What Bitcoin Did - podcast cover

What Bitcoin Did

Danny Knowleswww.whatbitcoindid.com

What Bitcoin Did unpacks Bitcoin’s role in reshaping money, freedom, and the future of finance.

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Episodes

Bitcoin, AI & the Coming Surveillance State | Mark Suman

Mark Suman is the co-founder of Maple, a fully private, open-source AI. Mark breaks down how Big Tech and governments are using AI to harvest data, profile behaviour, and build the foundations of a coming surveillance system. We get into closed-source models tracking your thoughts and emotions, AGI hype vs reality and the rise of Chinese open-source AI and why private, verifiable AI is the only path that doesn’t lead to mass influence and behavioural control. We also get into how anonymous AI ac...

Nov 21, 20251 hr 16 min

Bitcoin, Gold & the Coming Liquidity Pivot | Lyn Alden

Lyn Alden is a macroeconomist, investor, and the author of Broken Money, known for her deep analysis of liquidity cycles, fiscal dominance, and long-term market structure. In this episode, Lyn breaks down the major macro shift happening right now, the end of quantitative tightening, the turning point in global liquidity, and what this means for Bitcoin, gold, interest rates, and risk assets. She explains why QT is effectively finished, how repo market stress is signalling a balance-sheet pivot, ...

Nov 18, 20251 hr 19 min

Is BIP444 An Attack on Bitcoin? | Rob Hamilton

Rob Hamilton is the co-founder and CEO of Anchor Watch, a Bitcoin custody and insurance provider. In this episode, Rob breaks down BIP-444, the proposed soft fork aimed at stopping spam. He explains why it represents the most contentious governance moment since the block-size wars, what the proposal actually changes, how it could trigger chain splits and reorgs, and why he believes the effort has almost no chance of success. We discuss the economics, incentives, and psychology behind the new for...

Nov 14, 20251 hr 23 min

What It Really Means to Be Sovereign | SeedSigner

SeedSigner is an open-source Bitcoin signing device. In this episode, SeedSigner breaks down why trustless hardware matters and why Bitcoin security is a journey, not a destination. He explains how hardware wallets have become a “cat-and-mouse” game of exploits and firmware trust, why he chooses to trust math over manufacturers, and how SeedSigner gives users a verifiable, DIY alternative to commercial wallets. We discuss the evolution of Bitcoin custody, from paper wallets to multisig, and how ...

Nov 12, 20251 hr 49 min

Bitcoin Power Law: The End of Exponential Growth | Matthew Mezinskis

Matthew Mezinskis is a macroeconomic researcher, host of Crypto Voices and creator of Porkopolis Economics. In this episode, Matthew breaks down why Bitcoin doesn’t grow exponentially like traditional finance, it grows on a power curve. He explains why this difference matters for sustainability, how it challenges credit-based systems, and what it means for the long-term coexistence of Bitcoin and fiat money. We discuss how the power law reveals Bitcoin’s proportional and sustainable growth, why ...

Nov 10, 20251 hr 40 min

Why Bitcoin’s Bull Market Isn’t Over | Rational Root

The Rational Root is an on-chain analyst and the creator of the Bitcoin Strategy platform. In this episode, Root breaks down whether Bitcoin’s four-year cycle is truly over. He explains why the recent correction “broke the structure” of the bull market, why early Bitcoiners are taking profits at $100K, and how this institutional “IPO moment” could define Bitcoin’s next decade. We discuss what the data says about long-term holder sell pressure, diminishing returns, and the lengthening of business...

Nov 06, 20251 hr 1 min

Don’t Lose Your Bitcoin Generational Wealth | BTC Sessions

Ben Perrin is the creator and host of BTC Sessions, one of Bitcoin’s longest-running educational channels. In this episode, Ben breaks down what true Bitcoin self-custody looks like — from beginner-friendly wallets to advanced multi-sig setups — and explains how to protect your family’s Bitcoin if something happens to you. We discuss the trade-offs between wallets like BitKey, Coldcard, Trezor and Ledger, how inheritance planning really works, and why too much complexity can be your biggest risk...

