We dive into the mystery of the newest Bitcoin Core maintainer and the project to separate consensus code. From GitHub hierarchies to the quest for client diversity, learn how a $2 trillion network is actually governed and why the "lead maintainer" no longer exists.

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Explaining the latest shakeup in Bitcoin development: the addition of a sixth Bitcoin Core maintainer known as "The Charlatan." We explore the history of Bitcoin’s governance—from Satoshi to Wladimir van der Laan—and why the project has moved away from a single lead maintainer. We also break down the "Bitcoin kernel" project, an initiative to separate consensus code to allow for a more diverse ecosystem of Bitcoin clients, and address the common conspiracies surrounding who really controls the network.

Subscribe to the newsletter! [https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com](https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com)

Notes:

* Bitcoin is a $2 trillion network asset.

* Bitcoin Core has six current maintainers.

* No person officially holds lead maintainer title.

* GitHub is a Microsoft-owned product.

* Bitcoin on path to $100 trillion valuation.

* New maintainer added first time since Feb 2023.

Timestamps:

00:00 Start

03:09 What's Github?

05:29 What is a Maintainer?

09:27 Client diversity

16:24 Lead maintainer

18:28 Faketoshi

26:15 New Maintainer

👉CleanSpark, America's Bitcoin Miner!

CleanSpark (Nasdaq: CLSK) is a market-leading data center developer with a proven track record of success. We own a portfolio of power, land, and data centers across the United States powered by globally competitive energy prices. Sitting at the intersection of Bitcoin, energy, operational excellence and capital stewardship, we optimize our infrastructure to deliver superior returns to our shareholders. Monetizing low-cost, high reliability energy by producing a global emerging critical resource – compute – positions us to prosper in an ever-changing world.

👉 FBOX, Cooling for Bitcoin Mining and the AI Data Center Transformation

FBOX is the global leader in cooling system manufacturing, with the #1 shipment volume of bitcoin mining containers worldwide. Not only powering for the strongest hashrate, their technology also helps mining infrastructure transform into AI data centers. Backed by the largest production scale on earth, global deployment capability, and a full range of cooling solutions, they are shaping the future of compute.

👉 Luxor, Leaders In Bitcoin Mining and Compute Power!

Get game-changing mining results with Luxor Firmware. Boost hashrate, cut energy costs, protect your hardware, and maximize mining profits with LuxOS.

Published thrice weekly, "The Blockspace Pod" interviews the best builders and operators in the Bitcoin and Bitcoin mining landscape. Subscribe to get notifications when we publish interviews on Tuesday, our news show on Friday, and our Writer's Room talk show on Saturday!

In today’s Markets Outlook, Etherealize founders Vivek Raman and Danny Ryan join Jennifer Sanasie to discuss why Ethereum is emerging from "regulatory purgatory" and entering a multi-trillion dollar repricing phase.

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This episode was hosted by Jennifer Sanasie.

Can Bitmine make $400M from its ETH holdings?

BitMine Chairman Tom Lee told shareholders the firm expects over $400 million in annual income purely from staking its massive $13 billion Ether treasury. He also doubled down on the company's $200 million investment in YouTuber MrBeast, calling it a "no-brainer" moonshot. CoinDesk's Jennifer Sanasie hosts "CoinDesk Daily."

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This episode was hosted by Jennifer Sanasie. “CoinDesk Daily” is produced by Jennifer Sanasie and edited by Victor Chen.

Galaxy Digital landed a 830 MW approval from ERCOT, and MrBeast gets a $200M investment from BitMine.

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Welcome back to The Blockspace Podcast! Today, Colin and Charlie dig into Galaxy's 830 MW ERCOT approval for its Helios site, CleanSpark's latest land acquisition in Texas, BitGo's $1.96B IPO prospectus, Semler shareholders voting yes on the merger with Strive, and the first change to Bitcoin’s BIP process in 9 years. Finally, for this week’s (truly odd) cry corner: BitMine is investing $200M into YouTuber MrBeast (yes, really).

Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com

Notes:

* Galaxy Helios: 830MW approved

* Clean Spark: 447 acres acquired

* BitGo IPO: $1.96B valuation aim

* BitMine: $200M to Beast Industries

* Bitcoin Price: $97,000 recorded

* Hash Price: Above $40/PH/Day

Timestamps:

00:00 Start

02:17 Difficulty Report by Luxor

06:42 Galaxy 830 MW approval

10:30 CLSK land acquisition

15:37 BitGo IPO

19:00 ASST - SMLR deal approved

21:32 New BIP, who dis?

