The Bitcoin Standard Podcast

This seminar hosts Microstrategy CEO and bitcoin mega-bull Michael Saylor to discuss the correct strategies for buying, holding, and promoting bitcoin. Michael explains what he sees as increasing regulatory clarity around bitcoin and increasing risk around altcoins, which it is becoming clear are digital securities, while bitcoin is digital property. We discuss his views on the adoption of bitcoin as legal tender in El Salvador, and whether it presents bitcoin as more of a currency than a property, and what the global ramifications of this move are. Michael then explains the correct strategy and execution for acquiring bitcoin on debt without getting ruined; he also explains the correct bitcoin strategy for small businesses, and whether individual investors are better off buying bitcoin or mining it. Michael also discusses his views on whether we should think of bitcoin as digital property, digital gold, digital money, or digital energy. We also try to convince Michael to write a book with his ideas!
Do not miss this fantastic, hugely informative, and wide-ranging discussion!

In this episode Saifedean talks to Jeff Deist, president of the Mises Institute: the leading think tank dedicated to spreading the ideas of the Austrian School of Economics. They discuss the mission of the Mises Institute, its origins, and how its approach to economics differs from other think tanks such as the Cato Institute. They also talk about the problems of modern empirical economics and how most mainstream economists have failed to articulate the “unseen” costs of government interventions such as Covid lockdowns and climate change mitigation policies. Jeff also talks about some timeless books and essays that accurately explain economic phenomena, and makes the case that it is more important than ever to read the originals.

In this episode, Saifedean invites his newsletter subscribers to join a Q&A seminar normally only available to Saifedean.com members. He answers questions on whether money and debt are the same,  whether bitcoin whales or “monopolists” will gain too much power on the free market, the impact of energy trends on bitcoin mining, and the risks of holding bitcoin on an exchange. Participants also share their personal stories about how reading The Bitcoin Standard changed their life by lowering their time preference and allowing them to save for the future.

Resources

• The Myth of the Myth of Barter by George Selgin
• Have Anthropologists Overturned Menger? By Bob Murphy
• The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels by Alex Epstein for discussion of our inability to run society with unreliable energy
• The Sovereign Individual by James Dale Davidson and William Rees-Mogg
• Mises Institute article about The Myth of Natural Monopoly
• Against Intellectual Property by Stephan Kinsella
• Saifedean’s first book, The Bitcoin Standard
• Saifedean’s second book, The Fiat Standard

Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.

THE BITCOIN STANDARD TOOLKIT/SPONSORS

NYDIG - https://nydig.com

Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/ 

OKCoin - https://okcoin.com/

Nodl - https://www.nodl.it/

Coldcard - https://coldcardwallet.com/

CoinBits App - https://coinbitsapp.com/

In this episode, Saifedean talks to Katie The Russian (Katie Ananina) about Plan B passports and how to navigate a world of Covid hysteria. Saifedean and Katie talk about “Flag Theory” and how obtaining multiple passports and residences can help sovereign individuals respond to restrictive government policies. They also talk about the arguments laid out in the book The Sovereign Individual and whether the rise of the microprocessor has led to a strengthening or weakening of government power. In the Q&A, Katie answers questions about tax strategies, asylum seekers and obtaining residences for dependents.

 Resources

• Katie on Twitter
• Katie on YouTube
• Katie’s Website: www.PlanBpassport.com
• The Sovereign Individual by James Dale Davidson and William Rees-Mogg
• Saifedean’s tweet on Bill Gates Oreo cake clip.
• Saifedean’s Twitter thread on Coronavirus policies in Belarus.
• Saifedean’s first book, The Bitcoin Standard
• Saifedean’s second book, The Fiat Standard

Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.

