The Kevin Rooke Show
The Kevin Rooke Show
⚡️
E108: Maxim Orlovsky on Building RGB, Standards for BTC & LN, and Smart Contracts on Bitcoin
5/22/2023 • 1hr 29m
Maxim Orlovsky is the founder of the LNP/BP Standards Association and the creator of the RGB smart contracts protocol. In our conversation, we explored the importance of standards for Bitcoin and Lightning, the details of how RGB works and why it’s important, and Maxim’s work on LNP Node and reNostr. → RGB Protocol: https://rgb.tech/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://stacksats.how/voltage → Stakwork: https://stacksats.how/stakwork This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://www.stacksats.how/podcast → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm → Nostr NIP-05: kr@stacker.news Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Bitcoin News: https://stacker.news/r/kr Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:42 - Maxim Orlovsky Intro 12:40 - Why Are Standards Important? 17:20 - What Are The Disadvantages of Internet Standards? 19:32 - Standards on Bitcoin & Lightning 27:29 - How LNP Node Works 30:40 - What is RGB? 33:33 - Why Build Smart Contracts on Bitcoin? 50:04 - What Will People Use RGB For? 55:37 - RGB Development & Timeline 1:07:00 - Maxim’s Views on Nostr 1:14:33 - What is ReNostr? 1:20:57 - The Pieces of the Self-Sovereign Tech Stack
E107: Shehzan Maredia on Building Lava, Bitcoin-Native Borrowing, and Improving Self-Custody UX
5/18/2023 • 1hr 4m
Shehzan Maredia is the co-founder of Lava, a Bitcoin project that aims to make sovereign finance simple. In our discussion we explored the full scope of Lava’s vision, we talked about how Lava’s native Bitcoin borrowing protocol works, and we also discussed Lava’s decision to prioritize building on Bitcoin’s base blockchain over the Lightning Network today. → Lava: https://www.lava.xyz/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://stacksats.how/voltage → Stakwork: https://stacksats.how/stakwork This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://www.stacksats.how/podcast → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm → Nostr NIP-05: kr@stacker.news Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Bitcoin News: https://stacker.news/r/kr Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:24 - Shehzan Maredia Intro 05:00 - How Lava’s Bitcoin Borrowing Protocol Works 22:24 - Why Do People Use Borrowing Protocols? 29:27 - Will Lava Integrate Bitcoin-Native Stablecoins? 32:06 - Why Lava Is Not Prioritizing the Lightning Network 42:52 - Lava’s Self-Custodial Wallet 50:21 - The Constraints to Self-Custody Today 55:44 - Building a Full Financial Sovereignty Stack 1:00:48 - The Lightning Round
SS5: How Jesse Berger Stacked 100,000+ Sats with Mash
5/17/2023 • 37m
Jesse Berger is the author of Magic Internet Money, a book that takes readers on a journey about the fundamental principles of money and Bitcoin.  In addition to selling his book on Amazon, Jesse has stacked over 100,000 sats on pay-per-page and value-4-value based Lightning payments using Mash. → Magic Internet Money: https://magicbitcoinbook.com/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://stacksats.how/voltage → Stakwork: https://stacksats.how/stakwork This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://www.stacksats.how/podcast → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Bitcoin News: https://stacker.news/r/kr
E106: Konstantin on Building Kollider, Lightning Derivatives, Synthetic Fiat, and Running a Nostr Relay
5/14/2023 • 1hr 24m
Konstantin is the co-founder of Kollider, a Lightning-powered Bitcoin derivatives platform that also offers a browser extension wallet, synthetic fiat stablecoins, and a paid Nostr relay. In our conversation, we explored the value of instant settlement on Bitcoin exchanges, how Kollider’s wallet and subscription-based Nostr relay works, and how all the different pieces of Kollider’s business fit together. → Kollider: https://kollider.xyz/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://stacksats.how/voltage → Stakwork: https://stacksats.how/stakwork This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://www.stacksats.how/podcast → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm → Nostr NIP-05: kr@stacker.news Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Bitcoin News: https://stacker.news/r/kr Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:14 - Konstantin Intro 08:00 - Why Do Bitcoin Exchanges Hold Customer Funds? 14:32 - Has Kollider’s Business Been Affected By High Bitcoin Fees? 18:37 - How Kollider’s Products Fit Together 26:11 - Patterns in Kollider’s Exchange Volume 31:09 - What Will People Use Kollider’s Wallet For? 35:43 - Lightning Web Wallet Comparisons 44:07 - Synthetic Fiat Stablecoins on Kollider 1:05:40 - Kollider’s Paid Subscription Nostr Relay 1:14:35 - Contributors to Rising and Falling Nostr Activity 1:18:18 - The Lightning Round
SS4: How SHAmory Stacked 10,000,000+ Sats with OpenNode, BTCPay Server, Oshi, and Joltz
5/11/2023 • 38m
Scott and Mallory are a California couple building a Bitcoin education company called SHAmory, where they’ve stacked over 10,000,000 sats for selling games, books, and toys that help people learn about Bitcoin. → SHAmory: https://shamory.com/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://stacksats.how/voltage → Stakwork: https://stacksats.how/stakwork This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://www.stacksats.how/podcast → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Bitcoin News: https://stacker.news/r/kr
E105: Lisa Neigut on the State of Bitcoin's Second Layer, L2 Interoperability, and More
4/21/2023 • 1hr 18m
Lisa Neigut is the founder of Base58, a Bitcoin protocol academy that helps teach developers the fundamentals of Bitcoin. In our conversation, we did a deep-dive on Bitcoin’s layer two ecosystem, we explored the goals, trade-offs, and potential of different solutions, as well as a discussion about layer two interoperability, and what (if anything) lies beyond layer two. → BTC++ Layer Two Event: https://btcplusplus.dev/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://stacksats.how/voltage → Stakwork: https://stacksats.how/stakwork This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://www.stacksats.how/podcast → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm → Nostr NIP-05: kr@stacker.news Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Bitcoin News: https://stacker.news/r/kr Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:00 - Lisa Neigut Intro 08:25 - Why Are There So Many Layer Two Solutions? 16:04 - Layer Two Scaling vs. Layer Two New Features 29:30 - Will Layer Two Solutions Be Interoperable? 35:15 - What Is Missing From Bitcoin’s Layer Two Ecosystem? 39:56 - Layer Two Incentives 47:05 - What Lies Beyond Layer Two? 51:52 - Frameworks for Understanding Bitcoin Layers 59:02 - Comparing Various Layer Two Solutions 1:11:33 - Final Thoughts for Layer Two Builders
SS3: How Ben Justman Stacked 10,000,000+ Sats with Oshi and IBEX Pay
4/20/2023 • 41m
Ben Justman is a Colorado winemaker who has stacked over 10,000,000 sats for selling bottles of his all-natural Peony Lane Wine using Oshi and IBEX Pay. → Peony Lane Wine: https://www.peonylanewine.com/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://stacksats.how/voltage → Stakwork: https://stacksats.how/stakwork This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://www.stacksats.how/podcast → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Bitcoin News: https://stacker.news/r/kr
E104: UTXO on Building Nodeless, Improving Bitcoin UX for Merchants, and LN & Nostr Use Cases
4/13/2023 • 1hr 14m
UTXO is the founder of Nodeless, a product that helps merchants, fundraisers, and other creators accept Bitcoin & Lightning payments without running a node. In our conversation, we explored how UTXO’s past work on BTCPayServer led him to build Nodeless, the benefits and trade-offs of using Nodeless, along with a discussion about other emerging Lightning and Nostr use cases. → Nodeless: https://nodeless.io/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://stacksats.how/voltage → Stakwork: https://stacksats.how/stakwork This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://www.stacksats.how/podcast → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Bitcoin News: https://stacker.news/r/kr Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 01:45 - UTXO Intro 03:33 - UTXO’s Work at BTCPayServer 09:26 - What Kinds of People Will Run Nodes? 16:00 - What Is Nodeless? 25:00 - KYC and Regulations on Lightning 33:50 - The Nodeless LN/Email/NIP-05 Address 43:32 - What Can Be Built with the Nodeless API? 55:35 - P2P Markets on Nostr 59:06 - The Nodeless Business Model 1:08:44 - The Lightning Round
