What Bitcoin Did

“Bitcoin’s value prop remains unchanged and a 50% drawdown isn’t something that should scare you. It should be viewed as an opportunity.” Joe Consorti is back on the show to break down why he thinks the Bitcoin bottom may be closer than many people expect, why $50k is the key level to watch, and why October or November could mark the final low before Bitcoin begins moving into its next bull market. We discuss: – Bitcoin below $60k – Whether the four-year cycle is still alive – The role of inflation, oil, midterms, and global liquidity – Why capital has rotated into the AI trade – Michael Saylor, Strategy, MSTR, STRC – Why central banks can’t stop printing money – Why the Bitcoin thesis remains unchanged THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CAPE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Joe Consorti: https://x.com/JoeConsorti

“The game has changed, it’s very clear.” Matt Dines is a fixed-income portfolio manager and host of Mind Print Hash. In this episode, we get into why he believes the dollar system has already changed and why Bitcoin may be the endgame. For decades, global markets have been built around the offshore dollar system: LIBOR, Fed backstops, QE, ZIRP and the assumption that every crisis ends with more liquidity. But Matt argues that world is being replaced by something very different: a Treasury-led dollar system built around T-bills, SOFR, regulated stablecoins and a new set of geopolitical incentives. We discuss why 2022 was such an important inflection point, how the move from LIBOR to SOFR changed the structure of dollar markets, why the GENIUS Act matters for stablecoin rails, and what Treasury dominance means for the Fed, global credit and Bitcoin. We also get into MicroStrategy and STRC, the risks facing Bitcoin treasury companies, why dollar liquidity still drives Bitcoin markets, how geopolitics is reshaping the financial system, the path to a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, and why holding real Bitcoin still matters. Bitcoin is not just another risk asset in this transition. It may become the base layer for a new monetary system, but getting there will be volatile, political and tied to the future of the dollar. In this episode: Strategy, STRC and Bitcoin treasury company risk From Fed dominance to Treasury dominance The end of the petrodollar Why capital markets are war by another means The path to a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Why Bitcoin is the endgame THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CAPE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Matt Dines: https://x.com/LeveredUSTs

“The market is trying to find a villain right now—and Saylor is that guy.” Adam Livingston explains the pressure building around Michael Saylor, MicroStrategy and STRC as the preferred stock trades at $88, well below its $100 par value. Is STRC broken, or is the market mispricing Strategy’s credit risk? Adam explains how STRC works, why its yield has climbed above 13%, whether it can recover to par, and what Strategy’s capital structure means for MSTR shareholders. We also get into dilution, dividend coverage, Strategy’s use of its cash reserve and whether Saylor is now forced to keep accelerating his Bitcoin strategy. We also get into the Bitcoin bear market, the possibility of a market bottom and why Adam believes the current environment is presenting a major buying opportunity. In this episode: Why STRC is trading below par Whether Michael Saylor is trapped The risks facing MSTR shareholders Bitcoin treasury companies and “digital credit” Bitcoin’s potential market bottom The Fed, inflation and monetary repression THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CAPE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Adam Livingston: https://x.com/AdamBLiv

“The whole goddamn thing is a charade… finger in the air, wild-ass guess, total gaslighting and bullshit.” In this episode, Lawrence Lepard is back on the show to explain why the Fed is trapped between persistent inflation, an accelerating sovereign debt crisis and a financial system that cannot withstand genuinely tight monetary policy. Lawrence breaks down the Fed’s retreat from forward guidance, why its new playbook gives policymakers cover to change course without warning, and why he believes today’s hawkish stance will ultimately give way to rate cuts and more money creation. We also explore his “decade of inflation” thesis. He argues that the cycle began in 2020, that double-digit inflation is still ahead, and that a major disruption in the Treasury or bond market could trigger a “break-glass” response from the Fed, sending Bitcoin, gold and other hard assets dramatically higher. In this episode: • Why the Federal Reserve is abandoning forward guidance • How the Fed could redefine inflation • The sovereign debt problem • Why double-digit inflation is coming • Lawrence's outlook for Bitcoin and gold THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CAPE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Lawrence Lepard: https://x.com/LawrenceLepard

“The real battle is not communism versus capitalism. It’s not the radical left versus the far right… They’re all a different flavour of the same agenda.” Simon Dixon is an entrepreneur & investor. In this episode we get into the decline of American hegemony, the rise of a multipolar world, the petrodollar, China, BRICS, Iran, Venezuela, energy, AI, surveillance and the institutions that operate above elected governments. He explains why he sees war, debt and political polarisation as mechanisms that move capital, concentrate wealth and reshape the global order. We also discuss where Bitcoin fits into all of this, why Wall Street wants it held in custody, and how leverage is used to separate people from their Bitcoin. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CAPE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Simon Dixon: https://x.com/SimonDixonTwitt