Nov 04, 20251 hr 12 min

The Spiritual War for Bitcoin | American HODL, Erik Cason & Marty Bent

Marty Bent is the Founder of TFTC and Managing Partner at Ten31, Erik Cason is the Co-Founder of Vora, and American HODL is… American HODL. In this Bitcoin Whitepaper Day special, marking 17 years since Satoshi published the paper that changed the world, the three reflect on Bitcoin’s wild evolution from a fringe internet experiment to a $2 trillion, geopolitically relevant asset. We discuss how Bitcoin can free society from financial decay, why the future risks sliding into either communism or ...

Oct 31, 20251 hr 33 min

Rebuilding the World’s Financial System with Bitcoin | Obi Nwosu

Obi Nwosu is the CEO and co-founder of Fedi. In this episode, Obi explains how Bitcoin can uplift billions by creating new forms of community-based finance, why privacy is the dividing line between freedom and surveillance, and how tools like Fedimint and Fedi are re-engineering what custody means for the world. Obi also warns that if Bitcoin drifts toward convenience at the cost of freedom, it could become the surveillance system it was designed to escape. The only way to protect financial libe...

Oct 29, 20252 hr 10 min

Bitcoin and the End of Financial Repression | Alex Gladstein

Alex Gladstein is the Chief Strategy Officer at the Human Rights Foundation and author of Check Your Financial Privilege and Hidden Repression. In this episode, Alex explains why Bitcoin is the most powerful tool for human rights in the 21st century, freedom money that protects people from surveillance, censorship, and financial control. Alex breaks down how money evolved from an instrument of freedom to a weapon of control, how governments now use financial repression as their first tool of cen...

Oct 27, 20251 hr 2 min

Bitcoin & The Coming Liquidity Boom | Nik Bhatia

Nik Bhatia is a financial researcher and the author of Layered Money and The Bitcoin Age. In this episode, Nik explains why last week’s repo market spike was a potential warning shot that liquidity in the system is drying up. He breaks down how the Fed’s plumbing actually works, why banks are hoarding reserves instead of lending them, and what it means when the “floor and ceiling” of the system stop holding. Nik argues that quantitative tightening is reaching its limits and that a new era of liq...

Oct 24, 20251 hr 16 min

Jailed by a Dictator, Fighting Back with Bitcoin | Leopoldo López

Leopoldo López is a Venezuelan opposition leader, former political prisoner, and founder of the World Liberty Congress, a global alliance of democracy defenders and freedom fighters. In this episode, Leopoldo tells the story of how he went from mayor of Caracas to being hunted, imprisoned, and sentenced for “sending subliminal messages” through his speeches. He reveals what four years in solitary confinement does to the human mind, how he led a prison uprising from inside his cell, and the insan...

Oct 22, 20251 hr 37 min

Bitcoin Is Rebuilding the Financial System | Andrew Hohns

Andrew Hohns is founder and CEO of Battery Finance and CEO of Newmarket Capital. In this episode, we get into how Bitcoin-backed credit can rebuild trust in the global financial system — and why integrating Bitcoin into institutional finance could change everything from mortgages to sovereign debt. We explore why Bitcoin is the ideal form of collateral and how it can transform credit markets distorted by inflation and fiat mismanagement. We also get into Andrew's idea for BitBonds, and how a Bit...

Oct 20, 20251 hr 44 min

Why Bitcoin Must Win | Matt Odell

Matt Odell is host of Citadel Dispatch, co-host of Rabbit Hole Recap, managing partner at Ten31 and co-founder of OpenSats & Bitcoin Park. In this episode, we dive into the rise of surveillance capitalism, why freedom tech is the only path forward, and what a truly sovereign digital society could look like. We explore how Nostr and Bitcoin together create an open foundation for speech, identity, and money. A new digital commons built on permissionless code, not corporate control. Odell also ...

Oct 17, 20251 hr 50 min

Has the Debt Spiral Started? | Luke Gromen

Luke Gromen is the founder of Forest for the Trees. In this episode, we discuss why the U.S. debt cycle is reaching a breaking point, how AI and geopolitics are accelerating structural change, and why we could be witnessing the endgame of the fiat era. We get into why stablecoins may represent the next phase of the petrodollar system, the rise of financial repression, the return of inflation as a political tool, and why gold and Bitcoin are the only real safe havens this decade. He also lays out...