SS2: How Arnold Hubach Stacked 3,000,000+ Sats with Alby's Wordpress Plugin
4/8/2023 • 35m
Arnold Hubach is a Bitcoin writer who has stacked over 3,000,000 sats with Alby’s Wordpress plugin installed on his website, Bitcoin Focus. → Bitcoin Focus: https://bitcoinfocus.nl/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://stacksats.how/voltage → Stakwork: https://stacksats.how/stakwork This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://www.stacksats.how/podcast → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Bitcoin News: https://stacker.news/r/kr
E103: Pablo F7Z on Building Nostr Projects, Why Open Networks Win, and The Economics of Nostr
3/30/2023 • 1hr 37m
Pablo F7z is the head of R&D at Swan, an advisor to Ego Death Capital, and a builder of too many Nostr apps to name. In our conversation, we covered Pablo’s fascination with Bitcoin, Lightning, and Nostr, the variety of projects that can be built on nostr, the task of growing the nostr economy for creators and developers, as well as nostr risks and new ideas Pablo is thinking about. → Pablo’s Website: https://pablof7z.com/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://stacksats.how/voltage → Stakwork: https://stacksats.how/stakwork This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://www.stacksats.how/podcast → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Bitcoin News: https://stacker.news/r/kr Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:12 - Pablo F7Z Intro 10:47 - Lightning & Nostr Integrations 20:33 - Closed Silos vs. Open Networks 22:30 - How Important is Censorship-Resistance to Nostr? 29:28 - The Browser Wars & Nostr 33:00 - Who Will Earn Money on Nostr? 48:42 - Creators Earning on Nostr 1:03:20 - The Importance of Nostr Relays 1:10:13 - Marketplaces on Nostr 1:23:43 - Topic-Based Relays 1:26:50 - The Lightning Round
SS1: How Joe Martin Stacked 800,000+ Sats on Fountain, Wavlake, Voltage, BTCPayServer, and Alby
3/27/2023 • 34m
Joe Martin is a country singer who has stacked over 800,000 sats for his music using Fountain, Wavlake, Voltage, BTCPayServer, and Alby. → Joe Martin: https://www.joemartinmusic.com/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://stacksats.how/voltage → Stakwork: https://stacksats.how/stakwork This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://www.stacksats.how/podcast → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Bitcoin News: https://stacker.news/r/kr
E102: Nick Slaney on Building c= and Block’s Focus on Growing Bitcoin’s Lightning Network
3/17/2023 • 1hr 20m
Nick Slaney is the Lead at c=, which is the name of Block’s new Lightning Service Provider subsidiary. In our conversation, we explored the reason Block is setting out to build an LSP, Block’s corporate structure and the ways in which different entities interact, and the path to achieving global Lightning adoption. → c=: https://cequals.xyz/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://stacksats.how/voltage → Stakwork: https://stacksats.how/stakwork This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://www.stacksats.how/podcast → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Bitcoin News: https://stacker.news/r/kr Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:19 - Nick Slaney Intro 08:12 - What is c=? 15:35 - Why Block Decided To Build a Lightning Service Provider 22:27 - Understanding Liquidity on the Lightning Network 23:48 - Why Is c= Important to Block? 26:28 - How Will Block Deploy Their Bitcoin on the Lightning Network? 31:42 - Where Are The Opportunities for Earning Revenue as an LSP? 35:05 - Square Merchants & The Lightning Network 37:57 - How LN Interoperability Influences Product Decisions 42:38 - Open LSPs 53:35 - Payment Reliability on the Lightning Network 1:01:18 - The Role of Hobbyist Lightning Node Operators 1:06:34 - Integrations Between Nostr & Lightning 1:17:08 - The Lightning Round
E101: Andrew Begin on Building Galoy, Bitcoin Communities, and Enterprise Lightning Adoption
3/15/2023 • 1hr 21m
Andrew Begin is the Director of Marketing at Galoy, an open source Bitcoin banking platform. In our conversation, we covered the task of building and sustaining Bitcoin communities such as Bitcoin Beach and Bitcoin Jungle, the tools Galoy is building to help these communities thrive, as well as enterprise Lightning adoption. → Galoy: https://galoy.io/ → Lessons Learned from El Zonte: https://galoy.io/bitcoin-banking-for-communities-lessons-learned-from-el-zonte/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://stacksats.how/voltage → Stakwork: https://stacksats.how/stakwork This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://www.stacksats.how/podcast → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Bitcoin News: https://stacker.news/r/kr Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:08 - Andrew Begin Intro 12:33 - Why Are So Few Tech Products Built For IRL Communities? 16:36 - Lessons Learned from Bitcoin Beach 23:15 - Bitcoin Adoption in El Zonte & El Salvador 28:50 - Stablesats & Stablecoins in El Salvador 33:40 - Custody and Bitcoin Banking 42:06 - Advice for Building a Bitcoin Community 51:18 - Enterprise Lightning Adoption 1:13:01 - The Lightning Round
E100: Oscar Merry on Fountain's Evolution, Nostr, Value 4 Value, and Creator Monetization
3/13/2023 • 1hr 23m
Oscar Merry is the co-founder and CEO of Fountain, and was actually the very first guest on this podcast back when it started in late 2021. In our conversation, we covered Fountain’s evolution in the last year, the role of Nostr on Fountain, and of course the concepts of value for value and creator monetization in general. → Fountain: https://fountain.fm/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://stacksats.how/voltage → Stakwork: https://stacksats.how/stakwork This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://www.stacksats.how/podcast → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Bitcoin News: https://stacker.news/r/kr Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:27 - Oscar Merry Intro 10:51 - Lessons From Fountain’s Listeners 14:48 - Why Don’t Legacy Podcast Apps Have Messages? 19:50 - How Should Social Media Timelines Be Structured? 31:28 - Listen To Earn on Fountain 40:20 - Does Earning Money Change Engagement? 41:32 - Nostr’s Role on Fountain 48:40 - How To Help Podcasters Upgrade to Podcasting 2.0 1:02:31 - Creator Monetization & Value 4 Value 1:14:36 - The Lightning Round
E99: Desiree Dickerson on Building THNDR Games, Competitive Leagues, and Cross-App Identiy on Nostr
3/9/2023 • 1hr 17m
Desiree Dickerson is the CEO of THNDR Games, a Lightning-powered gaming platform that lets you earn Bitcoin for playing games. In our discussion, we covered the challenge of building and testing new games, the value of earning Bitcoin for gamers and gaming platforms, as well as THNDR’s latest game release and how Nostr might play a role at THNDR Games. → THNDR Games: https://www.thndr.games/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://stacksats.how/voltage → Stakwork: https://stacksats.how/stakwork This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://www.stacksats.how/podcast → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Bitcoin News: https://stacker.news/r/kr Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:22 - Desiree Dickerson Intro 05:51 - The Evolution of the Lightning Network 18:58 - Why THNDR Games Is Focused on Bitcoin 28:19 - Testing & Developing New Games 32:28 - Operational Lessons from Lightning Labs 39:26 - Solitaire, Leagues, and THNDR Metrics 46:02 - Competitive Elements on THNDR Games 48:50 - Why THNDR Games Is Building on Nostr 55:45 - Building a Cross-App Identity 1:09:59 - The Lightning Round
E98: Vitor Pamplona on Building Amethyst & Nostr Adoption, Development, Competition, and Funding
