The Politics of Bitcoin (Zelko & Samourai Wallet)

Episode 87 of The Watchman Privacy Podcast – The Politics of Bitcoin (Zelko & Samourai Wallet)

Gabriel Custodiet speaks with Zelko of RoninDojo and Samourai Wallet. They unpack the crazy politics in the Bitcoin community: from the fuzzy “red lines” of Bitcoin companies, to the gradual diminishment of Bitcoin’s cypherpunk origins, to FOSS gaslighting and the recent Ocean Mining censorship. Oh, and Bitcoin is not for Progressives.

If you’re new to Bitcoin, watch these first (in order)
→ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qz1-uiQZUUQ
→ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FNUKkrG_9A
→ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztHq8YXpw9I
→ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OmYqq7BPSw
→ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSf0_To8GmE

Zelko and RoninDojo
→ https://ronindojo.io/
→ https://twitter.com/BTCxZelko
→ https://twitter.com/RoninDojoNode
→ https://www.podpage.com/citadeldispatch/citadel-dispatch-e026-using/ (Node comparison)

Samourai Wallet
→ https://samouraiwallet.com/
→ https://twitter.com/samouraiwallet
→ https://t.me/SamouraiWallet (Telegram group)
→ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPY-5SR-jPQ (Bitcoin: An Experiment in Anarchism)

Watchman Privacy
→ https://watchmanprivacy.com (newsletter, consultation requests)
→ https://twitter.com/watchmanprivacy
→ https://www.amazon.com/Watchman-Guide-Privacy-Financial-Lifestyle/dp/B08PX7KFS2

Privacy Courses (supports the show)
→ https://rpf.gumroad.com/l/privatebitcoin
→ https://rpf.gumroad.com/l/hackproof

Monero Donation Address (If you can't see the whole string, double click in the middle to select all)
→8829DiYwJ344peEM7SzUspMtgUWKAjGJRHmu4Q6R8kEWMpafiXPPNBkeRBhNPK6sw27urqqMYTWWXZrsX6BLRrj7HiooPAy

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→ https://www.youtube.com/@WatchmanPrivacy
→https://odysee.com/@WatchmanPrivacy

Timeline

0:00 – Introduction
0:31 – Bitcoin is like a ship
5:23 – What are your red lines as a Bitcoin company?
11:32 – Why did Bitcoin move away from being cypherpunk?
19:20 – Mass adoption is the poison pill
24:30 – Software that isn’t FOSS (Free and Open-Source Software)
40:00 – Bitcoin is not apolitical, nor for Progressives
45:19 – Savings versus spending
48:35 – Ocean Mining versus Whirlpool
1:03:58 – The failure of the Lightning Network
1:17:07 – Criticism of Samourai Wallet
1:25:47 – Final Thoughts

#WatchmanPrivacy #SamouraiWallet #Bitcoin #RoninDojo