“The dollar endgame is still in play, but it’s going to play out much differently than most people think.” Peruvian Bull, is a macro analyst and the author of Dollar Endgame. In this interview, we discuss why the collapse of the dollar is unlikely to play out the way most people expect, why the dollar remains so dominant despite America’s worsening debt problem, and why Japan may be the clearest warning signal for what comes next. We get into the eurodollar system, stablecoins, treasury demand, the yen carry trade, QE, yield curve control, zombie companies, and the ways central banks continue to create new tools to kick the can down the road. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CAPE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Peruvian Bull: https://x.com/peruvian_bull

I still believe we've got 100X in front of us in the next 10 years… Bitcoin becomes undeniable." Peter Dunworth is the co-founder of The Bitcoin Adviser. Bitcoin is at $62,500, down 50% from the all-time high, and sentiment is the worst it has ever been. So why is the most bullish man in Bitcoin calling this the best buying opportunity in history? We discuss why the bottom is closer than you think, why the next cycle breaks every model, the wall of AI money waiting to rotate into Bitcoin, how the Clarity Act turns the US dollar into a global stablecoin empire, the coming death of all fiat currencies and the 30% property crash heading for Australia. In this episode: Why this is the best buying opportunity in Bitcoin's history The case for 100X in the next 10 years Why the AI trade will rotate into Bitcoin The Clarity Act: a global dollar takeover Saylor, Strategy and the S&P500 double standard Why property is "near uninvestable" THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CAPE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Peter Dunworth: https://x.com/PeterBTCAdviser

"We are taught that the state builds our economy, but the reality is that every act of intervention is an act of wealth destruction." Max Hillebrand joins the show to tear down the Keynesian fallacies that keep us in a cycle of manufactured poverty and systemic theft. We go deep into the Austrian framework to explain why privacy isn't just a tech feature, it is the bedrock of a free economy. We discuss:\ The Theft Trap: Why taxation and inflation are definitionally coercion, and how they silently redistribute wealth from the productive to the state. \ The Broken Window Fallacy: Why building things we don’t need and destroying wealth through war is the ultimate economic delusion. \ The Consumption Trap: How state-manipulated metrics like GDP force us to prioritise over-consumption over the savings required for actual prosperity. \ The Minimum Wage Fallacy: A practical breakdown of why state interventions inevitably price the most vulnerable workers out of the market. \ The Cypherpunk Solution: Why increasing the cost of state attack and decreasing the cost of private defense is our only path to an unstoppable, parallel economy. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CAPE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Max Hillebrand: https://towardsliberty.com/ The Praxeology of Privacy: https://towardsliberty.com/pop

“In the end, it’s the economic majority of users who decide what Bitcoin is.” Wicked and MrHodl join the show to break down why BIP110 won’t change Bitcoin. We get into the fight over arbitrary data on Bitcoin, why they believe BIP110 fails to solve the problem it claims to address, and why miner signalling alone does not define consensus. The conversation covers Bitcoin Core, Knots, the blocksize war, SegWit, BIP148, spam, soft forks, hard forks, nodes, miners, exchanges, and the role of the economic majority in defending Bitcoin’s rules. Is BIP110 a serious proposal, a virtue signal, or an attempted replay of old battles? And if Bitcoin can be changed without broad consensus, what does that mean for decentralisation? THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CAPE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny MrHodl: https://x.com/MrHodl Wicked: https://x.com/w_s_bitcoin

“We are in the digital gold rush to acquire as much Bitcoin as humanly possible.” Jeff Walton joins the show to break down the rise of Bitcoin-backed credit, Strive’s SATA instrument, and why perpetual preferred equity could become one of the most important capital market innovations in Bitcoin. We discuss why SATA is now paying daily dividends, how Strive thinks about risk, reserves, leverage, and Bitcoin coverage, and why these new credit instruments may become a structural buyer of Bitcoin through both bull and bear markets. We also get into Strategy’s role as the market leader, the shift away from convertible debt, the future of Bitcoin treasury companies, proof of reserves, custody risk, institutional adoption, and whether Bitcoin credit could eventually reprice the entire credit market. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CAPE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Jeff Walton: https://x.com/PunterJeff

“Whoever blinks first wins.” Mechanic joins me to discuss the controversial BIP110 proposal, the fight over spam and inscriptions, and whether Bitcoin users can force a consensus change without support from the major mining pools. We get into miner power, node enforcement, UASF game theory, soft forks, and whether Bitcoin is drifting away from its original purpose as money. Mechanic argues that Bitcoin’s strength comes from ordinary users enforcing the rules, not corporations, exchanges, or miners. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CAPE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Bitcoin Mechanic: https://x.com/GrassFedBitcoin