2/28/2023 • 1hr 36m
Vitor Pamplona is the lead developer at Amethyst, the most popular Nostr client for Android with over 50,000 downloads in its first month. In our conversation we explored Vitor’s path to building Amethyst, we talked about centralization, competition, and collaboration on Nostr, as well as future business models for Amethyst. → Amethyst: https://linktr.ee/amethyst.social → Vitor on Nostr: https://snort.social/p/npub1gcxzte5zlkncx26j68ez60fzkvtkm9e0vrwdcvsjakxf9mu9qewqlfnj5z Sponsors → Voltage: https://stacksats.how/voltage → Stakwork: https://stacksats.how/stakwork This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://www.stacksats.how/podcast → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Bitcoin News: https://stacker.news/r/kr Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:20 - Vitor Pamplona Intro 7:20 - Verifiable Credentials and Decentralized Identity 17:20 - How Vitor Built Amethyst 28:59 - Acquiring and Retaining Users on Nostr 37:18 - Will Clients Take a Cut of Zaps on Nostr? 42:45 - What Is The Addressable Market for Nostr? 46:39 - Expanding Nostr Demographics 52:52 - The Challenge of Getting Nostr & Lightning Metrics 57:20 - Competition and Collaboration on Nostr 1:01:38 - Why Amethyst is a Nostr Client 1:09:36 - How Will Amethyst Fund Itself? 1:15:02 - How Nostr’s Architecture Streamlines Development 1:26:05 - The Lightning Round
E97: David King on Google & Nostr’s Early Days, The Role of Lightning on Nostr, and Angel Investing
2/23/2023 • 1hr 33m
David King has been an early Google product manager, an angel investor for more than a decade, and is a creator exploring the convergence of Nostr, Bitcoin, and startups. In our conversation, we explored how Google’s early days compare to the early days of Nostr, the role Lightning could play on Nostr, and how the open internet may change the early stage investing landscape. → David King: https://www.curiousdk.com/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://stacksats.how/voltage → Stakwork: https://stacksats.how/stakwork This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://www.stacksats.how/podcast → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Bitcoin News: https://stacker.news/r/kr Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:33 - David King Intro 13:58 - What Made Google Special? 17:20 - How Open Protocols and Companies Attract Great Engineers 22:33 - Success & Failure In Venture Capital 29:26 - Expanding Opportunities for Innovation 35:14 - How Much Value Will Nostr Create For The World? 42:38 - The Role of the Lightning Network on Nostr 52:56 - Business Models on Nostr 1:02:05 - Nostr’s Layers and Opportunities 1:11:31 - Unexplored Ideas for Nostr & Lightning Builders 1:19:38 - How Will Nostr Be Funded? 1:26:31 - The Lightning Round
E96: Dhruv Bansal on The Bitcoin Stack, Distributed Markets, Scaling in Layers, Nostr, Tor, and More
2/16/2023 • 1hr 55m
Dhruv Bansal is a physicist, entrepreneur, and the co-founder of Unchained Capital. In our conversation we explored the idea of scaling Bitcoin in layers, the importance of distributed markets on Bitcoin, Lightning, and beyond, and we touched Nostr, Tor, Ordinals and frameworks for understanding Bitcoin. → The Bitcoin Stack Presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlV5_udJkC0 → Unchained Capital: https://unchained.com/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://stacksats.how/voltage → Stakwork: https://stacksats.how/stakwork This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://www.stacksats.how/podcast → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Bitcoin News: https://stacker.news/r/kr Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:20 - Dhruv Bansal Intro 08:41 - What Can Be Built on Bitcoin? 21:23 - Selling Bitcoin vs. Selling Altcoins 36:35 - The Importance of Building in Layers on Bitcoin 45:52 - How Important Is Decentralization on the Lightning Network? 58:22 - Second Order Effects of Lightning Network Changes 1:01:52 - Energy, Bitcoin, & P2P Connections 1:06:43 - The Pendulum of Centralization & Decentralization 1:13:23 - Can Lightning Fix Tor? 1:26:15 - The Role of Companies on Layered Protocol Systems 1:31:50 - Making Changes to Bitcoin 1:47:37 - The Lightning Round
E95: Nicholas Gregory on Statechains, Mercury Wallet, Scaling Bitcoin, and the Lightning Network
2/9/2023 • 1hr 10m
Nicholas Gregory is the CEO of CommerceBlock, the company using Statechains to power their product Mercury Wallet. In our conversation, Nick explained the concept and utility of statechains, Mercury Wallet’s upcoming Lightning integration, and we also discussed LSPs and Bitcoin transaction fees. → Mercury Wallet: https://mercurywallet.com/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://stacksats.how/voltage → Stakwork: https://stacksats.how/stakwork This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://www.stacksats.how/podcast → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Bitcoin News: https://stacker.news/r/kr Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:18 - Nicholas Gregory Intro 04:25 - CommerceBlock 05:56 - What are Statechains? 17:18 - Building Mercury Wallet 23:51 - Changes to Bitcoin’s Protocol 34:58 - Trends in Bitcoin Transaction Fees 37:50 - Catalysts for Lightning Development 45:37 - Traits of Good Lightning Service Providers 54:58 - Attacking the Lightning Network 1:03:59 - The Lightning Round
E94: Morgen Rochard on Building Origin, Bitcoin Financial Planning, and Payment Regulations
1/27/2023 • 1hr 27m
Morgen Rochard is the founder of Origin Wealth Advisers, a CFA, CFP, and a well-known Bitcoin advocate. In our conversation, we spoke about the challenge of preserving one’s wealth on a fiat standard, the things Bitcoin does and does not fix, and regulations and tax implications of Bitcoin and Lightning Network payments. As always, the best way you can support this show is by sending in sats over the Lightning Network. You can use any podcasting 2.0 app, there are many of them, but my favorite is Fountain. → Origin: https://www.originwa.com/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://stacksats.how/voltage → Stakwork: https://stacksats.how/stakwork This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://www.stacksats.how/podcast → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Bitcoin News: https://stacker.news/r/kr Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:14 - Morgen Rochard Intro 13:10 - Personal Finance and Monetary Incentives 20:50 - Bitcoin Fixes This, But Not All Things 27:25 - Dealing with Bitcoin Volatility 40:51 - Getting Bitcoin Exposure 52:43 - Implications of Earning Bitcoin 59:29 - Capital Gains & Record Keeping 1:18:38 - The Lightning Round
E93: Paul Sztorc on Drivechain (BIP 300/301), Bitcoin Sidechains, and Building Layer Two Labs
1/19/2023 • 2hr 6m
Paul Sztorc is the Founder and CEO of Layer 2 Labs, as well as the author of BIP 300 and 301 and a Drivechain advocate. In our conversation, we explored Drivechain history, the pros and cons of sidechains on Bitcoin, and the work Paul is doing at Layer Two Labs to help scale Bitcoin. → Drivechain: https://www.drivechain.info/ → Layer Two Labs: https://layertwolabs.com/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://stacksats.how/voltage → Stakwork: https://stacksats.how/stakwork This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://www.stacksats.how/podcast → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Bitcoin News: https://stacker.news/r/kr Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:04 - Paul Sztorc Intro 16:25 - What Is Drivechain? 19:53 - Why Haven’t BIP 300/301 Been Implemented? 32:32 - Have Drivechain Opinions Changed Over Time? 41:54 - The Effects of Bitcoin’s Blocksize War 47:50 - What Benefits Could Bitcoin Get From Drivechain? 59:59 - What Are The Best Arguments Against Drivechain? 1:12:07 - Layer Two Labs 1:28:30 - Improving Bitcoin UX 1:53:05 - Sidechains and the Lightning Network 1:59:34 - The Lightning Round
E92: John Carvalho on Synonym, Blocktank, Bitkit, Pear Credit, Slashtags, and Hyper-Bitcoinization
1/15/2023 • 2hr 9m
