01:50:22) Token Justification and Practices (01:51:05) Incentive Issues with Tokens (01:52:00) Lightning Network and zk Rollups (01:53:22) Alpen Labs Main Chain Launch (01:55:09) Cultural Resistance to Innovation (01:56:19) Building Without Community Approval (01:58:42) User Experience with zk Rollups (02:01:35) Current Wallet Compatibility (02:04:52) Yield Generation in DeFi (02:06:42) Bringing Ethereum Innovations to Bitcoin (02:09:37) Scaling Bitcoin: Block Size Debate (02:11:11) Historical Perspectives on Block Size (02:12:33) The Shift in Bitcoin Developer Opinions (02:14:13) The Rise of Pragmatism in Bitcoin Development (02:15:06) Challenges with Bitcoin Narratives (02:17:01) The Role of Non-Technical Voices in Bitcoin (02:19:11) Optimism Amidst Bitcoin's Challenges (02:20:25) The Power Dynamics in Bitcoin Development (02:25:12) Closing Thoughts and Future Directions (02:27:48)

Mark Edge is a libertarian radio veteran best known for co-hosting Free Talk Radio: a show that's responsible for helping lots of OGs discover Bitcoin. In this episode, he explains why his co-host Ian Freeman is unfairly imprisoned and needs our help.

Chandra Duggirala & George Burke are co-founders of Portal: an ambitious project which aims to replace centralized exchanges with atomic swaps across chains. By using technologies like BitScaler, Portal OS & RAFA AI, Portal is a serious contender. ------------- Time stamps: Introducing Chandra & George (00:01:02) Portal's Mission (00:02:26) Trust Minimization Explained (00:03:32) Evolution of Portal's Technology (00:04:55) Bit Scaler (00:06:08) Removing Trust in Exchanges (00:08:28) AI Integration in Financial Markets (00:09:44) Clarification on Lightning Network (00:11:39) Bit Scaler vs. Lightning Network (00:12:04) Channel Factories Explained (00:15:27) Automated Market Makers Overview (00:18:04) Centralized vs. Decentralized Exchanges (00:20:57) Challenges of Atomic Swaps (00:24:15) Critique of Cross-Chain Solutions (00:25:17) Understanding Cap Structure (00:26:22) Self-Custody in Bitcoin (00:26:57) Toxic Approach to Bitcoin Values (00:28:03) Drivechains Discussion (00:28:20) Does Portal Require Any Soft Forks? (00:29:29) Quantum Security in Bitcoin (00:30:43) Critique of zk Rollups (00:33:10) User Demand in Crypto (00:34:33) Bitcoin as a Settlement Layer (00:35:25) Free Option Problem Explained (00:39:33) Demo of the Product (00:44:45) Launch Timeline for Mainnet (00:51:11) Proprietary Technology Overview (00:52:26) Is the RAFA AI Open Source? (00:54:05) Value Proposition (00:55:22) User Experience and Trust (00:56:16) Market Dynamics (00:58:37) Incentives for Value (01:00:03) Funding Round Speculation (01:00:10) Development Timeline (01:00:37) Mainnet Deployment Expectations (01:01:04) Supported Assets for Portal Swaps (01:01:49) Does Portal Compete with Exchanges? (01:02:19) Investor Relations (01:02:37) Trust Minimization Limits (01:03:37) User Feedback Impact (01:07:45) Operating System Concept (01:09:08) Integration with Other Platforms (01:10:14) Bitcoin as Settlement Layer (01:12:25) Data Storage for Swaps (01:15:10) Independent Chain Functionality (01:15:57) Quantum Security Discussion (01:16:29) Beta Testing Invitation (01:17:38) Roger Ver's Legal Situation (01:18:02) Silicon Valley Meetup Insights (01:21:10) Bitcoin Adoption Trends (01:22:30) Market Strategies and Competition (01:24:00) Bitcoin's Original Purpose (01:24:40) USD on Chain Concept (01:26:40) Community Engagement (01:28:22) Security in Crypto Exchanges (01:29:56) Conference Attendance Strategy (01:30:20)