“Trust the process. The money will be printed.” Arthur Hayes returns to the show to explain why he believes the Bitcoin bull market is back on, and why the next move higher will once again be driven by global liquidity. In this episode, we discuss why war, AI, supply chain fragility, rising bond market stress, and political incentives all point in the same direction: more spending, more debt, and more money printing. Arthur explains why governments are not going to choose austerity, why the inflationary tax is the path of least resistance, and why Bitcoin remains the trade in a world where fiat liquidity keeps expanding. We also get into the risks ahead: AI-driven job losses, social unrest, energy and commodity shocks, the fragility of the Treasury market, and the possibility of another policy panic. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CAPE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Arthur Hayes: https://x.com/CryptoHayes

“We’re in an era where the monetary system is changing. The world is going to look very different on the other side of this thing.” Checkmate is back on the show to explain why Bitcoin may already be back in a bull market and why the bigger story is not just the price, but the system beginning to crack. We get into his case that the bottom is likely in, why the $60k flush looked like a real capitulation event, and the levels that matter now. Checkmate breaks down the on-chain data behind his 80% bull-market thesis, why bears may be running out of road, and what happens when sentiment flips from selling rips to buying dips. We also get into rising bond yields, broken fiscal systems, the end of trust in government debt, Bitcoin vs gold, ETF flows, Strategy/MSTR risk, Coinbase custody risk, and why the world is moving towards assets that sit outside the system. We then get into Australia’s proposed capital gains tax changes, why Checkmate sees them as a direct attack on savers, builders and young people, and why tax policy may become one of the next major battlegrounds for Bitcoiners. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CAPE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Checkmate: https://x.com/_Checkmatey_

“The alpha is still in Bitcoin. But it’s just by treating Bitcoin as money.” Brian De Mint is the head of marketing for Club Orange, a real-world social network for Bitcoiners. In this episode, we discuss why Bitcoin’s next phase may not just be holding the asset, but building a real economy around it: Bitcoin meetups, IRL community, the case for spending sats, merchant adoption, Lightning payments, Bitcoin mining as a free-market energy solution, and why treating Bitcoin as money can create stronger economic relationships between Bitcoiners. We also get into food and health to medicine, nutrition and the incentives behind the institutions we’re told to trust. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CAPE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Brian De Mint: https://x.com/BrianDeMint

Harry Sudock and Rory Murray from CleanSpark join the show to explain how Bitcoin miners are building entirely new treasury strategy around Bitcoin. Instead of simply mining Bitcoin and selling it for cash, companies like CleanSpark are now borrowing against it, generating yield from it, using it as collateral, and turning their Bitcoin balance sheet into a tool for expansion. We get into why Bitcoin may become the best collateral in global markets, how miners are using treasury strategies like covered calls and basis trades to increase returns, why Bitcoin backed lending markets are rapidly maturing, and how these strategies could completely reshape the way companies manage capital. We also discuss the AI data centre boom, why Bitcoin miners are expanding into AI infrastructure, how Bitcoin and AI are competing for energy, and why the future of Bitcoin mining may actually become more decentralised as AI grows. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CAPE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Harry Sudock: https://x.com/harry_sudock Rory Murray: https://x.com/sprainhill

Jonathan Pollock is Product Lead for Bitkey. In this episode, we get into wrench attacks, why physical coercion is a structural weakness of private key ownership, why seed phrases may be creating more risk than they solve, and why most self custody setups rely too heavily on users never making a mistake. We talk about the trade offs between security, privacy, recovery, inheritance, and ease of use, alongside BitKey’s new hardware update and the company’s plans to build time delayed vaults designed to protect users during violent attacks. We also get into collaborative custody, covenants, insurance, ETFs versus self custody and why permissionless money still matters. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CAPE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Bitkey: https://x.com/Bitkey

“Bitcoin can change the world because the world can’t change Bitcoin.” Jack Mallers is back on the show to break down his vision for 21, Strike, and the next phase of Bitcoin’s monetisation. Jack explains why he doesn’t want to build another pure Bitcoin treasury company or another crypto casino, but a full-stack Bitcoin business: financial services, lending, custody, infrastructure, mining, capital markets, and a balance sheet built around Bitcoin. We get into the proposed acquisition of Strike, Bitcoin-backed lending, proof of reserves, why profitability matters, and why he thinks the best Bitcoin company won’t simply be the one that owns the most Bitcoin. We also discuss where Bitcoin fits in a world moving towards war, inflation, energy shocks, multipolarity, and whether fiat can survive another crisis. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CAPE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Jack Mallers: https://x.com/jackmallers