John Carvalho is the CEO of Synonym, a company working on a number of Bitcoin and identity products and protocols including their Bitkit wallet, their Blocktank LSP, their Slashtags protocol, and their collaboration with Holepunch on Pear Credit. In our conversation we talked about the business case for building an LSP, the unique features of Bitkit, the vision for Pear Credit, and the identity landscape with overlapping protocols in Slashtags, TBD, and Nostr. → Synonym: https://synonym.to/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://stacksats.how/voltage → Stakwork: https://stacksats.how/stakwork This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://www.stacksats.how/podcast → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Bitcoin News: https://stacker.news/r/kr Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:47 - John Carvalho Intro 05:05 - Blocktank and the LSP Business 13:22 - Demand for Lightning Network Liquidity 32:52 - Regulations and the Lightning Network 41:24 - Removing IP Addresses from the Lightning Protocol 43:59 - How The BitKit Wallet Works 1:02:23 - The Vision for Pear Credit 1:16:01 - Tokens on the Internet 1:27:59 - How Slashtags Works 1:36:53 - Slashtags vs. TBD 1:46:04 - Can Multiple Web Identity Systems Succeed? 1:58:42 - The Lightning Round
E91: Calle on Open Source Software, Lightning Development, LNBits, Cashu, & More
1/12/2023 • 1hr 24m
Calle is a Lightning developer who has worked on a handful of Lightning projects, including Lightning Tip Bot, LNBits, and Cashu. In our conversation we talked about the Cambrian explosion of Lightning development happening lately, the importance of open source software, e-cash mints, and we did a deep-dive into the work Calle is doing on LNBits and Cashu today. → LNBits: https://lnbits.com/ → Cashu: https://cashu.space/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://stacksats.how/voltage → Stakwork: https://stacksats.how/stakwork This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://www.stacksats.how/podcast → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Bitcoin News: https://stacker.news/r/kr Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:16 - Calle Intro 06:05 - The Cambrian Explosion in Lightning Development 17:08 - Why Calle Loves Open Source Software 29:44 - Was The Internet Built Backwards? 39:20 - Jack Dorsey’s Nostr Donation 40:50 - Lightning Tip Bot 54:09 - How Does LNBits Work? 1:05:32 - What Is Cashu & What Are E-Cash Mints? 1:14:08 - Will Custodial LN Wallets Integrate Cashu? 1:19:43 - The Lightning Round
E90: Evan Kaloudis on Building Zeus, Lightning Self Custody, Open Source Funding, Tor, and Taro
1/4/2023 • 1hr 22m
Evan Kaloudis is the founder of Zeus, an open-source and self-custodial mobile Lightning wallet. We talked about building Zeus and the new features it offers, the tension between custodial and self-custodial Lightning wallets, and the roadmap and business model for Zeus looking forward. → Zeus: https://zeusln.app/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Stakwork: https://stakwork.com/ This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Bitcoin News: https://stacker.news/r/kr → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:17 - Evan Kaloudis Intro 06:43 - Evan’s Decision to Build Zeus 17:01 - What Is Missing from the Lightning Ecosystem? 23:59 - Custodial vs. Self-Custodial Lightning Payments 36:49 - Privacy on the Lightning Network 40:20 - Why Haven’t Regulators Targeted Lightning Companies? 42:04 - Taro and Zeus 46:09 - Zeus 0.7 Release 59:33 - Can Bitcoin Payments Fix Tor? 1:10:23 - Zeus’ Business Model 1:15:30 - The Lightning Round
E89: Ben Carman on Lightning Network Privacy, Building Mutiny, and Browser-Based Lightning Wallets
12/30/2022 • 1hr 14m
Ben Carman is a Lightning privacy researcher, working on a handful of Lightning projects including Mutiny Wallet, The Bitcoin Company, and Vortex. We talked about the state of Lightning Network privacy, the challenge of improving one’s privacy, and the work Ben is doing to bring Lightning wallets directly to your browser with Mutiny. → Mutiny Wallet: https://mutinywallet.com/ → Lightning Privacy Research: https://lightningprivacy.com/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Stakwork: https://stakwork.com/ This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Bitcoin News: https://stacker.news/r/kr → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:24 - Ben Carman Intro 04:45 - Why Ben Loves Open Source Software 07:17 - Bitcoin’s Privacy Arms Race 13:06 - The Cypherpunk Manifesto & Lightning 21:16 - Do People Understand The Importance of Privacy? 28:45 - Lightning Privacy Report 36:14 - How Channel CoinJoins Can Improve Privacy 43:58 - How Many People Use CoinJoins Today? 46:15 - Blinded Paths & Trampoline Routing 55:17 - Mutiny Wallet 1:02:38 - Why Builders Are Migrating To The Web 1:09:36 - The Lightning Round
E88: Will Reeves on Building Fold, Bitcoin Entrepreneurs, and the Lightning Network's Evolution
12/22/2022 • 1hr 23m
Will Reeves is the CEO and co-founder of Fold, a platform that helps users earn Bitcoin rewards whenever they shop or use the Fold app. We talked about the challenge of building a resilient Bitcoin business in all kinds of market conditions, Fold’s strategy of giving away hundreds of Bitcoin to users, and the ways in which the Lightning Network needs to differentiate itself from other payment platforms. → Fold: https://use.foldapp.com/r/E7MPJRE4 Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Stakwork: https://stakwork.com/ This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Stacker News: https://stacker.news/r/kr → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:22 - Will Reeves Intro 08:49 - Why Will Decided to Build Fold 11:59 - Building Through Bull and Bear Markets 25:28 - Fold’s Gamification Strategy 32:23 - How Much Bitcoin Should Fold Pay Users? 40:19 - Bitcoin Venture Capital 56:50 - The Importance of the Lightning Network 1:08:03 - Issues with Comparing the Lightning Network to Fiat Rails 1:18:06 - The Lightning Round
E87: Caitlin Long on Custodia and How Banks Will Interact with Bitcoin, Stablecoins, and Lightning
12/17/2022 • 1hr 21m
Caitlin Long is a Wall Street veteran, and the Founder and CEO of Custodia, a platform for digital asset banking, custody, and payments. We had a wide-ranging conversation examining how banks might interact with Bitcoin in the future, the importance of stablecoins, Lightning adoption, and much more. → Custodia: https://custodiabank.com/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Stakwork: https://stakwork.com/ This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 01:59 - Caitlin Long Intro 05:50 - How Wall Street’s Views on Bitcoin Have Evolved 13:54 - Hal Finney’s Vision for Bitcoin Banks 22:59 - Scaling Bitcoin in Layers 31:34 - Moving Bitcoin or Fiat on Lightning 44:28 - Improving Bitcoin and Fiat Infrastructure 49:28 - Banking Costs vs. Bitcoin Costs 59:32 - Can All Banks Benefit from Lightning Payments? 1:12:06 - The Lightning Round
E86: Ben Price on Building The Bitcoin Company, OpenSats, and Improving Payments with Lightning
12/13/2022 • 1hr 24m
Ben Price is the co-founder and CEO of The Bitcoin Company (TBC), an app that allows anyone to earn Bitcoin for all their shopping. In our conversation, we discussed how TBC’s app works, the challenge of disrupting credit card and loyalty point networks all over the world, the importance of the Lightning Network, and the work Ben is doing on OpenSats. → The Bitcoin Company: https://thebitcoincompany.com/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Stakwork: https://stakwork.com/ This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:23 - Ben Price Intro 06:45 - How VISA Payments Work 15:56 - Why Are Fiat Payments So Complicated? 18:38 - How The Bitcoin Company Works 29:08 - Why Merchants Like Credit Cards 39:00 - Disrupting Credit Cards and Airline Rewards 51:33 - Bitcoin Banks 1:01:19 - What Payments Will People Make on Lightning? 1:10:30 - What Is OpenSats? 1:17:13 - The Lightning Round
E85: Albert Buu on Building NeutronPay, Payments in Vietnam, and Instant Lightning Remittances
12/8/2022 • 1hr 13m
