Why America Is Winning the Bitcoin Race w/ Sam Wouters

Erik Cason is the author of Cryptosovereignty & co-founder of Vora. Jesse Posner is a an engineer, formally at Coinbase and BitKey & the co-founder of Vora. In this episode, we discuss why Erik and Jesse believe the modern state has already collapsed, why Bitcoin is the only shot at reclaiming sovereignty in the digital age and how philosophy, law, and cryptography intersect. We also get into the rise of Bitcoin treasury companies and how this growing financialization of Bitcoin could lead to a liquidity crisis and reflexive market crash. Finally, we talk about building tools for freedom, the founding ethos of Vora, and why the fight for privacy in both money and AI is a civilizational imperative. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: IREN: https://www.iren.com/   RIVER: https://river.com/wbd  ANCHORWATCH: https://www.anchorwatch.com/ BLOCKWARE: https://mining.blockwaresolutions.com/wbd  Follow: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Erik Cason: https://x.com/Erikcason or https://primal.net/erikcason  Jesse Posner: https://x.com/jesseposner 

Jeff Walton is a financial analyst, a former reinsurance broker and the Founder of True North. In this episode, we break down the rise of Bitcoin treasury companies, why Strategy is playing an entirely different game, and how Saylor’s new financial instruments are creating a Bitcoin-native yield curve. We also discuss how these instruments could absorb trillions from the fixed income market and what that means for Bitcoin’s long-term price floor. We get into the risks of corporate treasury models, why some of the new entrants look like the 2017 ICO market, whether these structures could lead to reflexive crashes in a bear market and the future of equity in a Bitcoin-denominated world. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: IREN: https://www.iren.com/   RIVER: https://river.com/wbd  ANCHORWATCH: https://www.anchorwatch.com/ BLOCKWARE: https://mining.blockwaresolutions.com/wbd  Follow: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Jeff Walton: https://x.com/PunterJeff/ 

Jeff Ross is a macroeconomist, bitcoiner and Founder & CEO of Vailshire Capital Management. In this episode, we discuss why Jeff believes we're entering a new inflationary era that echoes the 1970s, why global capital is rotating out of U.S. assets, and how this sets up Bitcoin and gold for massive outperformance & why he thinks the next Bitcoin cycle could peak in late 2025. We also get into the risks of corporate Bitcoin treasury strategies, the geopolitical impact of war on markets, and why emerging markets and Bitcoin will benefit. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: IREN: https://www.iren.com/   RIVER: https://river.com/wbd  ANCHORWATCH: https://www.anchorwatch.com/ BLOCKWARE: https://mining.blockwaresolutions.com/wbd  Follow: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Jeff Ross: https://primal.net/DrJeff 

Erin Redwing is a former astronomer turned astrologer and the host of the Hell Money podcast. In this episode, we discuss how outer planet astrology can offer insights into macroeconomic and civilisational shifts, why Erin believes Bitcoin's 2032 Saturn-Uranus cycle climax is a make-or-break moment, and how the Age of Aquarius provides a framework for decentralisation. We also talk about the natal chart of Bitcoin, why its inception reflects a structural tension between rebellion and order, and how astrology helps Erin make predictions about markets.   THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: IREN: https://www.iren.com/   RIVER: https://river.com/wbd  ANCHORWATCH: https://www.anchorwatch.com/ BLOCKWARE: https://mining.blockwaresolutions.com/wbd  Follow: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Erin Redwing: https://x.com/realizingerin 

Alex Gladstein is the Chief Strategy Officer at the Human Rights Foundation, Paul Sztorc is Founder and CEO of LayerTwoLabs and the creator or Drivechains. In this episode, we discuss whether Bitcoin is falling behind the innovation curve, if Lightning Network has failed as a project, and if privacy models like eCash are a dangerous compromise or a practical necessity. We also get into whether hard forks should be revived as a path for progress, how censorship resistance is being weighed against usability, and why Paul believes Bitcoin is accumulating “technical scar tissue.” Finally, we explore whether Bitcoin’s culture has become a bottleneck to innovation, and what that means for its long-term future. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: IREN: https://www.iren.com/   RIVER: https://river.com/wbd  ANCHORWATCH: https://www.anchorwatch.com/ COINKITE: https://store.coinkite.com/promo/WBD  BLOCKWARE: https://mining.blockwaresolutions.com/wbd  Follow: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Alex Gladstein: https://x.com/gladstein or https://primal.net/gladstein  Paul Sztorc: https://x.com/Truthcoin 