“If your system can’t survive without inflation, the problem isn’t deflation.” Allen Farrington and Sacha Meyers return to the show to break down one of the most misunderstood ideas in economics: deflation. Allen & Sacha are the authors of Bitcoin is Venice, in this episode they get into their latest essay, Number Go Down, where they challenge the core assumptions behind modern macroeconomics. They argue that the idea inflation is necessary for a healthy economy is not grounded in reality, but in flawed models, bad incentives, and a fundamental misunderstanding of how growth actually happens. We get into why the 2% inflation target is arbitrary, how Keynesian economics confuses credit collapse with true deflation, and why falling prices driven by innovation might actually be the most important signal of a functioning economy. We also explore the paradox of thrift, malinvestment, and why distorted price signals lead to systemic fragility. Allen and Sacha explain why saving is the foundation of real growth, how deflation can drive investment rather than kill it, and why trying to “manage” the economy through measurement and intervention is fundamentally misguided. We also get into debt, why inflation acts as a hidden bailout mechanism, and what a world built on sound money might actually look like. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CLUB ORANGE CAPE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Allen Farrington: https://x.com/allenf32 Sacha Meyers: https://x.com/sacha_meyers

“Money on the internet is still broken.” David Marcus returns to the show to break down why moving money globally is still slow, fragmented, and expensive and how Bitcoin could fix it. David explains how the current system is built on disconnected networks that extract fees, delay payments, and capture data. His solution is a new kind of global account built on Bitcoin infrastructure that unifies dollars, Bitcoin, and stablecoins into a single system that works instantly across borders. We get into why platforms like Uber and YouTube could become financial hubs, how stablecoins might accelerate Bitcoin adoption, and why open networks tend to beat closed systems. Finally, we discuss the future of AI agents that can hold and move money on your behalf, and what that means for privacy, control, and Bitcoin as the underlying monetary layer. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CLUB ORANGE CAPE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\\\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny David Marcus: https://x.com/davidmarcus

“There’s a reality here that you guys are all asleep to… we are the only alternative path.” American HODL & Peter McCormack join the show to break down the growing divide across the West, the collapse of trust in institutions, and whether the current political system is already failing. We’re moving from a high trust to a low trust society, where incentives are broken, democracy is increasingly unstable, and the middle ground between left and right is disappearing. As countries like the UK decline economically and culturally, the risk isn’t just stagnation, it’s escalation. We get into whether this leads to conflict or some form of authoritarianism, why freedom is so difficult to sell politically, and whether Bitcoin can realistically act as an alternative system. We also discuss the collapse of the middle class, AI-driven disruption, the role of media in accelerating division, and whether Bitcoin arrives in time or simply becomes a hedge against what comes next. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CLUB ORANGE CAPE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\\\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny American HODL: https://primal.net/hodl Peter McCormack: https://x.com/PeterMcCormack

“Bitcoin has a chance of losing the energy conversation.” Michael Dunworth joins the show to break down what happens when AI and Bitcoin collide over the world’s most important resource: energy. Michael argues that as AI demand explodes, governments and corporations will prioritise data centres over Bitcoin mining, potentially rationing energy and pushing Bitcoin to the margins. At the same time, AI is set to drive massive job displacement, reshape global infrastructure, and concentrate power into a handful of dominant players. We get into whether this is an existential threat to Bitcoin or a hidden tailwind for decentralisation, how AI could reshape energy markets, why Bitcoin mining might survive as a balancing layer for AI grids, and whether AI itself ultimately chooses Bitcoin as its native money. We also discuss nation state adoption, the risk of governments seizing Bitcoin, the centralisation of custody, and why Bitcoin’s biggest risk right now might be losing focus. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CLUB ORANGE CAPE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\\\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Michael Dunworth: https://x.com/MichaelDunwort1

“Bitcoin’s values are easy to defend until they become inconvenient.” Rob Hamilton returns to the show to get into Bitcoin as a hero’s journey, and why its next great test may already be here. Rob explains how Bitcoin evolved from a cypherpunk rebellion into an institutional asset, and why that shift is creating a new fault line inside the network. As more Bitcoin moves into ETFs and corporate treasuries, the question is no longer just whether Bitcoin succeeds, but who defines what it is. We get into the debate around quantum computing, whether vulnerable coins should ever be frozen, and why that decision could trigger a chain split. Rob lays out the tension between protecting the network and preserving Bitcoin’s core principles, and why this may become the most important battle since the block size wars. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CLUB ORANGE CAPE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Rob Hamilton: https://x.com/Rob1Ham