Albert Buu is the founder of NeutronPay, a company building a Lightning-powered API and mobile app for moving money around the world. In our conversation, we discussed NeutronPay’s product and vision for their API, why they’ve decided to initially focus on the Vietnam market, and the adoption and addressable opportunity for Lightning remittances. → NeutronPay: https://neutronpay.com/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Stakwork: https://stakwork.com/ This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:00 - Albert Buu Intro 08:53 - Albert’s Views on Payment Middlemen 14:38 - Custodial Lightning Products and Banks 23:12 - How NeutronPay Works 29:42 - Why NeutronPay Is Focused on Vietnam 36:57 - Payment Use Cases in Vietnam 41:49 - NeutronPay and Lightning Competitors 49:00 - El Salvador Remittance Adoption 59:30 - Constraints to Lightning Adoption in Southeast Asia 1:08:15 - The Lightning Round
E84: Alex Busarov on Building Heatbit and How Home Heaters Could Distribute Bitcoin Mining Hashrate
12/6/2022 • 1hr 7m
Alex Busarov is the founder of Heatbit, a company building an electric heater that mines Bitcoin. In our conversation, we discussed how the Heatbit heater works, whether this home heating use case can introduce new people to Bitcoin mining, when Heatbit plans to integrate Lightning Network payouts, as well as the vision and roadmap for the company. → Heatbit: https://www.heatbit.com/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Stakwork: https://stakwork.com/ This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:11 - Alex Busarov Intro 06:41 - How Does Heatbit Work? 13:31 - Building a Miner vs. Building a Heater 18:16 - The Economics of a Heatbit Heater 24:42 - Why Heatbit Chose To Build Home Heaters 34:35 - Will Heatbit Integrate Lightning Network Payouts? 38:56 - Will All Heaters Be Powered By Bitcoin Miners? 50:12 - Heatbit’s Roadmap & Product Strategy 1:02:30 - The Lightning Round
E83: Azz on Building Valera and Combining Lightning Software & Hardware To Bring Billions To Bitcoin
11/24/2022 • 1hr 23m
Azz is the 16 year old founder of Valera, a company uniting hardware and software to bring Lightning payments to billions of people around the world. In our conversation, we discussed Indra, Valera’s Lightning node runtime for enabling near-zero cost Lightning nodes, we discussed the concept of connecting cold keys and wearable devices to your Lightning node, and we explored the idea of integrating hardware and software to build better products. → Valera: https://valera.co/ → Indra Tweetstorm: https://twitter.com/617a7a/status/1594696672973570048 Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Stakwork: https://stakwork.com/ This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:15 - Azz Intro 09:09 - What Is A Lightning Node Runtime? 11:31 - How Indra Works 21:59 - What Might Indra Developers Build? 23:58 - Cold Keys on the Lightning Network 35:27 - Lowering the Cost of a Lightning Node by 10,000x 38:51 - Performance Trade-offs of Indra 46:03 - Will Indra Improve Lightning Network Reliability? 50:49 - Valera’s Vision 1:07:08 - Valera’s Focus on Hardware & Software 1:20:48 - The Lightning Round
E82: Alex Adelman on Building Lolli, Accelerating Bitcoin Adoption, and the Lightning Network
11/24/2022 • 1hr 28m
Alex Adelman is the CEO & co-founder of Lolli, a Bitcoin-back rewards platform that has helped over 600,000 people stack sats while shopping. We had a wide-ranging conversation that covered Lolli’s aim to increase Bitcoin adoption, why Lolli has chosen not to integrate the Lightning Network yet, and why Alex believes smart contracts on Bitcoin are a big net positive for the ecosystem. → Lolli: https://lolli.com/share/GFQ8CiEhMc Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Stakwork: https://stakwork.com/ This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:27 - Alex Adelman Intro 10:41 - How Bitcoin Prices & Economic Downturns Affect Lolli 16:39 - How Do We Accelerate Bitcoin Adoption 28:14 - What Should Bitcoiners Be Focused On? 32:09 - Why Non-Fungible Assets are Important to Bitcoin 37:21 - Celebrity Investors & Bitcoin 45:32 - Why Lolli Isn’t on the Lightning Network Yet 52:02 - How To Make Lightning Simple 58:12 - Lolli’s Roadmap 1:01:17 - The Evolution of Cash Back Rewards 1:15:39 - Incentivized Advertising on the Internet 1:20:26 - The Lightning Round
E81: Bastien Teinturier on ACINQ, Collaborating with LN Implementations, and Lightning Adoption
11/16/2022 • 1hr 13m
Bastien Teinturier is the VP of Engineering at ACINQ, the team behind the Eclair Lightning implementation and the Phoenix mobile wallet. We spoke about collaboration and competition between Lightning implementations, the task of building Eclair and Phoenix, as well as a discussion about Lightning business models and Lightning adoption. → ACINQ: https://acinq.co/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Stakwork: https://stakwork.com/ This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:28 - Bastien Teinturier Intro 08:47 - Communication Between Bitcoin & Lightning Developers 12:29 - Why Has Lightning Payment Reliability Improved? 16:30 - Communication Between Lightning Implementations 27:48 - Why ACINQ Built Phoenix Wallet 33:38 - Upcoming Phoenix Wallet Features 43:25 - Lightning Features on ACINQ’s Roadmap 51:31 - Why ACINQ Chose VC Funding 1:07:02 - The Lightning Round
E80: Austin Mitchell on Building Synota & How Lightning Payments Can Disrupt the Energy Industry
11/11/2022 • 1hr 5m
Austin Mitchell is the co-founder and CEO of Synota, a platform providing instant payments for energy generators, distributors, and consumers by leveraging Bitcoin’s Lightning Network. In our conversation we discussed the complexity of the energy value chain, the risks associated with the cash lags that energy companies are exposed to, and we discussed how Synota’s technology will reduce risks and lower costs across the energy industry. → Synota: https://www.synota.io/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Stakwork: https://stakwork.com/ This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 01:52 - Austin Mitchell Intro 06:24 - Energy Production & Consumption 14:06 - How Distributed is the Energy Industry? 32:14 - How Synota Will Improve the Energy Industry 38:32 - The Addressable Opportunity for Improved Energy Payments 50:16 - Synota’s Business Model 52:26 - Why is Synota Focusing on Bitcoin Miners? 1:02:48 - The Lightning Round
E79: Julian Fahrer on Building Apollo, The Price of Information, and the Lightning Network
11/8/2022 • 1hr 13m
Julian Fahrer is the co-founder and CEO of Apollo, a platform for discovering and writing reviews of your favorite products, where quality reviews are rewarded with Bitcoin. In our conversation we grappled with the ideas that information should be free but time should not, we explored the issues with review platforms today, and we talked about how Lightning Network payments can help Apollo generate higher quality reviews. → Apollo: https://heyapollo.com/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Stakwork: https://stakwork.com/ This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:18 - Julian Fahrer Intro 08:26 - Should Information Be Free? 17:45 - Why Apollo Chose To Build a Reviews Platform 23:20 - Apollo’s Vision 31:12 - The Importance of Negative Feedback Loops 36:14 - What’s Wrong with Review Platforms Today? 41:05 - How Monetary Incentives Affect Reviews 48:50 - The Challenge of Getting a Product to Critical Mass 54:59 - Apollo’s Impact on Advertising 1:05:27 - The Lightning Round
E78: Marco Argentieri on Building Fuji Money Using the Lightning Network & Liquid Sidechain
11/3/2022 • 58m
Marco Argentieri is the co-founder of Fuji Money, a non-custodial platform for issuing Bitcoin-backed stablecoins and synthetic assets using the Lightning Network and Bitcoin’s Liquid sidechain. In our conversation we discussed how Fuji works, the concept of over-collateralized lending, and why Fuji is building on Lightning and Liquid. → Fuji Money: https://fuji.money/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Stakwork: https://stakwork.com/ This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:07 - Marco Argentieri Intro 06:36 - Why Fuji Is Building on Lightning & Liquid 13:56 - How Does Fuji Money Work? 19:06 - Why Do We Need Over-Collateralized Lending? 34:13 - Fuji Money’s Business Model 37:20 - How Fuji Interacts with the Lightning Network 41:28 - Fuji Roadmap 44:07 - Regulatory Issues with Issuing Stablecoins 49:17 - Ideas for Bitcoin Builders 52:32 - The Lightning Round
