The Mining Pod | Blockspace Media

Catch the latest Blockspace documentary, The Bitcoin Professor, on YouTube! Welcome back to The Mining Pod! Today, Charlie and Colin proudly inaugurate The Hashies, Blockspace’s annual award show for the best and worst in Bitcoin for that year. The winners of this year’s Hashies, in order of appearance, are as follows: Most Ascendant BTC Mining CEO: Daniel Roberts Most Ascendant Crypto CEO: Shayne Coplan Best Deal of the Year: CRWV<>CORZ (because – not despite – it fell though) Worst Deal of the Year: RIOT<>BITF takeover bid Best Investor Cult: IREN  Worst Investor Cult: MARA Biggest Crashout: Luke Dashjr Most REKT Crypto Play: Memecoins Most REKT Equity Play: BTC Treasury Companies / DATs Best Prediction: Valentine Rousseau’s 2025 Hashrate Projection  Worst Prediction: Every gigabull BTC price target Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com Timestamps: 00:00 Start 02:58 Most Ascendent CEO Bitcoin Mining 05:14 Most Ascendent CEO Crypto 07:24 Best Deal of 2025 10:08 Worst Deal of 2025 12:39 Best Investor Cult 14:07 Worst Investor Cult 16:50 Biggest Crash Out 23:20 Most REKT Crypto 29:00 Most REKT Equity 31:27 Best Prediction 33:25 Worst Prediction 👉CleanSpark, America's Bitcoin Miner! CleanSpark (Nasdaq: CLSK) is a market-leading data center developer with a proven track record of success. We own a portfolio of power, land, and data centers across the United States powered by globally competitive energy prices. Sitting at the intersection of Bitcoin, energy, operational excellence and capital stewardship, we optimize our infrastructure to deliver superior returns to our shareholders. Monetizing low-cost, high reliability energy by producing a global emerging critical resource – compute – positions us to prosper in an ever-changing world. 👉 FBOX, Cooling for Bitcoin Mining and the AI Data Center Transformation FBOX is the global leader in cooling system manufacturing, with the #1 shipment volume of bitcoin mining containers worldwide. Not only powering for the strongest hashrate, their technology also helps mining infrastructure transform into AI data centers. Backed by the largest production scale on earth, global deployment capability, and a full range of cooling solutions, they are shaping the future of compute. 👉 Luxor, Leaders In Bitcoin Mining and Compute Power! Get game-changing mining results with Luxor Firmware. Boost hashrate, cut energy costs, protect your hardware, and maximize mining profits with LuxOS. Published twice weekly, "The Mining Pod" interviews the best builders and operators in the Bitcoin and Bitcoin mining landscape. Subscribe to get notifications when we publish interviews on Tuesday and a news show on Friday! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The hosts dive into the intriguing world of Bitcoin mining stock rankings for 2025, sparking spirited debates over who deserves top honors. Cipher Mining shines with its impressive AI integration, earning an S tier, while Hut 8 impresses with strategic deals boosting its A ranking. Meanwhile, Marathon's mixed capital strategies raise eyebrows. The discussion also highlights concerns over Kango's trust erosion and BitFufu's jurisdictional risks. Get ready for a lively exploration of the dynamics shaping the Bitcoin mining landscape!

Jean-Marie Mognetti, CEO of CoinShares and expert in digital assets, dives into the complexities of Bitcoin's financialization. He discusses how derivatives and call options are impacting Bitcoin's volatility and trading dynamics. Jean-Marie examines the stark differences in ETF adoption between Europe and the US, citing cultural and regulatory barriers. He argues that institutional interest in Bitcoin reflects a larger issue of global sovereign debt. The conversation sheds light on the future of Bitcoin as both a financial instrument and a sign of economic challenges.

Brady Dale, a seasoned crypto reporter and author known for his insights into local Bitcoin stories, shares fascinating highlights from Granbury, Texas. He discusses a controversial failed vote to incorporate a new town aimed at regulating noise from a Bitcoin mining facility. The podcast also dives into China's mining crackdown and Hut 8’s monumental $7B hosting deal with Fluidstack, along with construction delays at CoreWeave’s Denton site. Brady's firsthand experiences reveal the local community's reactions to the ongoing Bitcoin mining push.

Doug Wilson, Head of Credit/Capital Markets at Coinbase Asset Management, shares his expertise on innovative hashrate-backed loans designed for Bitcoin miners. He explains how these loans differ from traditional ones, allowing miners to use facilities and Bitcoin as collateral. The discussion touches on the growing acceptance of hashrate collateral in institutional lending, the potential of stablecoins to transform payments, and the vital need for regulatory clarity to spur institutional investment in digital assets.

Nick Hansen, CEO of Luxor Technology, sheds light on the latest Bitcoin mining crackdown in Xinjiang. He reveals that nearly 100 EH/s of hashrate went offline, significantly impacting the global mining landscape. Hansen discusses the implications for non-Chinese miners and the future of ASIC manufacturing as older machines struggle to find new homes. The conversation also touches on how social media visibility may have triggered increased scrutiny, raising questions about whether this is a temporary setback or a renewed ban from the CCP.

Ethan Vera, COO of Luxor, is an expert in Bitcoin mining operations and hardware markets. He discusses MicroBT’s Whatsminer M70 launch and its positioning in a competitive ASIC market. The conversation shifts to IREN's impressive $2.3 billion note raise and the urgent implications of a 270% surge in ERCOT interconnection requests. Ethan reveals insights on Luxor's new GPU hardware sales and trading desk, while also tackling the controversial Cat bitcoin fork proposal that analyzes miner incentives and transaction fees.

Kevin O'Leary, the Shark Tank investor and crypto infrastructure enthusiast, shares insights on the future of AI and Bitcoin mining. He warns that half of North America's data centers could fail due to power constraints and discusses his investment in BitZero, a company committed to sub-$0.06/kWh energy solutions. Kevin elaborates on the demands of AI-capable data centers and the necessity of stable policies for long-term growth. He also highlights the importance of focusing on Bitcoin and Ethereum, while navigating the evolving crypto landscape.

The team dissects the steep 39% drop in ABTC shares following a share unlock, highlighting the challenges miners are facing. IREN's ambitious $3.6B capital raise is also scrutinized as they aim to refinance debt. The episode delves into Greenidge’s recent fire incident and asset sales that could reshape their operations. Finally, the discussion on Zcash reveals intriguing legal threats and debates surrounding its privacy features, questioning how cypherpunk it truly is.

In this engaging discussion, Matthew Schultz, CEO of CleanSpark, shares insights on the company's impressive FY2025 growth with $766M in revenue and the significant milestone of reaching 50 EH/s. He explores CleanSpark's strategic expansion into AI and HPC loads, detailing partnerships like the one with Submer for innovative cooling solutions. Schultz also highlights plans for new developments in Texas and discusses their capital strategy, including a nearly oversubscribed $1.15B convertible note. This dynamic blend of Bitcoin mining and AI promises an exciting future!