Lisa, the founder of Base 58 and BTC++, discusses her focus on Bitcoin education and the growth of the Bitcoin++ conference series. She highlights the importance of building a global community of Bitcoin developers and the challenges of funding open-source projects. 

In this conversation, Lisa and Stephan discuss the evolving landscape of Bitcoin, focusing on decentralization in block construction, the challenges faced by small miners, and the importance of mining incentives. They explore upcoming Bitcoin conferences and their themes, innovations in privacy, and the growth of the Lightning Network. The discussion emphasizes the need for better tooling and understanding of protocol changes to foster Bitcoin adoption and maintain its decentralized nature.

Takeaways

🔸Lisa spends most of her time on Bitcoin++ events.

🔸The Bitcoin++ conference series aims to build a global developer community.

🔸There are about 250 full-time developers working on Bitcoin.

🔸Funding for Bitcoin development often comes from philanthropy.

🔸Education can create cash flow for Bitcoin projects.

🔸AI tools are changing how developers create and learn.

🔸Community interaction is essential for effective learning.

🔸The future of education may focus on entertainment and engagement.

🔸Thematic events can enhance the learning experience.

🔸Mempools and mining are critical topics in Bitcoin development. Decentralization in block construction is crucial for small miners.

🔸Mining incentives must be aligned to ensure network health.

🔸Privacy innovations like pay join and silent payments are vital.

🔸The Lightning Network is becoming more accessible and widely used.

🔸Payments in Bitcoin are driven by network effects among users.

🔸Tooling improvements are essential for broader Bitcoin adoption.

🔸Understanding Bitcoin protocol changes is necessary for community engagement.

🔸Upcoming conferences will focus on diverse themes in Bitcoin technology.

🔸Small miners require equal access to mempool transactions.

🔸The Bitcoin ecosystem is evolving with new privacy and scaling solutions.

Timestamps:

(00:00) - Intro

(00:56) - What’s currently happening with Base58 & Bitcoin++?

(02:19) - The need for growth of Bitcoin conferences

(07:15) - What is the size of the Bitcoin developer community?

(12:03) - The future of Bitcoin development & education; AI’s impact on Bitcoin learning & development 

(18:34) - What is the role of community in learning?

(20:10) - Sponsors

(27:12) - What are the upcoming Bitcoin++ events?

(30:09) - Evolution of mempool tools; Mining incentives; Challenges of small miners

(36:18) - The importance of various themes in Bitcoin++ conferences 

(39:27) - Sponsors

(41:00) - What are the upcoming privacy innovations in Bitcoin to look forward to?

(46:43) - Understanding Bitcoin protocol changes

(49:40) - The growth of Lightning Network

(55:12) - Closing thoughts

Links: 

• https://x.com/niftynei 

• https://btcpp.dev/ 

• https://x.com/base58btc 

• https://x.com/btcplusplus 

Sponsors:

• Bold Bitcoin

• CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)

• Lana by Galoy

Stephan Livera links:

• Follow me on X: @stephanlivera

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