E77: Sam Wouters on Insights from River's Lightning Nodes, RLS, and the Future of LN Payments
10/29/2022 • 1hr 25m
Sam Wouters is a Bitcoin Research Analyst at River, where he has recently put together an in-depth report on River’s Lightning Nodes. In our conversation we discussed Sam’s findings from studying the payments flowing through River’s node, River’s API service, and the future of payments on the Lightning Network. → River’s Lightning Report: https://river.com/learn/files/river-lightning-report.pdf Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Stakwork: https://stakwork.com/ This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:13 - Sam Wouters Intro 09:10 - Becoming a Better Bitcoin Educator 15:45 - Why River Published Their Lightning Report 29:53 - How Does River Decide Which Nodes To Connect To? 32:44 - How River & Chivo Are Working Together 38:28 - How Will River Make Money on the Lightning Network? 43:57 - Why Are So Many Lightning Nodes Running on Tor? 49:20 - How Important is Decentralization on Lightning? 1:04:25 - Making Large Payments on Lightning 1:17:41 - The Lightning Round
E76: Chase Perkins on the Impervious Browser, Decentralized Identifiers, and Digital Self-Sovereignty
10/26/2022 • 1hr 27m
Chase Perkins is the founder of Impervious, a Lightning-powered, P2P internet browser that recently launched their alpha version. In our conversation we discussed censorship and privacy on the internet today, we explored how Impervious works, the importance of peer-to-peer communication, decentralized identifiers, and the Lightning Network. → Impervious: https://www.impervious.ai/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Stakwork: https://stakwork.com/ This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:23 - Chase Perkins Intro 10:21 - Where Would The World Be Without P2P Technology? 15:26 - How Does the Impervious Browser Work? 20:39 - Surprises Building Impervious 26:52 - Impervious Transitioning from an API to a Browser 34:14 - The Importance of Having Multiple Decentralized Identities 39:58 - Why Aren’t All Apps P2P? 50:16 - Emerging P2P App Ideas 1:05:56 - Why Is Lightning Necessary for Impervious? 1:11:45 - The Lightning Round
E75: John Light on Validity Rollups on Bitcoin, ZK-proofs, and the Lightning Network
10/20/2022 • 1hr 19m
John Light is a Bitcoin researcher who recently published a paper exploring how Validity Rollups might work on Bitcoin. In our conversation, we first explored what zero-knowledge proofs and rollups are, we discussed the different ways in which rollups could be implemented, the risks and rewards to implementing rollups on Bitcoin, and the ways in which rollups and the Lightning Network could be complementary to each other. → Bitcoin Rollups: https://bitcoinrollups.org/ → Unexpected Tradeoff from Bitcoin Soft Forks: https://bitcoinops.org/en/newsletters/2022/07/13/#x-only-workaround Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Stakwork: https://stakwork.com/ This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:26 - John Light Intro 10:31 - What are ZK-Proofs & Rollups? 18:23 - How Might Rollups Help Bitcoin Scalability 27:57 - Privacy Implications of Rollups on Bitcoin 34:25 - Rollup Security 39:44 - How Might Rollups Be Implemented on Bitcoin? 44:14 - The Case Against Rollups on Bitcoin 52:26 - Unintended Consequences of Bitcoin Soft Forks 1:00:45 - Validity Rollups vs. Lightning Network 1:11:06 - The Lightning Round
E74: Johns Beharry on Bitcoin Design, Bolt.Fun, and Accelerating Global Bitcoin Adoption
10/18/2022 • 1hr 22m
Johns Beharry is a Bitcoin designer building a platform for Lightning builders called Bolt.Fun. In our conversation, we explored the importance of design in Bitcoin, the state of the Bitcoin builder ecosystem, and the Legends of Lightning tournament being hosted by Bolt.Fun to get more builders working on Lightning to accelerate global Bitcoin adoption. → Bolt.Fun: https://makers.bolt.fun → Legends of Lightning: https://makers.bolt.fun/tournaments/1/overview Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Stakwork: https://stakwork.com/ This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:14 - Johns Beharry Intro 11:58 - The Importance of Design in Bitcoin 15:18 - The Bitcoin Design Guide 30:42 - Design Priorities in the Bitcoin Ecosystem 34:41 - What is Bolt.Fun? 47:17 - Builders in the Legends of Lightning Tournament 52:29 - The Health of the Bitcoin Builder Community 1:03:49 - Bitcoin Open Source Grants 1:16:44 - The Lightning Round
E73: James Andrew on Lightning Bridge, Using Lightning as a Payment Rail, Web3, and Taro
10/12/2022 • 1hr 24m
James Andrew is the CEO & Technical Director of Global Liquidity, the company building a product called Lightning Bridge to connect apps like Cash App and Strike with crypto over the Lightning Network. In our discussion, James explained exactly how Lightning Bridge works, why the Lightning Network is the perfect payment rail for currency swaps and transfers, and we discussed Web3, Taro, and more. → Lightning Bridge: https://www.lightningbridge.com/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Stakwork: https://stakwork.com/ This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:19 - James Andrew Intro 06:24 - How Lightning Bridge Works 11:02 - Lightning Bridge vs. Strike 15:21 - The Different Types of Lightning Node Operators 23:38 - Why Do Institutions Care About Lightning? 29:22 - Will Wrapped Assets on Taro Disrupt Lightning Bridge? 37:24 - Is The Lightning Network Necessary for Digital Payments? 40:48 - Lightning Bridge Competitors 54:08 - James Andrew on Taro 1:00:50 - How Will The Lightning Network Change The World? 1:06:52 - The Lightning Round
E72: Vijay Boyapati on The Evolution of Money, Bitcoin's Role as Money, and the Lightning Network
10/3/2022 • 58m
Vijay Boyapati is the author of The Bullish Case for Bitcoin, and one of the brightest Bitcoiners around. In our discussion, Vijay explained his thesis on the evolution of money, we explored where Bitcoin is in this four-phase evolution, and specifically covered the role of the Lightning Network and Bitcoin as a medium of exchange. → The Bullish Case for Bitcoin: https://www.bullishcaseforbitcoin.com/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Stakwork: https://stakwork.com/ This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:24 - Vijay Boyapati Intro 08:00 - The Evolution of Money 26:08 - How Long Will Bitcoin’s Evolution Take? 32:53 - Bitcoin and the Gartner Hype Cycle 36:53 - Bitcoin as a Medium of Exchange 46:01 - Earning Bitcoin on the Lightning Network 49:37 - Interesting Lightning Network Use Cases 55:08 - The Lightning Round
E71: Ry Sterling on IBEX Mercado, New Lightning Use Cases, and Helping El Salvador Adopt Bitcoin
9/27/2022 • 1hr 11m
Ry Sterling is the VP of North America at IBEX Mercado. There are two parts to the IBEX business, it is a tool enabling merchants to accept Bitcoin payments, and an infrastructure platform for enabling entirely new Lightning use cases. In our discussion, Ry explained the vision for IBEX Mercado, we explored a bunch of emerging Lightning use cases, and we discussed the adoption of Bitcoin in El Salvador. → IBEX Mercado: https://www.ibexmercado.com/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Stakwork: https://stakwork.com/ This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:44 - Ry Sterling Intro 15:23 - Gamifying Money on the Lightning Network 20:30 - Remittances & IBEX Cash 26:48 - Where Will Lightning Adoption Come From? 30:23 - What Lessons IBEX Learned From Pitching Merchants 42:35 - When Will Square Introduce Lightning Payments? 43:28 - Why IBEX’s Business Is Accelerating 47:36 - IBEX & El Salvador 55:55 - What Impact Will Fiat Bridges on Lightning Have on the World? 1:03:54 - The Lightning Round
E70: Ray Marceau on Building Purse, Integrating Lightning, and Focusing on Bitcoin
9/21/2022 • 1hr 13m
