Bitcoin Takeover Podcast

Milan De Reede is the co-founder of Nano GPT: a service that allows you to access all the premium (as well as free) AI models from the same interface, as you pay with bitcoin (and a bunch of other supported coins) for every query and prompt.

It successfully allows users to experiment, save money on otherwise expensive subscriptions, and build without any limits (outside of the tokens budget).

In this episode, we talk about the origins of Nano GPT, why it's so useful, and how you can get started with vibe coding your dream project. Essentially, my conversation with Milan De Reede finds itself at the intersection between cryptocurrencies and AI: a concept that may become increasingly popular in the future.

Try Nano GPT today with my referral code, get some bonuses: https://nano-gpt.com/r/Qx83bnwz

Time stamps:

00:01:07 Introducing Milan & Nano GPT

00:03:03 The Origins of Nano GPT

00:04:31 How Nano Cryptocurrency Works

00:05:25 Nano vs. Sharding

00:08:08 Validator Incentives in Nano

00:10:44 Nano's Proof-of-Stake-like System

00:11:57 Critique of Bitcoin Mining Centralization

00:16:30 The Impact of AI on Bitcoin Mining

00:18:11 Proof-of-Work vs. Proof-of-Stake Security

00:22:18 The Monero 51% Attack Risk

00:23:41 Nano GPT's Most Used Cryptocurrencies (Monero, Zcash, Bitcoin, and Nano)

00:27:16 Upcoming Bitcoin Hard Fork: ECash

00:30:15 The Quantum Computing Threat to Bitcoin

00:33:15 The Blurring Lines at Bitcoin Conferences

00:36:41 Online vs. In-Person Crypto Debates

00:39:47 Sponsor Mentions

00:42:40 How Nano GPT Selects and Hosts AI Models

00:45:06 The "Auto Model" Feature

00:46:33 Privacy and Anonymity on Nano GPT

00:54:14 The Business Model of Nano GPT

00:55:23 User Growth and Community

00:57:15 Incentivizing Crypto Payments on Nano GPT

01:07:02 The Impact of AI on Society

01:09:44 AI's Role in Education and Plagiarism

01:13:16 The Future of AI and Human Creativity

01:18:20 The Vision Behind Nano GPT

Zach Herbert is the CEO of Foundation, a company which specializes in building hardware wallets that offer extra security features. The latest model, the Passport Prime, aims to also replace YubiKey for Two Factor Authentication and other more expensive encrypted storage devices. But now thanks to AI and the open source app store, new possibilities have opened up.

Buy your Passport Prime using promo code ”BTCTKVR” and get a free bumper case, worth $19!

Time stamps:

00:01:07 Introducing Zach Herbert, CEO of Foundation

00:03:11 Live Unboxing of Passport Prime

00:04:14 Foundation's Sci-Fi Inspiration

00:05:32 Passport Prime First Impressions

00:08:40 Factory Reset and Resale

00:09:49 Quantum Link and Bluetooth Setup

00:15:24 Firmware Update Process

00:17:43 Haptic Feedback and User Experience

00:20:05 Magic Backup with NFC Key Cards

00:25:50 Restoring from a Magic Backup

00:26:45 User Interface and Upcoming Changes

00:29:02 KeyOS: The Custom Operating System

00:32:36 Active Tamper-Proofing

00:35:49 Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) Feature

00:37:13 The Vault App

00:43:39 Live Device Wipe and Restore

00:48:57 Troubleshooting the Restore Process

00:50:18 Market Position and Competition

00:52:29 How Magic Backup Works

00:56:21 Foundation's Open-Source App Store

01:01:46 Solving Digital Life Security

01:18:07 Giveaway Winner Announcement

01:31:01 Manufacturing Passport Prime in the USA

01:46:06 Thoughts on Duress Mode

01:56:26 AI Integration and Vibe Coding

02:07:29 Business Model and Subscription Service

02:30:39 The Future is Not Air-Gapped

Hunter Beast is the author of BIP360, the most popular proposal to add quantum resistant signatures to Bitcoin. Mark Karpelès is the former CEO of Mt. Gox and the creator of Tiban wallet. In this episode, they talk about the looming quantum threat.

Time stamps:

00:00:56 Introducing Hunter Beast

00:02:38 Hunter Beast's New Role at Surmount Systems and Quantum Urgency

00:05:28 The Timeline for a Quantum Upgrade

00:07:07 The Need for a Concrete Technical Process

00:09:36 Surmount Systems' Fundraising and Mission

00:12:30 What is Surmount Systems?

00:15:09 Mark Karpeles Joins the Conversation

00:16:31 Lessons Learned from Mt. Gox

00:19:18 Quantum Resistance and BIP32 HD Wallets

00:25:22 The Debate on Satoshi's Coins

00:29:09 Timelines for Phasing Out Old Signatures

00:32:24 Long vs. Short Exposure Quantum Attacks

00:33:36 The US Government and Quantum Computing

00:36:59 Quantum Resistance in Other Blockchains

00:42:05 Bundling Upgrades with Quantum Resistance

00:48:26 Bitcoin's Role in Separating Money and State

00:50:06 The Upcoming Ecash Fork

00:53:47 Mark Karpeles at the Conference: a Magic: The Gathering tournament

00:57:07 Mark's New Wallet Project: Tiban, Using Threshold Signatures

01:02:03 Mark's First Time in the USA

Jeremy Rubin is the author of BIP 119 (OP_CTV, Check Template Verify) and co-author of BIP 348 (CSFS, Check Sig From Stack). More recently, he started working on Char: a decentralized shared sequencer for Bitcoin layer 2s.