25:39 Cry corner: BMNR invests in MrBeast

👉CleanSpark, America's Bitcoin Miner!

CleanSpark (Nasdaq: CLSK) is a market-leading data center developer with a proven track record of success. We own a portfolio of power, land, and data centers across the United States powered by globally competitive energy prices. Sitting at the intersection of Bitcoin, energy, operational excellence and capital stewardship, we optimize our infrastructure to deliver superior returns to our shareholders. Monetizing low-cost, high reliability energy by producing a global emerging critical resource – compute – positions us to prosper in an ever-changing world.

👉 FBOX, Cooling for Bitcoin Mining and the AI Data Center Transformation

FBOX is the global leader in cooling system manufacturing, with the #1 shipment volume of bitcoin mining containers worldwide. Not only powering for the strongest hashrate, their technology also helps mining infrastructure transform into AI data centers. Backed by the largest production scale on earth, global deployment capability, and a full range of cooling solutions, they are shaping the future of compute.

👉 Luxor, Leaders In Bitcoin Mining and Compute Power!

Get game-changing mining results with Luxor Firmware. Boost hashrate, cut energy costs, protect your hardware, and maximize mining profits with LuxOS.

Published thrice weekly, "The Blockspace Pod" interviews the best builders and operators in the Bitcoin and Bitcoin mining landscape. Subscribe to get notifications when we publish interviews on Tuesday, our news show on Friday, and our Writer's Room talk show on Saturday!

Bitmine invests $200M in MrBeast's empire.

Bitmine Immersion Technologies is dropping $200 million into MrBeast's company. The cash infusion will support its plans to launch a financial services platform leveraging decentralized finance. Is MrBeast going to onboard Gen Z to DeFi? CoinDesk's Jennifer Sanasie hosts "CoinDesk Daily."

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This episode was hosted by Jennifer Sanasie. “CoinDesk Daily” is produced by Jennifer Sanasie and edited by Victor Chen.

Spot BTC ETFs' $750M inflow pushes bitcoin up.

U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs saw their largest daily inflows in three months, with $753.7 million recorded on Tuesday. Is this a sign that investors have rotated back into risk assets following the year-end portfolio rebalancing? CoinDesk's Jennifer Sanasie hosts "CoinDesk Daily."

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This episode was hosted by Jennifer Sanasie. “CoinDesk Daily” is produced by Jennifer Sanasie and edited by Victor Chen.

From building Braintree to launching Blueprint, Bryan Johnson reveals how the systems architecture of FinTech and the philosophy of crypto are powering a new, autonomous roadmap to reverse human aging and operationalize immortality.

Founder and CEO of Blueprint and Don’t Die, Bryan Johnson, joins Gen C to discuss why the philosophy of crypto has the same mindset required to solve human aging. Bryan reveals how he is applying FinTech systems-thinking to the human body through "Autonomous Health" and bio-algorithms. We explore his journey to reverse his biological age and why the tech community is the primary driver of the next great evolution in human existence.

- Links mentioned from the podcast: 

Bryan's Twitter 

Blueprint Website

Don’t Die Website

- Follow us on Twitter: 

Sam Ewen, CoinDesk

- From our sponsor:

Check out CoinDesk's research report on KuCoin at: https://www.coindesk.com/research/kucoin-hits-record-market-share-as-2025-volumes-outpace-crypto-market

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"Gen C" features host Sam Ewen. Executive produced by Uyen Truong.

Eric Adams rug pull with NYC Token?

Former NYC Mayor Eric Adams is under fire after the new "NYC Token" plummeted amid suspicious liquidity withdrawals. Traders are accusing the "Bitcoin Mayor" of a classic rug pull. CoinDesk's Jennifer Sanasie hosts "CoinDesk Daily."

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This episode was hosted by Jennifer Sanasie. “CoinDesk Daily” is produced by Jennifer Sanasie and edited by Victor Chen.