"The days of imperial America as the global hegemon will be drawing to a close." Dr. Jeff Ross returns to the show to break down why the dollar system is ending and what comes next. Jeff argues we're already living through the collapse of the post-war financial order, the petrodollar is dying, oil is being traded in yuan, gold, and Bitcoin for the first time since the 1970s, and the US is entering a new era of yield curve control and structural inflation. We get into his three burners framework, why he thinks we're in World War III, the coming civil unrest from AI-driven job displacement, why Trump and Bessent are pushing stablecoins, and what it all means for Bitcoin. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CLUB ORANGE CAPE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Jeff Ross on Substack: https://substack.com/@jeffross191961

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CLUB ORANGE CAPE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Ansel Lindner: https://x.com/AnselLindner

“There's a 50% chance that by 2033, quantum computers can break Bitcoin.” Alex Pruden joins me to explain why the threat may be much closer than most Bitcoiners think, what a real quantum attack on Bitcoin would actually look like, and whether bitcoin developers are doing enough to prepare. We get into the real risk to self custody, exposed public keys, whether Satoshi’s coins could become a target, how a migration to quantum resistant signatures might work, and why this debate could become one of the most important and divisive fights in Bitcoin’s future. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CLUB ORANGE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\\\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Alex Pruden: https://x.com/apruden08

“You’ve been deceived your entire life.” Jeff Booth returns to the show to break down Bitcoin, AI, inflation, debt, deflation, and the kind of systemic chaos that could reshape everything people think they know about money. If Jeff is right, we are heading into a period of supply chain shocks, inflation spikes, mass money printing, job destruction from AI, and a brutal repricing of the global economy. In this episode, Jeff explains why the natural state of the free market is deflation, why Bitcoin is the only real path to agency, why trusting digital credit and custodians could end in disaster, and why most people still cannot see the system they are trapped inside. We also get into whether Strategy and the digital credit thesis are dangerous for Bitcoin, why AI changes everything faster than most people realise, and what a true Bitcoin economy might actually look like. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CLUB ORANGE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Jeff Booth: https://x.com/JeffBooth

“This is like DEFCON 5. This is a catastrophe.” The debt crisis is already here. Governments are spending far beyond their means, inflation is quietly eating away at living standards, and the only real escape route is more debasement dressed up as growth. Add in an energy shock, AI driven job losses, and rising social unrest, and the question stops being whether the system is breaking. It becomes how long they can keep it going. In this episode, I sit down with Lyn Alden to break down the real state of the global economy. We get into why sovereign debt crises are a slow moving process, why the US has already crossed into a new era of fiscal dominance, and why Lyn believes the Strait of Hormuz is the biggest macro risk in the world right now. We also discuss inflation, war, food and energy shortages, AI replacing white collar work, the path toward UBI, and whether this debt cycle could be the one that finally pushes the fiat system to its limit. Plus, Lyn shares the personal story behind her rise, from homelessness as a child to becoming one of the most respected macro thinkers in the world. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CLUB ORANGE CAPE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Lyn Alden: https://x.com/LynAldenContact

“We’re subject to monetary domination. We can’t do without money because the vast majority of people have absolutely no say over how money works. That’s an injustice.” In this episode, I sit down with philosopher Bradley Rettler in Bedford to explore two questions that are going to define the future: what AI is doing to human thought, and whether our monetary system is fundamentally unjust. We get into what thinking actually is, whether LLMs are really thinking, and why using AI as a substitute for your own reasoning may make you worse at reasoning for yourself. Bradley explains why this matters, not just for productivity, but for education, moral agency, and the risk that a small number of companies could end up shaping how millions of people think. We then turn to Bradley’s new paper on monetary justice. He breaks down the idea of monetary domination, how the Fed and the commercial banking system concentrate power over money creation, and why that leaves most people trapped inside a system they have no meaningful say over. We also get into where Bitcoin fits into all of this, whether it offers an escape from monetary domination, and why the divide between Bitcoin as freedom money and Bitcoin as digital gold is becoming harder to ignore. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CLUB ORANGE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Bradley Rettler: https://x.com/rettlerb

"No innovation will ever change the world more than 2%. Even Bitcoin." Junseth is a Bitcoin OG who's been here since a week after pizza day. He returns to challenge every narrative the tech world is selling you, from AI replacing all jobs to the metaverse that never existed. Junseth makes the case that the future is being imagined by people who think the best state of the world is living in your bedroom and never coming out, and that the rest of us don't have to elect to live in that world. He explains why AI adoption will be far slower than anyone thinks, why the people predicting the end of jobs are still hiring programmers, and why the Gell-Mann amnesia effect means you shouldn't trust any of the expert timelines. We also get into whether Bitcoin has actually done anything yet, why Bitcoin is boring and that's a good thing, the emergence of political factions and BIP 110, whether AI consciousness and belief in God are diametrically opposed, why the agent economy might reshape the internet, and why if you lose your job you should just go start a trash bin cleaning business. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CLUB ORANGE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Junseth: https://x.com/verysmallclaims

