In this episode, Haley Berkoe chats with Jameson Lopp, longtime bitcoiner, cypherpunk, and Chief Security Officer at Casa, to explore the long-term threats and opportunities facing bitcoin. He discusses his latest bitcoin improvement proposal, how AI can be both a productivity booster and existential risk, and why bitcoin's future hinges on education, sovereignty, and conversation.

CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS

00:51 Lopp’s top of minds: ossification, quantum threats, and protocol evolution.

01:44 An overview of his quantum Bitcoin Improvement Proposal.

06:23 How AI is helping with tooling and security, plus Lopp’s caution on the hype.

07:59 Writer’s block and Lopp’s creative process.

11:55 Lopp’s vision of a sovereign future and concerns about paper bitcoin trends.

15:16 Promoting bitcoin as money without pushing.

16:42 Lopp shares two controversial ideas: cut off quantum-vulnerable coins and use dynamic block sizes.

19:20 What gives him hope, the failures of fiat are bitcoin’s best marketing.

20:17 Don’t buy before you learn. Start with education, then stack.

21:47 Why discussion is the key to bitcoin’s long-term success.

FOLLOW:

Jameson Lopp: @lopp, https://x.com/lopp

Casa: @CasaHODL, https://x.com/CasaHODL

Haley Berkoe: https://x.com/HBerkoe

Spiral: @spiralbtc, https://x.com/spiralbtc

Presidio Bitcoin: https://x.com/PresidioBitcoin

LINKS:

Lopp.net

Lopps’ BIP: https://github.com/jlopp/bips/blob/quantum_migration/bip-post-quantum-migration.mediawiki

Bitcoin Plushie: https://www.uncute.com/collections/everything-else/products/here-comes-bitcoin

WATCH THE SHOW:

https://www.youtube.com/@PresidioBitcoin

This episode features Alex Pruden, the Chairman of Aleo and the CEO of Project Eleven, an applied R&D lab focused on the intersection of quantum computing and cryptography. In this conversation with Haley Berkoe, Alex discusses quantum computing, future-proofing bitcoin, user experience upgrades, and his journey from the Army Special Forces to becoming a cryptographer.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

00:50 Discovering bitcoin in the Middle East

01:42 Project Eleven & why quantum matters

02:46 What it means to be "quantum-resistant"

04:50 AI and cryptography

07:02 Learning cryptography from scratch

08:51 Book recommendation: Life and Fate

09:37 What self-sovereignty should look like

11:11 Zero-knowledge on bitcoin

14:05 Bitcoin’s price does not equal success

15:18 Bitcoin UX still needs love and innovation

19:39 Army lessons that shape his work

21:02 Final thought: celebrate, but contribute

FOLLOW:

Alex Pruden: @apruden08, https://x.com/apruden08

Project Eleven: @qdayclock, https://x.com/qdayclock

Haley Berkoe: https://x.com/HBerkoe

Presidio Bitcoin: https://x.com/PresidioBitcoin

WATCH THE SHOW:

https://www.youtube.com/@PresidioBitcoin

In this episode, Haley Berkoe sits down with Alex Gladstein, Chief Strategy Officer at the Human Rights Foundation. They discuss how AI tools are empowering activists, the importance of local governance, and what a world on the bitcoin standard could look like. Alex shares insights from HRF’s grant program, the UX hurdles activists face using bitcoin, and why he remains hopeful about bitcoin’s future.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:36 How Alex got into human rights

03:46 Use of AI by activists

06:13 The ideal role of government in a free society

08:04 Bitcoin as a human rights tool

10:15 A world on the bitcoin standard

14:18 Bitcoin UX: what’s improved, what’s still clunky, and the features activists want most.

16:53 Lessons from HRF’s grant program

19:36 Alex’s spicy takes on Bukele

22:02 Why Alex is hopeful about bitcoin’s future

23:21 Resources, books, and where to follow Alex online.

FOLLOW:

Alex Gladstein: @gladstein, https://x.com/gladstein

HRF: @HRF, https://x.com/HRF

Haley Berkoe: https://x.com/HBerkoe

Presidio Bitcoin: https://x.com/PresidioBitcoin

WHAT THE SHOW:

https://www.youtube.com/@PresidioBitcoin

Haley Berkoe sat down with Ryan Loomba, a Bitcoin Engineer at Block. Ryan shares his journey from early startup life to working across Square, Cash App, and Block’s Bitcoin team. They get into the weeds on bitcoin custody, the power of open-source, how Lightning is rolling out in the real world, and why AI might be the next big unlock for developers.