James Check joins the show to analyze Bitcoin's market structure in early 2026. We discuss the divergence between BTC and equities, the impact of "extraordinary" ETFs, and why the Realized Cap suggests a cooling-off period. Plus, deep dives into quantum computing risks and on-chain data.

James Check, Co-Founder of Check on Chain, joins us to talk about the current state of Bitcoin in 2026. James breaks down why Bitcoin decoupled from the wider market in late 2025, the massive sell-side pressure from long-term holders, and why on-chain metrics point to a bear market phase. We also explore the "extraordinary" nature of ETF flows, the quantum computing debate, and why gold and Bitcoin are ultimately the same trade.

Subscribe to the newsletter! [https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com](https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com)

Notes:

* ETF outflows reached ~$6.5 billion

* Bitcoin price down 35% from ATH

* Miners earn ~450 coins per day

* Long-term holders sold 10k coins/day

* Realized Cap is currently trending lower

* Bitcoin fair value is approx $90k

Timestamps:

00:00 Start

03:25 Current state of the market

07:52 ETF vs. chain analytics

10:49 ETF outflows & price drivers

14:00 Retail ETF buyers

18:56 Whale selling?

20:37 Gold

25:34 4 yr cycle is crap

32:07 Good indicators

35:57 What's exciting in Bitcoin now?

40:58 Evolving views on Bitcoin

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👉CleanSpark, America’s Bitcoin Miner!

CleanSpark (Nasdaq: CLSK) is a market-leading data center developer with a proven track record of success. We own a portfolio of power, land, and data centers across the United States powered by globally competitive energy prices. Sitting at the intersection of Bitcoin, energy, operational excellence and capital stewardship, we optimize our infrastructure to deliver superior returns to our shareholders. Monetizing low-cost, high reliability energy by producing a global emerging critical resource – compute – positions us to prosper in an ever-changing world.

👉 FBOX, Cooling for Bitcoin Mining and the AI Data Center Transformation

FBOX is the global leader in cooling system manufacturing, with the #1 shipment volume of bitcoin mining containers worldwide. Not only powering for the strongest hashrate, their technology also helps mining infrastructure transform into AI data centers. Backed by the largest production scale on earth, global deployment capability, and a full range of cooling solutions, they are shaping the future of compute.

👉 Luxor, Leaders In Bitcoin Mining and Compute Power!

Get game-changing mining results with Luxor Firmware. Boost hashrate, cut energy costs, protect your hardware, and maximize mining profits with LuxOS.

Published twice weekly, “The Blockspace Pod” interviews the best builders and operators in the Bitcoin and Bitcoin mining landscape. Subscribe to get notifications when we publish interviews on Tuesday and a news show on Friday!

Charles Hoskinson on the current administration's role in crypto, uninstalling X, and more.

Input Output Founder Charles Hoskinson joins CoinDesk's Jennifer Sanasie to discuss taking a break from X, the impact of political memecoins on regulation, his views on the White House's impact on the industry, and why decentralization must survive Wall Street’s institutional takeover. Plus, he outlines the road ahead for Cardano and what 2026 has in store for the privacy-focused Midnight protocol.

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Timecodes: 

01:57 - Why Charles Uninstalled X
03:57 - Is Crypto Losing Its Soul?
10:42 - Impact of the Trump Memecoin Launch & Trump's "Predatory Free-for-All"
14:53 - How the Government Should Regulate Digital Assets
19:40 - Failure of the Crypto Czar and Who Would Have Been the Right Choice
24:20 - Charles' Relationship with the White House
26:14 - Reaction to Venezuela Operation and the Administration's Strategy Failure
30:32 - We "Lost Our Window" on Market Structure
35:30 - "If I Was Speaker of the House...I Would That Day File Articles of Impeachment"
37:13 - Charles' Global Optimism for Crypto
40:44 - Cardano's Biggest Successes in 2025
46:48 - Where Does Programmable Privacy Go from Here with Midnight?
52:51 - Why AI Is a Greater Threat Than Quantum

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Break the cycle of exploitation.

Break down the barriers to truth.

Break into the next generation of privacy.

Break Free.

Free to scroll without being monetized.

Free from censorship.

Freedom without fear.

We deserve more when it comes to privacy. Experience the next generation of blockchain that is private and inclusive by design.

Break free with Midnight, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠midnight.network/break-free⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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This episode was hosted by Jennifer Sanasie.