Oct 15, 20251 hr 20 min

Market Chaos: Is the Bitcoin Bull Run Over? | Checkmate

Checkmate is a Bitcoin analyst known for his on-chain & macro research. In this episode, we get into the weekend’s deleveraging event across the markets, the structural fragility it exposed, and why Bitcoin’s resilience through it all might mark a new era of maturity for the asset. Checkmate breaks down what caused over $20 billion in liquidations, how cascading leverage turned minor sell-offs into total wipeouts, and why market makers simply “walked away.” He also explains why Bitcoin’s fun...

Oct 13, 20251 hr 11 min

The AI Revolution That Ends Humanity | Roman Yampolskiy

Dr. Roman Yampolskiy is a computer scientist and AI safety researcher whose work explores the existential risks of artificial intelligence and the limits of human control. In this episode, we dive deep into whether superintelligence can be contained, why AI may already be on an unstoppable trajectory, and what that means for humanity’s future. Roman explains the difference between narrow AI, AGI, and superintelligence, and why building systems smarter than us may be a form of mutually assured de...

Oct 09, 20251 hr 5 min

Bitcoin Core v30 Explained: Spam, Filters & the Knots Debate | Antoine Poinsot

Antoine Poinsot is a Bitcoin Core contributor and researcher at Chaincode Labs. In this episode, we dive deep into the growing divide between Bitcoin Core and Knots, why mistrust in Core development has reached new levels, and what the v30 policy changes really mean for the future of Bitcoin. Antoine explains the history behind the OP_RETURN controversy, how “spam” and arbitrary data affect the UTXO set, and why multiple implementations like Knots may be both a strength and a serious risk to the...

Oct 07, 20251 hr 24 min

Bitcoin is Generational Wealth | Peter Dunworth

Peter Dunworth is the Director of a multi-family office and is the co-founder of The Bitcoin Adviser. In this episode, we dive into why Bitcoin is the ultimate vehicle for generational wealth, how to actually protect it across jurisdictions, and why collateral, not debt, is the real story of global finance. We get into why Bitcoin could underpin the collateral markets, how hyperbitcoinisation might play out both personally and globally, and why coexistence with fiat may last much longer than man...

Oct 02, 20251 hr 9 min

The End of Fed Control? Bitcoin & Macro Outlook | Checkmate, Joe Carlasare, Matthew Pines

Checkmate is an on-chain analyst and founder of Checkonchain, Joe Carlasare is a Commercial Litigator and macro commentator & Matthew Pines is the Executive Director at the Bitcoin Policy Institute. They explain why the four-year cycle may finally be dead, how ETFs and institutional flows are reshaping Bitcoin’s volatility, and why 95K has become a critical “Hodler’s Wall.” We get into gold’s resurgence and how central bank accumulation signals a structural shift in global finance, and how f...

Sep 30, 20251 hr 42 min

The Fight For Bitcoin’s Future | Samson Mow

Samson Mow is the CEO of JAN3 and former CSO at Blockstream. In this episode, we get into the growing rift between Bitcoin Core and Knots, why mistrust in Core development is at an all-time high, and what it means for the future of the network. We discuss the battle over spam and data storage on-chain, whether Bitcoin should ossify or adapt, and how governance really works in Bitcoin. Samson breaks down why the UTXO set could become a systemic risk, how mempool fragmentation is reshaping the net...

Sep 27, 20251 hr 11 min

The Fourth Turning is Here: Bitcoin vs Crisis | Brandon Quittem

Brandon Quittem is a the Author of The Mycelium of Money and VP at Swan. In this episode, we discuss the fourth turning, how history’s generational cycles shape today’s political chaos, and why Bitcoin could be the institution that emerges from the wreckage of a failing system. We explore the death of monoculture, the erosion of trust in institutions, and whether the coming crisis ends in war, civil unrest, or a re-founding of the American republic. Brandon also breaks down how generational arch...