Ray Marceau is the CEO of Purse, a marketplace enabling anyone to spend Bitcoin to buy products on Amazon, or sell Amazon gift cards to buy Bitcoin. In our discussion, Ray explained how the Purse platform works, the ups and downs of their 8-year journey in the Bitcoin space, why Purse decided to integrate Lightning payments this summer, and why they’re considering focusing exclusively on Bitcoin on their platform. → Purse: https://app.purse.io?_r=StackSats Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Stakwork: https://stakwork.com/ This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/ → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:38 - Ray Marceau Intro 13:54 - How Does Purse Work? 17:28 - Purse and Amazon Gift Cards 23:55 - Purse’s Lightning Network Integration 36:04 - What Lightning Metrics Is Purse Watching? 38:04 - Why Purse is Focusing on Bitcoin 56:42 - Privacy on Lightning 59:42 - Ray’s Lessons Learned as CEO 1:06:03 - The Lightning Round
E68: Lyle Pratt on Building Vida, Communicating on Lightning, and Helping Anyone Earn For Their Time
9/9/2022 • 1hr 25m
Lyle Pratt is the founder and CEO of Vida, a platform for letting anyone monetize their time with paid messages, calls, and livestreams. In our discussion, Lyle explained how Vida works, the role Lightning payments might play across social media, his experience building on Lightning to date, and how Vida could help more people earn more Bitcoin. → Vida: https://vida.page/?ref=kr Sponsor → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:06 - Lyle Pratt Intro 05:37 - Vida’s Vision 12:27 - Why is Money the Right Tool to Reduce Spam? 18:08 - Will Advertisers Target Vida Users? 22:53 - Emerging Vida Use Cases 32:25 - Payment Splits and Referral Systems 41:59 - Vida Adoption To Date 43:46 - Lyle’s Experience Building on Lightning 57:47 - Creators Earning on Vida 1:02:20 - How Will Vida Capture Value? 1:16:47 - The Lightning Round
E67: Egge on Lightning Network Advertising and the Creator Economy on a Bitcoin Standard
9/1/2022 • 1hr 20m
Egge is the co-founder of Starbackr and an advertising industry veteran who has fallen down the Bitcoin and Lightning rabbit hole. Egge explained how the world of advertising works, how Lightning could offer improvements for advertisers and consumers, and how the creator economy might evolve on a Bitcoin standard. → Starbackr: https://starbackr.com/ Sponsor → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 01:55 - Egge Intro 06:38 - The Advertising Industry Today 17:20 - Disrupting The Advertising Middlemen 25:40 - Changing The Relationship People Have With Advertisers 40:42 - Advertising on the Lightning Network 50:26 - Creator Monetization Business Models 54:56 - Enabling Anyone to Earn Online 1:06:15 - The Lightning Round
E66: Danny Diekroeger on Cash App, LDK, and Operating the Deezy LN Node
8/27/2022 • 1hr 31m
Danny Diekroeger is a Bitcoin software engineer at Cash App, and the operator of one of the world’s largest Lightning nodes. In our conversation, Danny explained how Cash App thinks about building Bitcoin and Lightning features, and the challenges of operating a Bitcoin business at scale. we also discussed Spiral’s Lightning Development Kit and Danny’s strategy for becoming a top Lightning node operator. → Deezy Node: https://deezy.io/ → Danny Diekroeger on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dannydiekroeger Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → ZEBEDEE: https://zeb.gg/rooke This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:19 - Danny Diekroeger Intro 07:55 - Why Cash App Integrated Lightning 13:41 - Lightning Adoption at Cash App 23:28 - Lightning Network Payment Success Rate 26:22 - Cash App’s Infrastructure for Building Bitcoin Apps at Scale 43:08 - How Companies Choose Between Lightning Implementations 48:10 - The Evolution of Block’s Business Structure 1:00:57 - Danny’s Journey to Becoming a LN Node Operator 1:09:51 - Reputation on the Lightning Network 1:20:35 - Running a Profitable Lightning Node 1:24:34 - The Lightning Round
E65: Fiatjaf on LNURL, Nostr, LNTXBot, Pancho, P2P Apps, Value 4 Value, and More
8/24/2022 • 1hr 20m
Fiatjaf is a pseudonymous programmer who has worked on a handful of really impactful projects in and adjacent to the Lightning Network ecosystem. In our discussion, we discussed the work Fiatjaf has done on LNURL, LNTXBot, Nostr, and Pancho, as well as the P2P internet movement and the concept of Value 4 Value. → Fiatjaf’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/fiatjaf Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → ZEBEDEE: https://zeb.gg/rooke This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:15 - Fiatjaf Intro 03:46 - Why Fiatjaf Began Working on Lightning 08:18 - LNTXBot Adoption 11:10 - What Are Hosted Channels? 21:00 - Are Lightning Nodes “Money Transmitters”? 23:40 - What is LNURL? 33:22 - What Happens After BOLT12? 38:05 - The State of Lightning Development 42:37 - Lightning Adoption & Earning Bitcoin 44:42 - What is Nostr? 54:57 - P2P Communication vs. Nostr 1:00:25 - Value 4 Value 1:11:10 - The Lightning Round
E64: Joe Consorti on the Time Value of the Lightning Network, Lightning Banks, and Taro
8/20/2022 • 1hr 30m
Joe Consorti is a Bitcoin market analyst who recently wrote a great article called The Time Value of the Lightning Network. In our discussion, we got into the time value of money and how it applies to the Lightning Network, we discussed Lightning banks, and we explored the idea of generating yield on Lightning today, and using things like Taro in the future. → The Time Value of the Lightning Network: https://thebitcoinlayer.substack.com/p/the-time-value-of-lightning-network Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → ZEBEDEE: https://zeb.gg/rooke This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:31 - Joe Consorti Intro 06:58 - Lightning Network Catalysts 09:59 - Earning Yield and the Lightning Network Reference Rate 26:49 - Lightning Network Fees Over Time 32:07 - Why Public LN Capacity is a Lagging Indicator 39:12 - The Fiat vs. Bitcoin Risk Curves 50:44 - Bitcoin Denominated Loans 59:12 - Who Can Be a Lightning Bank? 1:02:37 - Taro’s Impact on Bitcoin and Lightning 1:15:17 - The Lightning Round
E63: Christopher David on Arcade City, Decentralized Ride Sharing, and Building on Lightning
8/14/2022 • 1hr 25m
Christopher David is the CEO and Founder of Arcade City, a peer-to-peer platform that aims to decentralize ride-sharing and enable a circular Bitcoin economy. In our talk, we spoke about Arcade City’s vision, the issues facing gig economy workers, and why Arcade City decided use Bitcoin, Lightning, and Nostr to bring their platform to life. → Arcade City: https://arcade.city/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → ZEBEDEE: https://zeb.gg/rooke This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:30 - Christopher David Intro 08:46 - Arcade City’s Inception 17:07 - Why Is Arcade City Building on Lightning? 33:35 - Arcade City Payments, Communication, and Discovery 49:40 - Can Arcade City Disrupt Uber or Lyft? 1:13:26 - Scaling Arcade City 1:20:17 - The Lightning Round
E62: John on Building Zaprite, Getting Paid in Bitcoin, and Accounting on a Bitcoin Standard
8/12/2022 • 1hr 19m
John is the CEO and Founder of Zaprite, an invoicing platform that helps anyone get paid in Bitcoin. In our talk, we spoke about how Zaprite’s product works, the challenges keeping people from getting paid in Bitcoin, and the things people really care about when accepting payments: fees, speed, and stability. → Zaprite: https://zaprite.com/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → ZEBEDEE: https://zeb.gg/rooke This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats. The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:11 - John from Zaprite Intro 12:20 - How To Get People Earning Bitcoin 20:34 - Payment Fees, Speed, and Price Stability 37:19 - Aggregating Balances Across Lightning Wallets 42:55 - KYC Rules for Bitcoin Invoicing and Accounting Software 47:43 - Operating a Bitcoin Startup in an Uncertain World 1:02:39 - Austin’s Bitcoin Community 1:11:58 - The Lightning Round
E61: Nicolas Burtey on Stablesats, Galoy, Bitcoin Banks, and El Salvador's Bitcoin Adoption
8/3/2022 • 1hr 16m