In this episode, which we recorded at the LayerTwo Labs booth during the Bitcoin 2026 conference in Las Vegas, we talk about the challenges involved in improving Bitcoin and why Jeremy chooses to be a relentless builder even in an adversarial environment.

Time stamps:

00:00:48 Podcast Introduction and Sponsors

00:03:02 Jeremy Rubin's Bitcoin Journey

00:03:24 Introduction to Check Template Verify (CTV)

00:04:44 The Philosophy Behind CTV

00:06:40 CTV for Congestion Control

00:07:57 CTV for Self-Custody Vaults

00:09:35 The Failed Activation of CTV

00:11:25 The "Technical Consensus" Debate

00:13:45 FUD and Misinformation Campaign

00:17:45 Blockstream's Role in Bitcoin Development

00:21:44 The Inevitability of CTV

00:26:04 The State of the Bitcoin Ecosystem

00:28:20 Bitcoin Maximalism and Cypherpunk Spirit

00:29:34 Learning from Other Projects

00:31:52 Bitcoin Cash's Technical Progress

00:35:39 The "Small Blocker" Paradox

00:37:34 Cultural Barriers to Building

00:39:24 The Future of Bitcoin and Freedom

00:43:08 Paul Sztorc's Ecash Fork

00:49:06 Confiscating Satoshi's Coins

00:58:51 The Problem with OP_CAT

01:01:56 Security Practices at Conferences

01:06:01 What Excites Jeremy About Bitcoin Today

01:09:01 On Being a "Difficult" Personality

01:12:20 Introduction to Char

01:15:04 Why Use Proof of Stake?

01:18:38 Final Thoughts on Agency and Freedom

After 15 years of being a Bitcoin-only maximalist and about a decade of promoting BIP300 as a soft fork, LayerTwo Labs CEO Paul Sztorc decided to launch Ecash: a hard fork of Bitcoin in which every BTC holder gets free coins. There's a catch, though: while everyone can claim 1 ecash for every bitcoin that they own, Satoshi can only claim half. Meaning that a returning Satoshi will only be able to claim half his coins, while the other half (550k) is currently being sold to investors in order to fund the development and bootstrapping of Ecash.

What's more controversial: the hard fork or the SHAD (Satoshi Half Air Drop)? Only time will tell. But the Ecash hard fork is scheduled to happen in August 2026... unless Bitcoin activates BIP300 in the meantime. Game theory at its finest!

Time stamps:

00:00:58 – Paul Sztorc announces the new Bitcoin hard fork project, eCash, sharing his motivation for launching it and setting the stage for the discussion.

00:03:02 – eCash’s technical details are explained, including its smaller 400kB block size and the integration of drivechains (BIP 300) to enhance scalability and flexibility.

00:04:55 – The initial drivechains launching with eCash are described, such as Thunder for scalability, ZSide for privacy, and additional chains like CoinShift, BitNames, and Photon.

00:09:28 – Security aspects of sidechains are discussed, covering the 256 sidechain limit, potential outcomes if sidechains fail, and the risks users face when moving coins.

00:14:26 – The project’s name, Ecash, is revealed, with a comparison to Bitcoin Cash and an explanation of the naming decision.

00:15:40 – Paul delves into the philosophy behind the hard fork, his views on Bitcoin maximalism, and his intention to remain committed to both Bitcoin and eCash.

00:20:35 – Mining dynamics are explored, including SHA256 mining competition, miner incentives, and the potential for MEV (miner extractable value) issues.

00:22:36 – Paul critiques the current state of Bitcoin, highlighting user and developer frustration, stagnation, low transaction fees, and gridlock in development.

00:29:40 – The potential for eCash to attract frustrated Bitcoin builders is considered, with references to similar migrations in crypto history.

00:31:38 – Ethereum’s rise is analyzed as a consequence of Bitcoin’s block size wars, with discussion on missed opportunities and lessons learned.

00:41:06 – The likelihood and impact of further Bitcoin hard forks are speculated upon, focusing on community fragmentation and effects on value.

00:41:49 – Hard forks are framed as healthy competition that benefits investors by providing free coins and stimulating innovation.

00:48:20 – The decision to reassign half of Satoshi’s coins for development and community incentives is explained, addressing concerns about distribution.

00:54:07 – Quantum computing threats, Satoshi’s mining behavior, and the rationale for the coin distribution are discussed in the context of long-term security.

01:36:00 – Users are advised to self-custody their Bitcoin to claim eCash, with an outline of the claiming process and best practices.

01:39:01 – Technical steps for claiming eCash using private keys are detailed, including wallet compatibility and the process for users.

01:43:26 – The potential for NFT and ordinal activity on eCash is addressed, along with how LayerTwo Labs will manage onboarding and network congestion.

01:45:35 – Drivechain security parameters are confirmed, with eCash using a 13,000-block security window in line with BIP 300’s Bitcoin implementation.

01:52:06 – The transition from a centralized project launch to decentralized development and governance.

01:54:36 – The current developer team size (about nine members) is shared, along with incentives for external developers to contribute to eCash.

01:58:26 – eCash is compared to Bitcoin Cash, with discussion on network effects, competition, and the potential for eCash to drive improvements in Bitcoin.

02:07:22 – The session concludes with future plans, a call for community engagement, and the possibility of follow-up discussions as the project evolves.