FOLLOW:

Ryan Loomba: https://x.com/RLoombs

Block: https://x.com/blocks, https://engineering.block.xyz/blog/, https://block.xyz/careers/jobs

Haley Berkoe: https://x.com/HBerkoe

Presidio Bitcoin: https://x.com/PresidioBitcoin,

WATCH THE SHOW:

https://www.youtube.com/@PresidioBitcoin

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit presidiobitcoin.substack.com

In this episode, Haley Berkoe interviews Alex Zukauskas, the Presidio Bitcoin Lead. Alex shares his background, discusses past and upcoming events, and explains why Presidio Bitcoin is the best place to be. He will be joining the show quarterly to keep everyone updated on all the exciting developments at Presidio Bitcoin.

Episode Highlights:

* Time flies, it’s been 7 months since Alex took the job, and 4 months since the launch of Presidio Bitcoin.

* Recurring monthly events open to the public: BitDevs, LitDevs, and ₿uilder.

* Upcoming events: The Quantum Bitcoin Summit, a careers fair in the fall, and book clubs.

* The focused approach to adding members. We currently have 22 people, including open-source contributors, startups, and builders.

* Global recognition and having visitors from all over the world.

* Perks of working at Presidio Bitcoin.

* Alex’s secrets to taking care of plants

Reach out to Alex at [email protected] if you’re interested in a membership, visiting the space, or getting involved!

FOLLOW:

Alex Zukauskas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/azukauskas/

Haley Berkoe: https://x.com/HBerkoe

Presidio Bitcoin: https://x.com/PresidioBitcoin, https://www.linkedin.com/company/presidio-bitcoin/

WATCH THE SHOW:

https://www.youtube.com/@PresidioBitcoin

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit presidiobitcoin.substack.com

Haley Berkoe met with Clara Shikhelman, the Head of Research at Chaincode Labs. Clara has been researching complex mathematical problems for nearly a decade and is currently focusing on the Lightning Network and bitcoin in the age of post-quantum computing.

Episode highlights include:

* Her goals with the quantum computing report: provide an overview of the current status and future direction, reduce FUD, and clarify what actually matters.

* A call for cryptographers to engage with bitcoin and read the whitepaper.

* The need for bitcoin to have a more user-friendly experience and tools that are as simple to use as Venmo.

* Excitement about new developers entering the space through the Chaincode BOSS program https://learning.chaincode.com/

* Advice to researchers: follow interesting questions rather than adhering to traditional academic paths.

FOLLOW:

Clara Shikhelman: @ClaraShik, https://x.com/ClaraShik

Chaincode Labs: @ChaincodeLabs, https://x.com/ChaincodeLabs

Haley Berkoe: @HBerkoe, https://x.com/HBerkoe

Presidio Bitcoin: @PresidioBitcoin, https://x.com/PresidioBitcoin

Watch the podcast:

https://www.youtube.com/@PresidioBitcoin

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit presidiobitcoin.substack.com

Haley Berkoe met with Ben Carman, who recently joined the Spiral team to work on the Lightning Development Kit and LDK-related projects. Previously he was at Taproot Wizards and Mutiny, a non-custodial Lightning wallet.

Episode highlights include:

- Ben’s new focus areas at Spiral.

- His bitcoin journey, which started with a comedy podcast and Andreas Antonopoulos's videos.

- Ben’s concerns about the bitcoin community's lack of emphasis on real-world payments.

- He stresses the need for next-generation Lightning and self-custodial wallets, warning that without proper infrastructure, bitcoin risks being seen merely as a banking asset.

- Shoutouts to Rockstar Dev and folks in the Austin bitcoin community, such as Buck Pearly, Jack Lesser, and Rod from Bitcoin Park.

- Advice for newcomers: do everything you can to learn, contribute, and enhance visibility in the community.