THE BITCOIN STANDARD TOOLKIT/SPONSORS

NYDIG - https://nydig.com

Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/ 

OKCoin - https://okcoin.com/

Nodl - https://www.nodl.it/

Coldcard - https://coldcardwallet.com/

CoinBits App - https://coinbitsapp.com/

In this episode, Saifedean invites back PlanB to back discuss the resilience of his stock-to-flow bitcoin pricing model in the face of global economic changes. They talk about the range of events that have impacted the bitcoin price since the model’s inception – Covid lockdowns, MicroStrategy, Elon Musk, China mining ban, El Salvador – and why the price has largely stayed within one standard deviation of the model’s baseline throughout. They also discuss institutional interest in bitcoin, which countries might follow El Salvador in adopting bitcoin as legal tender, and how QE and lockdown-created supply chain issues are causing global price inflation. In the Q&A, PlanB answers questions about money printing, whether S2F should be used to trade, and bitcoin’s short-term price outlook.

Resources

• PlanB on Twitter.
• Bitstein’s S2F multiple account on Twitter.
• March 2019 Medium post marking launch of the S2F model.
• April 2020 Medium post marking launch of the S2Fx model.
• PlanB’s article Efficient Market Hypothesis and Bitcoin Stock-to-Flow Model.
• Saifedean’s first book, The Bitcoin Standard
• Saifedean’s second book, The Fiat Standard

Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.

THE BITCOIN STANDARD TOOLKIT/SPONSORS

NYDIG - https://nydig.com

Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/ 

OKCoin - https://okcoin.com/

Nodl - https://www.nodl.it/

Coldcard - https://coldcardwallet.com/

CoinBits App - https://coinbitsapp.com/

In this Twitter Spaces discussion, Saifedean introduces his new book The Fiat Standard. Working through the chapters of the book, he discusses how the fiat monetary system works, why the Federal Reserve constitutes its “single node”, and how fiat is “mined” into existence through bank lending. He also talks about how the fiat monetary system impacts society in areas ranging from diet to energy to education. Saifedean then takes questions from Twitter users on The Sovereign Individual thesis, CBDCs and whether bitcoin miners are the “central banks” of bitcoin.

Resources

• Bitcoin Maximalist Giacomo Zucco makes the case for altcoins
• Robert Kiyosaki’s book Rich Dad, Poor Dad.
• The Big Fat Surprise by Nina Teicholz, for a discussion of the flawed dietary studies of Ancel Keys
• The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels by Alex Epstein
• The Sovereign Individual by James Dale Davidson and William Rees-Mogg
• Saifedean’s first book, The Bitcoin Standard
• Saifedean’s second book, The Fiat Standard

 Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.

THE BITCOIN STANDARD TOOLKIT/SPONSORS

NYDIG - https://nydig.com

Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/ 

OKCoin - https://okcoin.com/

Nodl - https://www.nodl.it/

Coldcard - https://coldcardwallet.com/

CoinBits App - https://coinbitsapp.com/

In this episode, Saifedean talks to author and public intellectual Jordan Peterson about how bitcoin solves the problems of The Fiat Standard. Saifedean starts by introducing the Austrian School of Economics, its key concepts such as “opportunity cost”, and how it differs from alternative schools. Saifedean and Jordan then move on to a discussion of the civilizing impact of hard money, why bitcoin is different from other cryptocurrencies, and why bitcoin mining changes the dynamics of the global energy market. Finally, they discuss their experiences working in fiat academia and why online learning is making the traditional university obsolete.

 Resources

• Principles of Economics by Carl Menger, the foundational text of the Austrian School of Economics
• Ludwig von Mises’ magnum opus Human Action
• The Use of Knowledge in Society by F.A. Hayek for a discussion of economic calculation within an Austrian framework
• Bitcoin Does Not Waste Energy by Parker Lewis for a discussion of the energy used by bitcoin mining
• Saifedean’s first book, The Bitcoin Standard
• Saifedean’s second book, The Fiat Standard

Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.

THE BITCOIN STANDARD TOOLKIT/SPONSORS

NYDIG - https://nydig.com

Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/ 

OKCoin - https://okcoin.com/

Nodl - https://www.nodl.it/

Coldcard - https://coldcardwallet.com/

CoinBits App - https://coinbitsapp.com/

In this episode Saifedean invites back philosopher and energy expert Alex Epstein to talk about climate hysteria and the energy issues facing the world today. They discuss the ongoing COP26 talks in Glasgow and why those setting its agenda are driven by an anti-human philosophy. They also talk about emerging power shortages around the world and why these are caused by a government-led push towards unreliable energy. Alex explains why being opposed to human impact on the environment is equivalent to being anti-development, and why restricting the use of coal hits the world’s poorest the hardest. In the Q&A, Alex answers questions on the gas shortages in Europe, scientific consensus on climate change and how to stay calm in the face of irrationality.