"If there's going to be printing, it's going to be the hardest printing they've ever done. There isn't another option." Eric Yakes returns to break down the macro landscape as global debt hits historic levels, private credit shows real cracks, and the commodity shift accelerates under geopolitical fracture. Eric explains why the gold rally isn't about one event but a structural inflection point decades in the making, why private credit could be the next financial crisis and how the only path forward likely involves the hardest printing central banks have ever done. We also get into AI's second-order effects on startups and job markets, why the agent economy could be a major bridge to Bitcoin adoption, the death of proprietary software, the quantum narrative versus the actual threat, and why Bitcoin at $70K is deep value. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CLUB ORANGE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Eric Yakes: https://x.com/ericyakes

At 5am, Lauren Rodriguez woke to laser sights, a drone flying through her house, and 40 armed federal agents raiding their cottage, all because her husband built a Bitcoin wallet. Keonne Rodriguez co-founded Samurai Wallet in 2015, a non-custodial Bitcoin wallet with privacy features including Whirlpool, their CoinJoin implementation. For nearly a decade, the wallet operated openly on the Google Play Store with no issues. Then on April 24th, 2024, the FBI and IRS launched coordinated raids on the Rodriguez home in Pennsylvania and co-founder Bill Hill's home in Portugal. The charges: conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money service business and conspiracy to money launder. The problem: FinCEN's own guidance stated that non-custodial wallets are not money transmitters. And six months before indictment, prosecutors asked FinCEN directly whether Samurai was a money service business, FinCEN said no. The prosecutors buried that answer, a Brady violation. Lauren walks through the full story; the raid, the discovery process involving 17 terabytes of evidence, the sudden judicial switch from a neutral judge to a former chief of the SDNY criminal division, the five-minute hearing where every defense motion was denied without explanation, and the impossible math of a plea deal versus a 25-year trial exposure with a hostile judge. Keonne is now serving a five-year federal prison sentence. Lauren is fighting for a presidential pardon for both Keonne and Bill. Sign the petition and support their case at BillandKeonne.org. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CLUB ORANGE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Lauren Rodriguez: https://x.com/leamuirleyn Sign the Petition & Donate: https://billandkeonne.org/

"5 to 10% is going to cause immense damage. When cash flows stop at the margin, everything collapses because of leverage." Nik Bhatia returns to break down the macro landscape as war in Iran sends oil to $100, the dollar surges, and volatility clouds the outlook. Nik explains why he's wiped the slate clean on his macro thesis, why the US economy may still avoid recession despite the chaos, and how the Genius Act could reshape the global dollar system through stablecoins. We also get into AI job displacement, why treasuries are still the bedrock of global finance, Bitcoin's decoupling signal, and whether the four-year cycle is finally dead. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CLUB ORANGE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Nik Bhatia: https://x.com/timevalueofbtc

Is Bitcoin's four-year cycle still intact, and what does that mean for the next six months? In this episode, I sit down with The Rational Root to break down where we are in Bitcoin's cycle, why on-chain data is flashing bear market signals despite Bitcoin holding up through the Iran war, and what the bottom formation could look like from here. We discuss the shift from retail hype to institutional adoption, why OTC buying from ETFs and treasury companies dampened this cycle's price action, how gold and AI stole Bitcoin's mindshare, and whether passive flows from the likes of Saylor could prevent another leg down. Root walks through his key on-chain charts and explains why he thinks there's still a probability of one more drop before Bitcoin starts its next move up. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CLUB ORANGE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny The Rational Root: https://x.com/therationalroot

"Our entire financial system will blow up without their factories, without their oil. And they know that. So they can wait." Luke Gromen is a macroeconomic analyst, investor and founder of FFTT. In this episode, we get into whether the Iran war exposed a far bigger geopolitical shift than most people realise, why Luke thinks missiles and drones may have changed global power forever, and what all of this means for oil, markets, Bitcoin and the future of the dollar system. We also get into why Bitcoin held up better than expected during the conflict, why Luke still thinks risk assets face serious danger ahead, and how AI could trigger a major credit event faster than almost anyone expects. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CLUB ORANGE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Luke Gromen: https://x.com/LukeGromen