FOLLOW:

Ben Carman: @benthecarman, https://x.com/benthecarman

Spiral: @spiralbtc, https://x.com/spiralbtc

Haley Berkoe: @HBerkoe, https://x.com/HBerkoe

Presidio Bitcoin: @PresidioBitcoin, https://x.com/PresidioBitcoin

WATCH THE SHOW:

https://www.youtube.com/@PresidioBitcoin

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit presidiobitcoin.substack.com

In this episode, Haley Berkoe sat down with Stephen DeLorme, a Product Designer at Voltage and co-founder of ATL BitLab, a bitcoin-focused hackerspace in Atlanta.

Episode Highlights:

* Battle of the Mine-hackers starts this Saturday, June 7th, at ATL BitLab! Remote participation is welcome: https://minehackers.atlbitlab.com/

* Centralization risks with mining pools, hardware manufacturing, and block template construction

* Current focus areas at Voltage along with fun side projects like Bolt 12 Zaps

* Hot takes on Cashu

* Warming up to renaming sats to bitcoin. We need user research to gauge reactions

* Making bitcoin fun with games and approaches like Bitty (go find all 9 on bitcoin.org)

* Shoutouts to Steve Lee (@moneyball) and Adam Jonas (@adamcjonas)

* His positive experiences with vibe coding and advice that everyone should start doing it

FOLLOW:

Stephen DeLorme: @StephenDeLorme https://x.com/StephenDeLorme

ATLBitLab: @atlbitlab, https://x.com/atlbitlab

Haley Berkoe: @HBerkoe, https://x.com/HBerkoe

Presidio Bitcoin: @PresidioBitcoin, https://x.com/PresidioBitcoin

WATCH THE SHOW:

https://www.youtube.com/@PresidioBitcoin

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit presidiobitcoin.substack.com

Haley Berkoe met with Ella Hough, who has dedicated significant time to educating younger generations about bitcoin. She just completed her bitcoin-focused study at Cornell University, co-founded the Bitcoin Students Network, and led the Cornell Bitcoin Club, which is now transitioning to new leadership. Additionally, she is conducting a global study examining bitcoin adoption and financial freedom.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

* How she went about pursuing bitcoin as an independent major, focusing on its connections to linguistics and game theory, and viewing bitcoin as a language—a new protocol for truth and the dissemination of information.

* Her research study, which spans 25 countries, includes 25,000 surveys and about 250 interviews to explore how bitcoin serves as a tool for financial freedom.

* Her bitcoin "aha" moment 4 years ago after attending the Oslo Freedom Forum with the Human Rights Foundation.

* How hackathons can help foster connections and provide students a chance to build proof of work, making them more employable.

* Shoutouts to Sarah Kreps (@sekreps), Troy Cross (@thetrocro), Parker Lewis (@parkeralewis), Erik Hersman (@whiteafrican), Dhruv Bansal (@dhruvbansal), and her mom Lisa Hough (@lisa_hough_).

FOLLOW:

Ella Hough: @21MMforthe21st, https://x.com/21MMforthe21st

Bitcoin Students Network: @BTCStudents, https://x.com/BTCStudents

Haley Berkoe: @HBerkoe, https://x.com/HBerkoe

Presidio Bitcoin: @PresidioBitcoin, https://x.com/PresidioBitcoin

WATCH THE SHOW:

https://www.youtube.com/@PresidioBitcoin

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit presidiobitcoin.substack.com

Haley Berkoe interviewed Laolu Osuntokun, also known as Roasbeef. He’s a longtime bitcoiner, the CTO and co-founder of Lightning Labs, and lead developer for LND, one of the main Lightning implementations.

Highlights of the conversation include his:

- Winning project at the PB hackathon

- Areas of focus at Lightning Labs, including improving LND and Taproot Assets

- Pragmatic view on stablecoins

- Ideas on how best to display bitcoin fractions and decimals

- Current favorite gadget: a ring watch

- Reflections on bitcoin's adoption and the need for better privacy

- The story behind his nickname

Follow:

Laolu Osuntokun: @roasbeef, https://x.com/roasbeef

Lightning Labs: @lightning, https://x.com/lightning

Haley Berkoe: @HBerkoe, https://x.com/HBerkoe

Presidio Bitcoin: @PresidioBitcoin, https://x.com/PresidioBitcoin

Watch:

https://www.youtube.com/@PresidioBitcoin

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit presidiobitcoin.substack.com