Resources

• Alex’s first book The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels
• Alex’s upcoming book Fossil Future
• A Question of Power: Electricity and the Wealth of Nations by Robert Bryce
• Three billion people use less electricity than the average American fridge.
• 18 spectacularly wrong climate predictions from the 1970s, including several made by Paul Ehrlich.
• Alex’s Power Hour discussion with Richard Tol.
• Subscribe to Alex’s Substack “Energy Talking Points”
• Alex’s Congressional Testimony, May 19, 2021
• Alex eviscerates COP26 on GB News
• Saifedean’s first book, The Bitcoin Standard
• Saifedean’s second book, The Fiat Standard

Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.

THE BITCOIN STANDARD TOOLKIT/SPONSORS

NYDIG - https://nydig.com

Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/ 

OKCoin - https://okcoin.com/

Nodl - https://www.nodl.it/

Coldcard - https://coldcardwallet.com/

CoinBits App - https://coinbitsapp.com/

In this episode Saifedean talks to Jack Mallers, CEO of Strike, about how the Lightning Network is disrupting the global payments industry. Jack explains how international remittances work, why they are so costly and why the industry cannot compete with Lightning-based solutions. He and Saifedean then discuss how bitcoin is helping El Salvadorians transition from using cash to using bitcoin, whilst bypassing commercial banks. They also cover Jack’s role in helping to introduce Lightning tips to Twitter and Strike’s new “Pay Me in Bitcoin” application. In the Q&A, Jack takes questions on Strike’s expansion into Europe, who he would most like to “orange pill”, and which countries are likely to make bitcoin legal tender next.

Resources

• Jack’s Medium post Announcing the Strike API
• Jack’s Medium post Pay Me in Bitcoin
• Jack’s Medium post Announcing Strike Global
• Explainer on LNURL for Lightning Wallets
• Chivo Wallet, referenced by Jack
• Saifedean’s book The Bitcoin Standard 
• Saifedean’s book The Fiat Standard

Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.

THE BITCOIN STANDARD TOOLKIT/SPONSORS

NYDIG - https://nydig.com

Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/ 

OKCoin - https://okcoin.com/

Nodl - https://www.nodl.it/

Coldcard - https://coldcardwallet.com/

CoinBits App - https://coinbitsapp.com/

In this episode Saifedean invites back Professor Paul Frijters of the London School of Economics to debate whether bitcoin is a good form of money. Saifedean makes the case for money as a market phenomenon, and argues that bitcoin has the scarcity, divisibility, fungibility and transportability that humans have historically valued in monies. Paul questions whether bitcoin mining is a zero-sum game and whether the fact that people hold bitcoin really demonstrates it has value. The debate touches on the demonetization of silver in China, the scarcity of land, and whether government force is legitimate at all.

Resources

• Nick Szabo’s article Shelling Out for an account of the historical emergence of money.
• When Money Dies by Adam Fergusson
• When Money Destroys Nations by Russell Lamberti and Philip Haslam
• The Ethics of Liberty by Murray Rothbard
• The Great Cholesterol Con by Malcolm Kendrick
• The Big Fat Surprise by Nina Teicholz, for further discussion of cholesterol
• Paul’s article Why Blockchain has no economic future
• Paul’s textbook A Handbook for Wellbeing Policy-Making: History, Theory, Measurement, Implementation, and Examples.
• Saifedean’s first book, The Bitcoin Standard
• Saifedean’s second book, The Fiat Standard

Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.

THE BITCOIN STANDARD TOOLKIT/SPONSORS

NYDIG - https://nydig.com

Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/ 

OKCoin - https://okcoin.com/

Nodl - https://www.nodl.it/

Coldcard - https://coldcardwallet.com/

CoinBits App - https://coinbitsapp.com/