Sep 25, 20251 hr 20 min

The Big Print, Inflation & The End Of The Dollar | Lawrence Lepard

Lawrence Lepard is an Investment Manager and Author of The Big Print. In this episode, he explains why the dollar system is “doomed,” how inflation is as much psychological as monetary, and why the Fed and Treasury are now trapped in a cycle of money printing and yield curve control. We explore why America may already be in a “fourth turning,” how gold’s surge signals a repricing of trust, and why Bitcoin is the ultimate escape hatch in a world of policy failure and political decay. Lepard also ...

Sep 22, 20251 hr 19 min

Is Bitcoin Culture Dead? | Pete Rizzo

Pete Rizzo breaks down how Bitcoin’s culture and institutions are being reshaped in 2025. From Trump’s executive orders and the creation of a strategic Bitcoin reserve to the rise of treasury companies and institutional adoption, we explore why this cycle feels different — and why that may not be entirely bullish for freedom money. We get into the shifting monocultures of Bitcoin, from grassroots self-custody to Saylor's vision. Rizzo explains why treasury companies must prove they can outperfor...

Sep 19, 20251 hr 30 min

Why Every Company Will Hold Bitcoin | Freddie New

Freddie New unpacks why the next wave of Bitcoin treasury companies could change the game, and why his new venture, B Hodl, is designed to be more than just another balance sheet play. From Lightning Network infrastructure and UK policy battles to raising fresh capital without leverage, Freddie explains how Bitcoin-only businesses can scale sustainably while strengthening the network itself. We dig into why so many treasury companies risk collapse in a bear market, how B Hodl is structured to av...

Sep 17, 20251 hr 9 min

Inflation, Liquidity, the Fed & Bitcoin | James Lavish

James Lavish unpacks why the Federal Reserve, runaway debt, and global liquidity cycles are setting the stage for Bitcoin’s next explosive move. From stagflation and deficits to institutional rebalancing and treasury companies, James explains why Bitcoin is unlike any asset the Fed can control. We dig into why policymakers are trapped between inflation and recession, how trillions in debt force them to keep the Ponzi going, and why every rate cut is bullish for Bitcoin. James also explores the r...

Sep 15, 20251 hr 5 min

The Path to $10 Million Bitcoin | Eric Yakes

Eric Yakes lays out why Bitcoin is on track for $10 million, and how cultural shifts, institutional adoption, and political realities are accelerating the path. From revolutions and mass movements to balance sheets and BlackRock ETFs, Eric explains why Bitcoin is unlike any other asset in financial history. We get into why qualitative forces - belief, culture, and narrative - drive Bitcoin’s price as much as math, how the rise of treasury companies and governments adopting Bitcoin could fundamen...

Sep 11, 20251 hr 57 min

Exposing Pegasus: How the State Spies on You | John Scott-Railton

John Scott-Railton dives into the dark world of spyware, surveillance, and state power — and what it means for our freedoms in the digital age. From uncovering Pegasus spyware in 2016 to exposing private intelligence firms like Black Cube, John explains how governments, corporations, and authoritarian regimes exploit our phones and data to control narratives and suppress dissent. We discuss how spyware has evolved from phishing texts to zero-click exploits, the chilling stories of journalists an...

Sep 09, 20251 hr 41 min

From Wall Street to Bitcoin & The Separation of Money & State | Vijay Selvam

Vijay Selvam digs into the first principles of Bitcoin, why it matters, how it works, and what makes it the greatest tool against authoritarian states. From his background on Wall Street during the 2008 financial crisis to writing Principles of Bitcoin, Vijay explains why digital scarcity is a paradigm-shifting invention and why separating money from the state may be one of the most important moments in human history. We explore why narratives like “digital gold” are both useful and limiting, ho...

Sep 05, 20251 hr 2 min

The Real Bitcoin Revolution Is Grassroots | Rod Roudi

Rod Roudi gets into the convergence of Bitcoin, AI, energy, and freedom tech — and why grassroots adoption matters just as much as corporate treasury plays. From the rise of Bitcoin meetups and physical hubs like Bitcoin Park to the explosive growth of mining innovation, Rod makes the case that open-source tools and community-driven education are the foundations of Bitcoin’s future. We discuss how Bitcoin Park solo-mined a block against one-in-a-thousand odds, and why home-grown projects like Bi...

Sep 02, 20251 hr 7 min
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