010. Bitcoin 101: He Built The First Laptop. Now He's Securing Bitcoin. | Bob Burnett former CTO of Gateway Computers On Bitcoin Mining, Heat Reuse, and Why Crypto Pulled Him Out of Retirement

Welcome back to STACKED — the show about becoming your own best asset.Today, I sat down with Bob Burnett. Bob spent over 35 years at the intersection of technology and infrastructure — on the engineering team behind the world’s first laptop, and as CTO of Gateway Computers, one of the most iconic Fortune 200 companies of the era. In 2017 a single phone call brought him into crypto mining and one year of deep research led out of retirement and all-in on Bitcoin. Today,  Bob is the founder and CEO of Barefoot Mining and board member at Ocean – a Bitcoin mining pool backed by Jack Dorsey, the co-founder of Twitter, among other ventures. Barefoot Mining is one of the most innovative off-grid Bitcoin mining operations in the world.This episode is your introductory course on Bitcoin mining: why do people mine Bitcoin in the first place, how does it work, and why energy costs matter more than money in today’s world. Key Topics CoveredFrom Wisconsin to the world’s first laptop How the personal computer, the internet, Bitcoin, and AI are not four separate things Metcalfe’s Law, network effects, and what happens when networks start multiplying each otherThe Bitcoin adoption S-curve Why Ethereum lost its soul when it abandoned proof of workWhy Bitcoin consumes only 0.6% of the world’s electricity and why most of it is wasted energyCow manure, hydroelectric, solar, and stranded gasOn-grid vs. off-grid miningThe future of block space — why nation states and big banks will eventually mineOcean and why template creation is the only mining that is true to Bitcoin’s principlesTimestamps00:00 — Welcome to STACKED00:30 — Introducing Bob Burnett and Barefoot Mining01:30 — The Stacked play on words: stacking sats02:00 — Why Emily made an exception for a virtual inter in view03:20 — Growing up in Kenosha, Wisconsin and the Apollo missions05:00 — The birth of the personal computer06:55 — The world’s first laptop and being there when something big was happening09:00 — Metcalfe’s Law: the power of a network is the square of its users10:50 — The four steps: personal computer, internet, Bitcoin, AI11:30 — AI, agentic workflows, and the decentralization of intelligence13:50 — Metcalfe’s Law of Metcalfe’s Law22:00 — How the rate of change is becoming astronomical24:00 — The technology adoption S-curve38:00 — Where Bitcoin sits on the adoption curve today44:30 — What was Bob’s first signal on Bitcoin?48:00 — The 2017 phone call that changed everything54:50 — The switch from Ethereum to Bitcoin 58:00 — What Bitcoin actually has that Ethereum never did01:06:10 — The biggest misconception about Bitcoin mining01:11:10 — Is Bitcoin mining bad for the environment? No.01:13:30 — Cow manure to Bitcoin: the Indiana dairy farm01:16:40 — Bitcoin mining explained in 60 seconds01:29:50 — The orchard produces oranges. Bob produces blocks.01:33:10 — Final settlement in 10 minutes and what that means for global commerce01:40:40 — The future: nation states, big banks, and the fade of public miners01:41:20 — On-grid vs. off-grid01:49:50 — Lightning round01:57:00 — Wrap up and where to find BobTagsBob Burnett, Barefoot Mining, Ocean mining pool, Bitcoin mining, Bitcoin infrastructure, proof of work, block space, Bitcoin energy, off-grid mining, on-grid mining, Bitcoin adoption curve, Ethereum vs Bitcoin, Gateway CTO, Bitcoin decentralization, Metcalfe’s Law, digital asset investing, STACKED podcast, Emily Dempsey, Brickell Babes, Bitcoin sovereignty, Bitcoin mining explainedDisclaimerThe content shared on this page should not be construed as legal, financial, investment, or medical advice. Your viewing and/or use of this information does not create any kind of client, patient, or fiduciary relationship with us. The contents are intended for general informational purposes only, and you are urged to consult your own advisors concerning your situation and specific questions you may have.