"Statistically, right now, we are basically at the bottom. This is as cheap as Bitcoin gets." Matthew Mezinskis is a macroeconomic researcher, host of Crypto Voices and one of the leading voices on Bitcoin's power law and global money supply data. In this episode, we dig into why Bitcoin's quantile regression is showing we're scraping the absolute floor, why the four-year cycle is completely intact despite everyone calling it dead last year, and what the Fed's balance sheet actually tells us about where Bitcoin goes next. In this episode: • The Power Law: Why Bitcoin at $63k represents the cheapest level relative to trend in its entire history, and what the quantile regression is actually showing • The Four-Year Cycle: How the 2024-2025 price action perfectly follows prior cycles despite the "cycle is dead" narrative. • The 550k Projection: What the power law projects for Bitcoin by 2029-2030. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CLUB ORANGE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Matthew Mezinskis: https://x.com/1basemoney

Is this the start of a financial crisis? Jeff Snider is the founder of Eurodollar University and the go-to voice on how the global financial system really works. In this episode, we discuss why the shadow banking and private credit bubble is bursting right now, the cockroaches emerging across the credit markets that reveal nobody did any due diligence during the bubble years, and Jeff's three-stage financial crisis framework for understanding how bad this could get. We also get into why the Fed is essentially a political lightning rod with no real control over the monetary system, why bond markets have been pricing in a crisis since 2021 regardless of what the Fed does, and how people should position themselves, including Jeff's take on $60k Bitcoin. In this episode, we cover: • The 3 Stages of Financial Crisis: From early outflows (Stage 1) to forced selling (Stage 2) to systemic panic and the domino effect (Stage 3) — and where we are right now • The Cockroach Problem: Why big banks failed to check if the collateral they were lending against even existed, and what that reveals about the scale of the bubble • Credit Crisis vs Liquidity Crisis: The critical distinction that determines whether this stays contained or spills into broader markets • The Fed's Illusion of Control: Why the bond market has been pricing in a crisis since 2021, regardless of what Jay Powell says or does • Bitcoin & Survival: How to position yourself for a Stage 3 collapse and why wealth preservation is no longer optional in a debasing fiat system THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CLUB ORANGE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Jeff Snider: https://x.com/JeffSnider_EDU

Is Bitcoin's worst sentiment ever actually the biggest buying opportunity? Alex Thorn is Head of Firmwide Research at Galaxy Digital. In this episode, we discuss why Bitcoin has dropped nearly 50% from its all-time high, the reality behind the Jane Street manipulation allegations, why sentiment is among the worst it's ever been, and whether the four-year cycle played out after all. We also get into AI's potential to massively disrupt the job market, Alex's thesis on why you need to start building your "fleet of robots" now before it's too late, and why Bitcoin's fundamental value proposition matters more than ever despite the narrative damage. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CLUB ORANGE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Alex Thorn: https://x.com/intangiblecoins

Is the US government preparing to weaponise the dollar like never before? In this episode, Brent Johnson, creator of the Dollar Milkshake Theory, returns to discuss his $5,000 gold call and why the traditional rules of global macro are currently being rewritten. We get into the Imperial Circle, the exact strategy Soros, Druckenmiller and Scott Besant used to break the Bank of England, and why that same playbook may now be driving US economic policy. Brent explains why gold and the dollar can be strong at the same time, why Bitcoin has underperformed gold this cycle and how stablecoins are reshaping global capital flows in ways most people aren't paying attention to. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CLUB ORANGE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Brent Johnson: https://x.com/SantiagoAuFund

Has the world order actually broken down? In this episode, I sit down with Parker Lewis to break down Ray Dalio's warning that the global order is collapsing. Parker explains why Dalio is right that things are breaking down, but completely misses the root cause, the currency system. We get into why the weaponisation of the dollar, from cutting Russia off SWIFT to endless money printing, is what's actually driving the world towards chaos and why Bitcoin is insanely undervalued at $67k. Parker also makes the case that if Bitcoin doesn't eventually become a medium of exchange, something has gone very wrong. We explore: • The 5 types of war (and why we are already fighting 4 of them) • What Ray Dalio missed: The true cause of the global economic collapse • Monetary warfare: The exact moment the world lost faith in the US dollar. • Why neutral money is the ultimate defense against global disorder • The fatal flaw of gold THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CAPE CLUB ORANGE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Parker Lewis: https://x.com/parkeralewis

Is AI about to replace your job? And should you be terrified? In this episode, I sit down with Mark Suman to talk about the rapid acceleration of AI, what OpenClaw and agentic AI actually means for the average person, and why the lower rungs of the corporate ladder are about to get sawed off. We get into the privacy nightmare unfolding as people hand over their most personal data to LLMs, whether Bitcoin becomes the native money of AI agents, and how open-source models are keeping the big tech companies honest. Mark also brought his AI bot "Cooper" onto the show, and it kicked me off my own podcast. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CAPE CLUB ORANGE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Mark Suman: https://x.com/marksuman

