Welcome to The Block Reward, where we unravel the digital curtain of Bitcoin for beginners! In this eye-opening episode, Scott Dedels hosts John Ely, a true Bitcoin believer who journeyed from architecture into the heart of decentralization technologies. They dive deep into a future where Bitcoin disrupts surveillance economies and empowers individual freedom. Discover how AI intersects with Bitcoin and why enthusiasts might eventually call Bitcoin the currency of AI. This is a mind-stretching interview that'll leave you rethinking value, privacy, and the potential of Bitcoin to reshape the digital and real-world landscape.

John started his career in Architecture, working in Toronto, New York, and Vancouver. But in the late 90's, the rise of the internet stole his attention so he translated his design skills into the digital world and started a web application company. He continued to run that successful business until his Bitcoin obsession took over. After thousands of hours of research, and working for Bitcoin startups, John founded Motovate.ai. It enables enterprise sales incentives over the Lightning network. He has joined Block Rewards as of February 2024 as Chief Product Officer.

Topics Discussed:

• Using Bitcoin as a safeguard against surveillance
• Decentralization's importance in technology
• Bitcoin's historical and technological roots
• AI integration with Bitcoin's economy
• Bitcoin versus traditional asset classes

Timestamps:

20:35 Bitcoin solved the problem of sending money across a distributed network, enabling global value transfer.

28:42 Motivate sales with Bitcoin-based leaderboard incentives.

37:15 A new AI sales agent learns from calls and makes a thousand calls at once.

46:30 New concept of personal AI using recorded answers to questions.

55:23 Fiat incentives lead to dystopian surveillance making Bitcoin crucial.

57:34 Governments spying on citizens but hope lies with decentralized technologies.

Episode Resources:

John Ely | X (Formerly Twitter)

John Ely | LinkedIn