What Bitcoin Did

Eric Yakes joins the show to discuss what’s really driving Bitcoin right now and why price is determined by fundamentals, not cycles or models. We break down how marginal supply and marginal demand actually work in Bitcoin, why the four-year cycle may never have been real, and how years of behind-the-scenes work inside institutions and regulators lead to the sudden headlines that reprice the market. We also dig into sovereign wealth funds, nation-state reserve adoption, and why Bitcoin is still one announcement away from a major move. Eric explains why liquidity, not ideology, is the real constraint, why gold still dominates today, and what Bitcoin needs to reach true reserve-asset status. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: IREN ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Eric Yakes: https://x.com/ericyakes

Jeff Walton joins the show for a deep dive into the state of Bitcoin treasury companies, the rise of digital credit, and why we may be entering the most aggressive phase of institutional Bitcoin adoption yet. We get into Paper Bitcoin Winter, why so many treasury companies are trading below 1× MNAV, and whether the original playbook of issuing equity, & buying Bitcoin may be running out of road. Jeff breaks down why the model isn’t dead, how yield markets are evolving at lightning speed, and why optionality, scale, and genuine operational talent will decide who survives the coming shakeout. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: IREN ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Jeff Walton: https://x.com/PunterJeff

Erik Hersman, Phillip Walton, Eric Yakes & Mark Kamau join the show for a deep dive into energy, mining, and the reality of electrifying Africa — and why Bitcoin is quietly unlocking possibilities no NGO or government has ever managed to achieve. We get into the wild journey across northern Kenya to the forgotten village of Saru where communities live without electricity, refrigeration, or basic infrastructure, and where abundant energy would completely transform life, opportunity, and even culture. Philip and Eric explain why transmission lines will never be built, why NGOs fail 90% of the time, and how Bitcoin mining finally makes it economically viable to electrify the most remote places on earth. They break down how Gridless finds stranded energy, models profitable solar and hydro builds, and partners with local elders, schools, and entrepreneurs to create real markets — not handouts. We dig into the coming era of “energy first, mining second,” the circular Bitcoin economies emerging across Kenya, why M-Pesa makes Nairobi the easiest city in the world to live on Bitcoin, and how Lightning will become the payment layer for off-grid power. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: IREN ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Erik Hersman: https://x.com/whiteafrican/ Phillip Walton: https://linkedin.com/in/philip-walton-nairobi Eric Yakes: https://x.com/ericyakes Mark Kamau: https://x.com/mark_kamau

Seb Bunney joins the show for a conversation about broken money, distorted reality maps, and why Bitcoin might be the only force capable of realigning society. We get into his personal journey from mountain-bike coaching in Whistler and realising hard work no longer pays, to discovering how central banks, misaligned incentives, and financialisation quietly shape everything from housing and family life to politics and culture. Seb explains why so many young people are turning to socialism, why democracies can’t change course, and how separating money and state could be the only viable path forward. Seb also breaks down his new essay The Curated World — exploring linguistic control, scientific gatekeeping, suppressed technologies, the Invention Secrecy Act, and why “the map is not the territory.” We dig into Bitcoin’s role as a truth-seeking mechanism, what happens when incentives flip from intervention to value creation, and how free markets, energy breakthroughs, and longer lifespans could transform civilisation far beyond money. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: IREN ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Seb Bunney: https://x.com/sebbunney

George Bodine joins the show for a wild conversation about the fourth turning, AI, quantum, and why he believes the next 3–5 years will be the most volatile period in Bitcoin history. We get into his insane life story — from trailer parks to flying F-18s at Top Gun, ejecting from a crashing jet, working underground as a miner, becoming a pro artist, and eventually going all-in on Bitcoin. George breaks down why he thinks the financial crisis never ended, how AI and robotics will erase millions of jobs, the global arms race for compute and energy, and why quantum could hit faster than people expect. We dig into Bitcoin’s real threats — mining centralisation, quantum-vulnerable coins, BIP444, and the Core vs Knots fight dividing the community. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: IREN ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny

Phong Le, CEO of Strategy, joins the show to break down exactly how the world’s biggest Bitcoin treasury company works. The Bitcoin-backed credit markets, the preferreds, the leverage, and how Strategy keeps buying Bitcoin in bull and bear markets. We dig into how MicroStrategy pivoted during 2020, how Phong and Michael Saylor built the Bitcoin treasury model from scratch, and why Strategy believes Bitcoin is still radically undervalued. Phong explains Strike, Strife, Stride, and Stretch, how these preferreds create Bitcoin yield, why they work even when price is down, and how Strategy thinks about dilution, MNAV premiums, and raising billions without selling sats. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: IREN RIVER ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Phong Le: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phong-le-b53520

Max Guise from Block joins the show to break down one of the biggest leaps forward for Bitcoin self-custody: BitKey’s new privacy upgrade, why it matters, and how it removes one of the last major trade-offs between safety and privacy. We get into how BitKey’s new chaincode-delegation system prevents Block from seeing balances or transactions, and why this BIP unlocks a new era for private, user-friendly multisig. We also get into Square switching on Bitcoin payments across the US and why that’s a much bigger deal than most people realise - removing the friction of onboarding merchants and making Bitcoin everyday money. As well as the structural risk of mining centralisation, how relying on a handful of foreign ASIC manufacturers threatens Bitcoin’s long-term resilience, and how Proto’s approach is designed to spread hashpower, strengthen the network, and give miners real optionality for the first time in years. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: IREN RIVER ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Max Guise: https://x.com/max_guise