Sam Wouters is the Director of Marketing at River.  In this episode, we discuss why the U.S. is emerging as the dominant force in Bitcoin adoption, how proof-of-reserves has evolved in a post-FTX world, and why retail interest in Bitcoin remains muted despite all-time highs. We also discuss how institutional involvement might be both a blessing and a curse, the psychological barriers stopping new retail entrants, the moral responsibility of Bitcoiners to re-engage no-coiners, and what the next phase of Bitcoin might look like. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: IREN: https://www.iren.com/   RIVER: https://river.com/wbd  ANCHORWATCH: https://www.anchorwatch.com/ COINKITE: https://store.coinkite.com/promo/WBD  BLOCKWARE: https://mining.blockwaresolutions.com/wbd  Follow: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Sam Wouters: https://x.com/SDWouters 

Joe Carlasare is a Commercial Litigator, a long time Bitcoiner, and macro commentator. In this episode, we discuss the U.S. sovereign debt debate, why the doom loop narrative might be missing the bigger picture, and how rapid advances in AI and automation could unleash a wave of productivity strong enough to reshape the fiscal outlook. Joe argues that the real risk isn’t a collapsing dollar, but instability in the Treasury market - the backbone of the global financial system. We also get into why growth, not austerity, is the most likely political path forward, why the Fed’s power lies more in perception than action, and how Bitcoin wins. Follow: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Joe Carlasare: https://x.com/JoeCarlasare   THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: IREN: https://www.iren.com/   RIVER: https://river.com/wbd  ANCHORWATCH: https://www.anchorwatch.com/ COINKITE: https://store.coinkite.com/promo/WBD  BLOCKWARE: https://mining.blockwaresolutions.com/wbd 

Matt Corallo is an Open Source Engineer at Spiral, a long time Bitcoin Core contributor and Lightning dev. In this episode, we discuss the current state of Lightning: what's finally working, what UX breakthroughs are coming, and why 2024 might be the year lightning delivers. We also get into the risks of U.S. policy treating non-custodial services like custodians, the threat of regulatory capture through KYC mandates, why developers are walking away from the U.S. market, and why the “Save Our Wallets” campaign may be Bitcoin’s last chance to protect non-custodial tools. Plus: how OP_RETURN wars are distracting from real issues, whether Bitcoin Core needs a comms team, and if Bitcoin has already ossified. Follow: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Matt Corallo: https://x.com/TheBlueMatt  Save Our Wallets: https://saveourwallets.org/  THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: IREN: https://www.iren.com/   RIVER: https://river.com/wbd  ANCHORWATCH: https://www.anchorwatch.com/ COINKITE: https://store.coinkite.com/promo/WBD  BLOCKWARE: https://mining.blockwaresolutions.com/wbd 

American HODL is an OG Bitcoiner. In this episode, we explore how the state may co-opt Bitcoin not by banning it, but by absorbing it into public markets, enabling control through financial instruments like ETFs and convertible bonds. We also get into the rise of Bitcoin treasury companies, why Michael Saylor’s strategy is just the beginning, and the threat of an Executive Order 6102 style attack. We also discuss the moral tradeoffs of financialising Bitcoin and whether self-custody will be punished through regulation. As well as the Trojan horse theory of Bitcoin adoption, whether it's better to fight or subvert the state, and why the next phase of Bitcoin’s revolution might not be rebellion—but infiltration. Follow: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny American HODL: https://x.com/americanhodl8 or https://primal.net/hodl  THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: IREN: https://www.iren.com/   RIVER: https://river.com/wbd  ANCHORWATCH: https://www.anchorwatch.com/ COINKITE: https://store.coinkite.com/promo/WBD  BLOCKWARE: https://mining.blockwaresolutions.com/wbd 

James Lavish is a macro investor, former hedge fund manager, and managing partner at the Bitcoin Opportunity Fund. In this episode, we explore the fragility of the U.S. bond market, how sovereign credit ratings work, and why the U.S. is now priced by markets as a default risk on par with Greece. We discuss the structural privilege of the dollar as the world reserve currency, why that privilege is under threat, and how the Triffin Dilemma is playing out in real time. We also get into institutional adoption of Bitcoin, the operational hurdles that ETFs have now removed, and what it would take for companies like Apple or Meta to trigger a wave of corporate Bitcoin treasury adoption. Finally, we look at the macro setup heading into 2026, the risk of stagflation, and why expanding global liquidity could mean Bitcoin peaks sometime next year. Follow: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny James Lavish: https://x.com/jameslavish  THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: IREN: https://www.iren.com/   RIVER: https://river.com/wbd  ANCHORWATCH: https://www.anchorwatch.com/ COINKITE: https://store.coinkite.com/promo/WBD  BLOCKWARE: https://mining.blockwaresolutions.com/wbd