198 episodes
- “The people who are truly productive are going to be on a rocket ship.”
AI is about to split society in two: those who learn to command it and those whose value it destroys.
Zack Shapiro, Head of Policy at the Bitcoin Policy Institute, explains why AI could dismantle the traditional white-collar career ladder while creating millions of millionaires. He argues that judgment, agency and decisive thinking will become exponentially more valuable, while simply working hard may no longer be enough.
We discuss why most people are using AI incorrectly, how it could transform law and business, whether mass unemployment and universal basic income are coming, and why Zack believes there is a 15% chance AI could wipe out humanity.
We also explore the battle between technological abundance and authoritarian control, why autonomous AI agents may naturally choose Bitcoin, the future of the CLARITY Act, protections for Bitcoin developers, and whether America will ever meaningfully build a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.
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Zack Shapiro: https://x.com/zackbshapiro - “There’s no balance sheet in the world that can cough up a trillion dollars.”
In this episode, Mauricio Di Bartolomeo explains why he believes Bitcoin-backed loans could become a $1 trillion market within the next five to ten years, and why traditional lender balance sheets cannot finance that growth alone.
Mauricio breaks down Ledn’s $188 million Bitcoin-backed securitisation, the significance of its investment-grade senior notes, and how institutional capital could transform Bitcoin lending into a global credit market. He also explains partial liquidations, auto top up, tokenised gold and the potential for hybrid Bitcoin-and-gold collateral.
The conversation also explores the hidden risks behind “no-liquidation” loans, why cheaper borrowing can conceal dangerous counterparty risk, and whether parts of the industry are repeating the mistakes that preceded the last crypto credit collapse.
We also get into the ongoing changes in Venezuela following Maduro’s capture, the devastation caused by the La Guaira earthquakes, and why he believes the country may finally have an opportunity to rebuild.
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Mauricio Di Bartolomeo: https://x.com/cryptonomista - “I would give myself 95% confidence that the bottom is in.”
Mitchell Askew and John Haar are on the show to get into whether Bitcoin’s price bottom is already in, and why this drawdown looks different.
In this episode we discuss the disconnect between record global liquidity and a Bitcoin price that has fallen 50%, the selling by OG holders, miners pivoting toward AI, and the potentially self-fulfilling nature of the four-year cycle. Selling pressure is becoming exhausted and we're now facing time pain, not price pain.
We also get into AI stealing Bitcoin’s bull run, what could force capital rotation, the future of Strategy and MetaPlanet, why blow-off tops and 75% drawdowns may be disappearing, and how Bitcoin mining is changing as major operators move into AI.
*Note, this was recorded before the recent Coldcard vulnerability. For more info watch this… https://youtu.be/rf-9rf93OpE
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Mitchell Askew: https://x.com/MitchellAskew
John Haar: https://x.com/jhaarblockware - “Who is left now that wants to sell at $65K?”
Bitcoin has gone through the price pain. Now comes the time pain.
Alex Thorn, Head of Firmwide Research at Galaxy, is back on the show in New York to get into whether Bitcoin has already found its bottom, why sellers may finally be exhausted, and how the next rally could begin before the wider market notices.
We discuss the on-chain signals around $58K, the changing shape of Bitcoin’s market cycles, and how the enormous debt funding the AI boom could revive the currency-debasement narrative and put Bitcoin back at the centre of the market.
We also get into whether a court can declare dormant Bitcoin “abandoned,” the attempt to claim legal ownership of coins linked to Satoshi, the quantum-computing risk, government control of superintelligent AI, and the last-minute fight to protect self-custody through the CLARITY Act.
*Note, this was recorded before the recent Coldcard vulnerability. For more info watch this… https://youtu.be/rf-9rf93OpE
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Alex Thorn: https://x.com/intangiblecoins - “The companies are bubbles, but I don’t think the technology is a bubble.”
Luke Gromen is back on the show to explain why the debt-fuelled AI boom may have become too big to fail, why slowing investment and valuations could threaten the wider financial system, and how even a small move from the Fed could trigger the unwind.
Luke also explains why he still hasn’t bought back most of the Bitcoin he sold near $96,000. He believes Bitcoin could trade lower alongside tech over the next few months, but his long-term thesis has not changed: America’s fiscal position cannot be fixed without significant currency devaluation, and the Fed will eventually be forced to print.
We also discuss Kevin Warsh’s attempt to establish his inflation-fighting credibility, the return of Hamiltonian economics, tariffs and reshoring, why long-term bondholders may be destroyed in real terms, the growing divide between Wall Street and the rest of America, and whether the country can remain the world’s dominant superpower.
THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:
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Luke Gromen: https://x.com/LukeGromen
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