Checkmate and Alec Dejanovic from Checkonchain break down what’s really happening with Bitcoin’s price. The unprecedented long-term holder sell-off, the spot buyers absorbing billions, and why this cycle looks less like a normal bull market and more like a Great Rotation. We get into old coins coming back to life, sovereign accumulation, stalled ETF flows, and why the real story isn’t who is selling, it’s who has the balance sheet to buy this much Bitcoin. Checkmate also explains the true market mean at $82K, how to spot bottom formation, why 70% of Bitcoin’s cost basis now sits above $85K, and how ETFs and iBit options are reshaping Bitcoin’s entire market structure. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: IREN RIVER ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Checkmate: https://x.com/\_Checkmatey\_ Alec Dejanovic: https://x.com/alec_rhythmic

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 accounts are only possible with Bitcoin, why Lightning and eCash still matter, how miners are navigating the AI-compute boom, and why open protocols are the only safeguard in a world where AI intermediates your money, identity, and communication. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: IREN RIVER ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Mark Suman: https://x.com/marksuman

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, why fiscal dominance is driving inflation, and why Bitcoin’s stagnation has more to do with liquidity and capital rotation than the halving cycle. We discuss the real reason Bitcoin is flat in 2025, how AI has redirected investment flow away from BTC, why OG-holder distribution still shapes every cycle, and why the four-year Bitcoin cycle is dead. Lyn also breaks down gold’s explosive run, the mechanics of fiscal deficits, the “nothing stops this train” thesis, and how the next phase of global liquidity will impact Bitcoin, gold, equities, and the broader macro environment. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: IREN RIVER ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Lyn Alden: https://x.com/LynAldenContact or https://primal.net/lyn

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 fork movement, why filters failed, how miners really behave under fee pressure, and why futures markets can ultimately determine whether a fork has any economic weight. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: IREN RIVER ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Rob Hamilton: https://x.com/Rob1Ham

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 SeedSigner empowers users to hold keys without relying on opaque supply chains. SeedSigner also shares lessons from his years in digital forensics, why most people’s threat model is themselves, and how open-source sovereignty could become Bitcoin’s last line of defence against capture. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: IREN RIVER ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny SeedSigner: https://x.com/SeedSigner

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 exponential systems like debt-driven markets inevitably face booms and busts, and how Bitcoin could eventually pull TradFi into a Bitcoin world rather than be absorbed by it. Matthew also explores Bitcoin’s growing dominance as base money, comparing its scale to global cash and reserves, and why its next major milestone is surpassing U.S. cash in circulation. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: IREN RIVER ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Matthew Mezinskis: https://x.com/1basemoney

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 cycles — and why Bitcoin may now be entering a phase of slower, more stable growth led by institutions and nation-states. Root also shares why he believes Bitcoin is still massively undervalued compared to other assets, why the current distribution phase is healthy, and why patience will be rewarded for those thinking in years, not weeks. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: IREN RIVER ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Rational Root: https://x.com/theRationalRoot

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. We also explore what it means to live entirely on Bitcoin, how Ben helped build a thriving circular economy in Calgary, and why teaching the next generation to value freedom over convenience might be the most important inheritance of all. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: IREN RIVER ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny BTC Sessions: https://x.com/BTCsessions

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 fascism, and why Bitcoiners must walk the narrow middle path to preserve individual sovereignty. We get into the Trojan horse of institutional adoption, the spiritual war at the heart of money, and what it means to build in an age of surveillance. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: IREN RIVER ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny American HODL: https://x.com/americanhodl8 or https://primal.net/hodl Erik Cason: https://x.com/Erikcason or https://primal.net/erikcason Marty Bent: https://x.com/MartyBent or https://primal.net/marty

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 liberty is to build systems that are decentralized and private. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: IREN RIVER ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Obi Nwosu: https://x.com/obi or https://primal.net/obi

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 censorship, and why Bitcoin is the only technology capable of reversing that trend. He discusses his new essay for The Journal of Democracy, how it reframes Bitcoin as a human rights revolution rather than a financial asset, and why even stablecoins ultimately strengthen state power instead of limiting it. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: IREN RIVER ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY Follow: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Alex Gladstein: https://x.com/gladstein or https://primal.net/gladstein

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 liquidity is coming, not necessarily from the Fed, but from a massive private credit boom. He lays out why this will supercharge U.S. industrial growth, fuel long-term inflation, and make Bitcoin one of the most valuable forms of collateral in the world. We also discuss the run in the price of gold, what it could signal geopolitically, and why Bitcoin’s volatility compression might mean the end of traditional market cycles. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: IREN RIVER ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY Follow: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Nik Bhatia: https://x.com/timevalueofbtc

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 insane escape that finally got him out of Venezuela. Now living in exile, Leopoldo explains how he’s using Bitcoin to fight back. Funding resistance movements, paying doctors and activists when banks are weaponised by dictators, and building a new freedom network through the World Liberty Congress. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: IREN RIVER ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY Follow: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Leopoldo Lopez: https://x.com/leopoldolopez or https://primal.net/leo