"Bear markets are about both price and time. We've had quite a bit of pain on price, we haven't had that much time yet." Andy Edstrom, author of Why Buy Bitcoin, joins the show to discuss capital preservation and portfolio allocation during a downturn. We analyze the structural health of the market, why the "This Time is Different" narrative failed, and why institutional treasury strategies might be creating a drag on Bitcoin's spot price. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CAPE CLUB ORANGE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Andy Edstrom: https://x.com/edstromandrew

Mark Goodwin is a journalist and author at Unlimited Hangout. In this episode, he breaks down what the Epstein files reveal about Bitcoin's origins and the connections between the Epstein network, the PayPal mafia, and the creation of Tether. We get into whether Bitcoin has been co-opted, the role of stablecoins in extending dollar hegemony, and why the Bitcoin community needs to refocus on building peer-to-peer freedom tools. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CAPE CLUB ORANGE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Mark Goodwin: https://x.com/markgoodw_in

Checkmate is a Bitcoin analyst known for his on-chain & macro research. In this episode, he breaks down the Bitcoin crash to $60k and why it may have marked a critical inflection point. We get into on-chain data, mean reversion models, and if the bottom is in for this bear market, or we go lower. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CAPE CLUB ORANGE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Checkmate: https://x.com/\_Checkmatey\_

Joe Consorti is a Market Analyst & Head of Growth at Horizon. In this episode, he breaks down one of Bitcoin’s most volatile days since the 2022 bear market. We unpack what’s really driving the selloff, why this isn’t a Bitcoin-native event, and how risk appetite, credit spreads, and Fed policy are shaping the move and the future. We also look at ETF behaviour, the dollar, and why Bitcoin may be deeply mispriced at current levels. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CAPE CLUB ORANGE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Joe Consorti: https://x.com/JoeConsorti

James Lavish is a macro investor, former hedge fund manager, and managing partner at the Bitcoin Opportunity Fund. We discuss the emerging debt spiral, why the bond market no longer trusts policymakers, and why rate cuts don’t mean what they used to. James breaks down why the Fed is backed into a corner on money printing, monetary mechanics and the math behind the headlines, and how gold, silver, and Bitcoin are responding to stress in the system. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CAPE CLUB ORANGE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny James Lavish: https://x.com/jameslavish

Brandon Black is a Bitcoin software engineer. In this episode we discuss why quantum computing is unlikely to threaten Bitcoin in the foreseeable future, how exaggerated claims around qubit scaling and Shor’s algorithm distort the real risk, what concrete evidence would actually force Bitcoin to act, and how questions around soft forks, post quantum cryptography, property rights, and confiscation should be framed if progress ever becomes real. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CAPE CLUB ORANGE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Brandon Black: https://x.com/reardencode

Caitlin Long is the founder and CEO of Custodia Bank, and in this episode we discuss the repricing of gold and its implications for Bitcoin, how derivatives and ETFs suppress price signals, why Wall Street cannot control Bitcoin the way it controlled gold, the strategic role of stablecoins in sustaining dollar demand, and how recent shifts in Treasury and Fed power matter for Bitcoin. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN CAPE FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Caitlin Long: https://x.com/CaitlinLong\_

Amiti Uttarwar is a Bitcoin protocol developer and founder of Waye. In this episode we discuss her path from Bitcoin Core to building support structures for long term open source contributors, the limits of permissionless work, funding and sustainability tradeoffs in Bitcoin development, and why social and human layers now matter as much as technical ones. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Amiti Uttarwar: https://x.com/amizi Waye: https://www.waye.dev/

Lawrence Lepard is an investment manager and author of The Big Print. In this episode, he explains why the Federal Reserve has already pivoted back to money printing and why inflation is now structurally embedded in the system. We discuss the growing inevitability of yield curve control, what gold and silver are signaling and why Bitcoin is the most asymmetric response to policy failure and monetary decay. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Lawrence Lepard: https://x.com/LawrenceLepard

Cory Klippsten joins the show for a conversation on Bitcoin, power, and what is actually happening beneath the surface of the crypto industry. We break down why offshore exchanges are tolerated by governments, how surveillance and enforcement shape market structure, and why much of the crypto economy exists to extract rather than create long term wealth. Cory explains why Bitcoin adoption advanced structurally in 2025 despite a flat price, why tariffs and macro uncertainty weighed on markets, and why the old four year cycle narrative is likely dead. We then get into Bitcoin treasury companies, MicroStrategy, leverage, preferred structures, and why most companies holding Bitcoin are not actually competing in the same game. We also get into self custody risks, education versus attention driven media, prediction markets, macro liquidity, and why Bitcoin is maturing into a real macro asset even if price action has not caught up yet. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORWATCH BLOCKWARE LEDN BITKEY SWAN FOLLOW: Danny Knowles: https://x.com/\_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny Cory Klippsten: https://x.com/coryswan