Nicolas Burtey is the CEO and co-founder of Galoy, an open source banking platform helping communities of any size adopt Bitcoin. In our talk, we spoke about Galoy’s latest release called Stablesats, we talked about the future of stablecoins and Bitcoin banks, and Nicolas shared some updates on the latest in El Salvador’s Bitcoin adoption. → Galoy: https://galoy.io/ → Adopting Bitcoin Conference: https://adoptingbitcoin.org/2022/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud → ZEBEDEE: https://zeb.gg/rooke Before every show, I ask listeners on Twitter to send in their best questions for future guests. I read off all the questions for the guest, and pick one listener to receive a split of the sats earned for the episode. To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:13 - What Is Stablesats? 08:03 - Stablesats Risks 16:08 - Asset vs. Contract Stablecoins 20:18 - Why Are Stablecoins Being Built on Lightning Now? 24:02 - Will Galoy Earn Money from Stablesats? 29:24 - Galoy Adoption & Bitcoin Banking 35:25 - What Is The Role of a Bank in the Bitcoin Economy? 53:00 - Bitcoin Adoption in El Salvador 1:08:38 - The Lightning Round
E60: Randy Naar on the Liquid Sidechain, Blockstream, Issuing Assets & More
7/29/2022 • 1hr 12m
Randy Naar is a software engineer at Blockstream, working on getting assets on the Liquid side chain. In our talk, we spoke about what Liquid is, how it works, Liquid Network usage today, and the applications that asset issuers might want to use Liquid for in the future. → Liquid: https://blockstream.com/liquid/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → ZEBEDEE: https://zeb.gg/rooke Before every show, I ask listeners on Twitter to send in their best questions for future guests. I read off all the questions for the guest, and pick one listener to receive a split of the sats earned for the episode. To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:13 - Randy Naar Intro 08:25 - How Does The Liquid Sidechain Work? 13:26 - Liquid & Lightning 27:02 - What Is The Bear Case for Liquid? 39:23 - Liquid Usage Today 47:51 - Attracting Developers To Build on Liquid 49:50 - Liquid Assets & Taro Assets 1:02:31 - The Lightning Round
E59: Paolo Ardoino & Mathias Buus on Holepunch, Keet, Building P2P Apps, and Lightning Adoption
7/26/2022 • 1hr 39m
Paolo Ardoino and Mathias Buus are the co-founders of Holepunch, a fully encrypted platform for building peer-to-peer applications. Matthias is the CEO, who has been building P2P products for a decade, and Paolo is CSO, along with being the CTO at Tether. In our talk, we spoke about what Holepunch is and how it works, how P2P apps can eliminate the costs and risks of relying on cloud data storage, we explored the apps developers could build on top of Holepunch, and the ways they could monetize their apps with Bitcoin or stablecoins on Lightning. → Holepunch: https://holepunch.to/ → Keet: https://keet.io/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → ZEBEDEE: https://zeb.gg/rooke Before every show, I ask listeners on Twitter to send in their best questions for future guests. I read off all the questions for the guest, and pick one listener to receive a split of the sats earned for the episode. To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:25 - Mathias Buus & Paolo Ardoino Intro 13:08 - How Do Holepunch & Keet Work? 21:23 - BitTorrent vs. Holepunch 25:41 - What Happens To Datacenters In A P2P World? 32:19 - Will Web 2 Companies Adapt To P2P Technology? 45:47 - Why Is Holepunch Being Built Today? 52:17 - Holepunch vs. Personal Servers 1:11:46 - What Can Developers Build on Holepunch? 1:18:07 - Will Holepunch and Keet Make Money? 1:25:29 - The Lightning Round
E58: Alan Plus on Building LN+, Getting Liquidity, and Lightning Network Adoption
7/23/2022 • 1hr 18m
Alan Plus is the founder and CEO of Lightning Network+, a marketplace for getting inbound and outbound liquidity by participating in channel swaps. In our talk, Alan and I spoke about why he built LN+, how the platform works, and their business model, competition, and network effects on Lightning more broadly. → LN+: https://lightningnetwork.plus/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → ZEBEDEE: https://zeb.gg/rooke Before every show, I ask listeners on Twitter to send in their best questions for future guests. I read off all the questions for the guest, and pick one listener to receive a split of the sats earned for the episode. To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:10 - Alan Plus Intro 7:33 - How Do Liquidity Swaps Work? 18:30 - Filtering Nodes In Channel Swaps 22:54 - Competition Among LN Liquidity Marketplaces 28:24 - The Business Model for LN+ 33:52 - Privacy on the Lightning Network 40:29 - What Is Slowing Down Lightning Network Adoption? 51:50 - Roadmap for LN+ 53:20 - Alan Plus’ Favorite Lightning Apps 1:00:45 - The Lightning Round
E57: Christian Decker on Blockstream, Greenlight, Lightning Scalability, and More
7/14/2022 • 1hr 33m
Christian Decker is a researcher at Blockstream who has been involved in Bitcoin since 2009, and even did his Ph.D dissertation on Bitcoin. In our talk, Christian and I spoke about Blockstream and their Lightning project called Greenlight, we discussed Lightning scalability, and we even got into things like channel factories, liquidity ads, peerswap, and more. → Blockstream: https://blockstream.com/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → ZEBEDEE: https://zeb.gg/rooke Before every show, I ask listeners on Twitter to send in their best questions for future guests. I read off all the questions for the guest, and pick one listener to receive a split of the sats earned for the episode. To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:59 - Christian Decker Intro 10:31 - Lightning & Liquid as Experimentation Platforms for Bitcoin 17:58 - Cooperation Between Lightning Implementations 25:36 - Blockstream Greenlight 40:13 - Blockstream’s Satellite 44:05 - The Limits of Lightning Scalability 48:50 - Multi-Party Channels & Channel Factories 58:07 - Can Routing Node Operators Keep LN Channels Open Forever? 1:02:32 - Peerswap & Liquidity Ads 1:16:30 - The Lightning Round
E56: Gigi on Internet Business Models, Value 4 Value, and Freedom in an Information Age
7/9/2022 • 1hr 38m
Gigi is a pseudonymous Bitcoin developer and author and is full of compelling ideas about Bitcoin and the Lightning Network. In our talk, Gigi explained how ad-funded business models on the internet are broken, how value for value can offer a solution, and his views on paywalls, micro-payments, and freedom in the information age. → Gigi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dergigi → The Freedom of Value: https://dergigi.com/2021/12/30/the-freedom-of-value/ → Human B | Bitcoin Documentary: https://vimeo.com/658711759 Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → ZEBEDEE: https://zeb.gg/rooke Before every show, I ask listeners on Twitter to send in their best questions for future guests. I read off all the questions for the guest, and pick one listener to receive a split of the sats earned for the episode. To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:36 - Gigi Intro 08:03 - How Internet Monetization Is Broken 20:45 - The Mental Cost of Micropayments 37:09 - Internet Platforms Competing on Payments 46:05 - Protocols vs. Platforms 50:55 - Will Value 4 Value Help Creators Earn More? 1:10:41 - Why Might Value 4 Value Not Work? 1:17:20 - The Lightning Round
E55: Udi Wertheimer on Bitcoin, The Lightning Network, Stablecoins, and More
6/30/2022 • 1hr 42m
Udi Wertheimer is a developer by trade, and one of the most thought-provoking and controversial figures on Bitcoin Twitter. We’ve had a few back-and-forths on Lightning adoption on Twitter, so I wanted to do a full episode. In our talk, Udi explained his views on Bitcoin and the Lightning Network, the value of stablecoins, as well as the Metaverse, Web3, Web5, and tribalism in crypto. → Udi’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/udiWertheimer Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → ZEBEDEE: https://zeb.gg/rooke Before every show, I ask listeners on Twitter to send in their best questions for future guests. I read off all the questions for the guest, and pick one listener to receive a split of the sats earned for the episode. To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 03:15 - Udi Wertheimer Intro 08:58 - How Udi’s Views on Decentralization Have Evolved 12:30 - The State of Bitcoin Development 32:32 - Scaling Bitcoin on the Lightning Network 55:59 - Taro & The Role of Stablecoins 1:12:33 - Lightning Wallet Usage 1:19:16 - The Lightning Round
E54: William Casarin on Lightning as a Communications Layer for Bitcoin, LNLink, