What Bitcoin Did

Shinobi is the Technical Editor at Bitcoin Magazine.

In this episode, we get into the latest "OP_RETURN war," exploring whether the debate is a cultural clash or a technical discussion about Bitcoin’s future.

We discuss the origins of the OP_RETURN limit, how users are bypassing it, and the arguments for and against changing data limits. Shinobi lays out his view that filters designed to block certain transactions could increase mining centralisation and degrade network security. We also get into the questions about non-monetary uses of Bitcoin and the ongoing tensions between scaling, freedom, and preserving Bitcoin's values.

FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny  Shinobi: https://x.com/brian_trollz 

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Jesse Myers is the author of the Once in a Species newsletter.

In this episode, we discuss why humanity’s obsession with scarce assets may be hardwired into our DNA and how this evolutionary trait could explain Bitcoin’s inevitable rise.

We also get into how early humans monetised scarcity, why Homo sapiens may have outcompeted Neanderthals through money-based cooperation, and how Dunbar’s number and inter-tribal trade shaped civilisation. Finally, we explore why Bitcoin represents the culmination of a 140,000-year human search for perfect scarcity — and why Jesse believes we are in the early innings of a species-wide gravitation towards Bitcoin.

FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles & https://primal.net/danny  Jesse Myers: https://x.com/Croesus_BTC 

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In this episode we have three sessions recorded live at CheatCode in Bedford.

In the first session, Checkmate, Preston Pysh, and Alex Thorn break down the cracks in the fiat system, the rise of deglobalization, stablecoins, Bitbonds, and how Bitcoin and gold are emerging as neutral reserve assets.

In the second session, Matthew Pines unpacks the global economic reordering, the U.S.–China trade war, escalating tariffs, the fragility of the bond market, and why Bitcoin may be the ultimate escape valve.

In the final session, Lawrence Lepard, James Lavish, and Cameron Parry go deep on gold vs Bitcoin, the debt doom loop, the case for a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, and the fight for financial sovereignty.

FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles & https://primal.net/danny  Checkmate: https://x.com/_Checkmatey_  Preston Pysh: https://x.com/PrestonPysh & https://primal.net/preston  Lawrence Lepard: https://x.com/LawrenceLepard & https://primal.net/lawrencelepard  James Lavish: https://x.com/jameslavish  Matthew Pines: https://x.com/matthew_pines  Alex Thorn: https://x.com/intangiblecoins  Cameron Parry: https://x.com/CameronJParry 

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Mark Moss is an entrepreneur, investor, and host of the Mark Moss Show and Market Disruptors.

In this episode, we discuss why Bitcoin could 10x over the next five years as well as the political and financial cycles converging to drive massive change.

We also get into the collapse of global institutions like the World Economic Forum, the role of AI and Bitcoin in reshaping money and power structures, why open-source AI could decentralise innovation, and how Bitcoin might become the default money for autonomous AI agents. Finally, we explore why stock market valuations may be more fragile than they appear and how Bitcoin offers a simpler, sounder alternative for long-term wealth preservation.

FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles & https://primal.net/danny  Mark Moss: https://x.com/1markmoss 

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Alex Gladstein is the Chief Strategy Officer at the Human Rights Foundation and author of Check Your Financial Privilege, Hidden Repression and The Trojan Horse of Freedom.

In this episode, we discuss whether Bitcoin’s adoption by governments and Wall Street threatens its original mission, the Trojan Horse theory of Bitcoin and why nation-state adoption may be essential to separating money from state. We also get into the IMF’s decades-long role in global debt traps, the potential endgame of Bitcoin as a global reserve and debate quantum threats to Bitcoin.

FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles & https://primal.net/danny  Alex Gladstein: https://x.com/gladstein or https://primal.net/gladstein

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Matt Odell is host of Citadel Dispatch, co-host of Rabbit Hole Recap, managing partner at Ten31 and co-founder of OpenSats and Bitcoin Park.

In this episode, we discuss the risks of Bitcoin’s increasing financialisation, why only a small minority may ever use it as true “freedom money,” and whether Bitcoin is on track to become a global reserve currency.

We also get into the rise of stablecoins and their impact on adoption, MicroStrategy’s role in reshaping public market exposure to Bitcoin, and a potential quantum computing threat. Plus, we cover why sats should be the standard, the Gamestop pivot to Bitcoin, and the ways Nostr and censorship resistance might shape the future of speech.

FOLLOW:  Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles & https://primal.net/danny Matt Odell: https://primal.net/odell 

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Junseth is the co-founder of the legendary Bitcoin Uncensored podcast and a longtime Bitcoiner.

In this episode, we discuss whether Bitcoin has actually “done anything yet,” why financialisation might be both Bitcoin’s future and a serious threat, and how MicroStrategy’s could play a key role in that. We also get into the risks of leverage and ETFs, Junseth’s unique investment strategy based on volatility and diversification, why most Bitcoiners aren’t truly prepared for sovereign-level adoption, and the missing financial tools — like insurance and mortgages.

FOLLOW:  Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles & https://primal.net/danny Junseth: https://x.com/verysmallclaims  

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Bob Burnett is the Chairman and CEO of Barefoot Mining and board member of Ocean.

In this episode, we discuss why the future of Bitcoin mining is about much more than just hashing, how control of block space could determine who holds true economic power in a Bitcoinised world, and why building from the bottom up — starting with energy production — may be the only path to sovereignty.

We also get into complacency amongst bitcoiners, the issue of centralised mining pools, why financial institutions and nation states alike are waking up to the strategic value of block space and the future financialisation of block space.

FOLLOW:  Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles & https://primal.net/danny Bob Burnett: https://x.com/boomer_btc 

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Lawrence Lepard is an investment manager and author The Big Print, which covers the broken monetary system and how Bitcoin fixes this.

In this episode, we discuss Trump’s tariffs, their real economic impact, and why Lawrence believes they could trigger a major market crash and sovereign debt crisis. We also discuss how the fiscal doom loop is accelerating, why Powell may soon be forced into another round of money printing, and why Bitcoin will benefit.

FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles & https://primal.net/danny Lawrence Lepard: https://x.com/LawrenceLepard

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Joe Bryan is a Bitcoin educator and the creator of What’s the Problem?

In this episode, we discuss why our current system is rigged, how the hidden theft of inflation quietly corrodes everything from quality of life to trust in society, and why the “big red button” — the ability to print money — sits at the heart of so many global crises including the breakdown of family structures, mental health crises, and broken incentives all stem from the same monetary flaw. We also get into how this knowledge spreads, why people sense the system is broken even if they can’t articulate why, and why Bitcoin offers a hopeful, practical alternative.

FOLLOW:  Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Joe Bryan: https://x.com/satmojoe & https://x.com/SatsVsFiat

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Brent Johnson is the CEO of Santiago Capital and the creator of the Dollar Milkshake Theory.

In this episode, we discuss why the dollar may strengthen before it dies, how global debt markets rely on an insatiable demand for US dollars, and why Brent believes a global sovereign debt crisis will force a dramatic monetary reset. We get into the mechanics of the Eurodollar system, why stablecoins entrench dollar hegemony, and why attempts to escape the dollar could make it stronger in the short term and Bitcoin’s potential role in this endgame.

FOLLOW:  Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Brent Johnson: https://x.com/SantiagoAuFund

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Michael Dunworth is an Australian entrepreneur and was one of the co-founders of Wyre, a Bitcoin payments and infrastructure provider established in 2013.

In this episode, we discuss nation-states strategically acquiring Bitcoin, why the integration of Bitcoin mining into national energy strategies could become a key geopolitical advantage, and how Bitcoin adoption could revitalise struggling companies like GameStop.

We also get into the risks of quantum computing for Bitcoin encryption, the significance of unsolved mathematical problems for humanity, and the transformative potential of solving these equations. We also explore Bitcoin as an antidote to consumerism, the future possibility of encoding ourselves into light for space travel, and whether the real existential risk to Bitcoin could be societal apathy in a world of free energy.

FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Michael Dunworth: https://x.com/MichaelDunwort1

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Peter Dunworth is the Director of a multi-family office and is the co-founder of The Bitcoin Adviser.

In this episode, we discuss why Bitcoin is the only asset that can recapitalise the financial system, why Peter believes Bitcoin could become a $100 trillion asset within a decade, why credit markets are ultimately a collateral problem, and why financializing Bitcoin might be necessary to save Main Street from being collateral damage. We also get into Australia's property obsession, GameStop’s pivot to Bitcoin, the difference between Bitcoin derivatives and the asset itself, and MicroStrategy.

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FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Peter Dunworth: https://x.com/peterbtcadviser 

Nik Bhatia is the author of Layered Money and The Bitcoin Age.

In this episode, we discuss the structure and evolution of the modern financial system, how banks run the world and why understanding liquidity is essential to grasping Bitcoin’s place in the world. We also get into the Eurodollar system, the coming end of quantitative tightening, the behavioural vs mechanical impact of QE, and how the credit system could coexist with Bitcoin.

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FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Nik Bhatia: https://x.com/timevalueofbtc

In this episode, I am joined by Pierre Rochard & Michael Goldstein. We discuss the Nakamoto Institute, why they believe money is a foundational pillar of civilisation, how Austrian economics helped them recognise Bitcoin’s potential so early and why everyone should hoard Bitcoin.

We also get into speculative attacks, why they think Bitcoin’s incentives are designed to win, and how a state adopting Bitcoin represents a peaceful transfer of monetary power.

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FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Pierre Rochard: https://x.com/BitcoinPierre Michael Goldstein: https://x.com/bitstein

Luke Gromen is the founder of FFTT, an economic research firm focused on global macro trends.

In this episode, we discuss why Luke believes the U.S. is approaching a sovereign debt crisis, how rising interest costs and capital outflows are driving the system toward a breaking point, and why the current path could lead to inflation, capital controls, and a repricing of gold. We also get into the potential role of Bitcoin as a neutral reserve asset, whether the U.S. could strategically adopt Bitcoin or issue Bitcoin-backed bonds.

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Parker Lewis is the author of Gradually, Then Suddenly and Head of Business Development at Zaprite.

In this episode, Parker pushes back on Jeff Snider’s ideas about the monetary system, challenging the idea that central banks don’t actually print money, the fallacy of elastic money and why the world will ultimately converge on Bitcoin as its dominant currency. We also discuss why Parker believes the U.S. is locked into perpetual money printing, how fiat debt cycles will inevitably collapse, and why Bitcoin will win.

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Avik Roy is a policy analyst, and the president of the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity.

In this episode, we discuss why Avik believes the U.S. fiscal situation is heading toward a crisis within the next 20 years, the growing debt problem, and the likelihood of government-imposed capital controls and repression. We also get into Bitcoin's role in this economic landscape, whether the U.S. could adopt Bitcoin in a strategic reserve, and how past monetary shocks—like Executive Order 6102 and the Nixon Shock—inform what might come next.

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Jeff Snider is a macro analyst and the host of Eurodollar University.

In this episode, we discuss why Jeff believes the Federal Reserve has far less control over the economy than people assume, the true nature of money creation, and whether inflation was ever really about money printing. We also get into his perspective on the global economic landscape, the long-term effects of the pandemic’s economic policies, why he thinks central banks are more about signalling than substance, and Bitcoin Bonds

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Hunter Beast is a Bitcoin researcher focused on mitigating the risks quantum computing may pose to Bitcoin.

In this episode, we discuss the potential threat quantum computers pose to Bitcoin’s cryptographic security, whether Q-Day—the moment when quantum computers can break Bitcoin’s encryption—is an imminent reality, and how governments and institutions are preparing for this future. We also get into Hunter’s Bitcoin Improvement Proposal, BIP 360, which aims to introduce post-quantum cryptography to Bitcoin and the broader implications of quantum advancements, from national security to the possibility of a quantum arms race.

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FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Hunter Beast: https://x.com/cryptoquick