About this episode

Paul Sztorc discusses his controversial decision to hard fork Bitcoin and the implications for Bitcoin governance.

Paul Sztorc is one of the most controversial figures in Bitcoin—and he’s about to pull off one of his most controversial moves of all: a full-blown Bitcoin hardfork. Actuating his vision of “e-cash,” as the new protocol is called, Paul is pushing forward a new Drivechains-enabled Bitcoin experience—citing governance challenges and a “broken soft fork process” as reasons for the move. “If BIP300/301 was activated in Bitcoin, we would stop,” says Paul Sztorc—adding, “it’s an irony that the soft fork was invented because the hard fork was too difficult.” In this interview, I asked Paul all the difficult questions you can imagine—and ultimately found myself sympathizing with much of his defense. Regardless of one’s personal politics, this interview sheds light on the challenges we face in Bitcoin governance as a whole—and may be worth reviewing to better understand the political statement (ne—political artwork?) that Paul’s work represents. In this episode, Paul shares: Why he’s making the bold move to hard fork — and the various levels of risk he’s assuming in the process. His frustration with the Bitcoin soft fork process and why, regardless of the risks, it “may be time to…

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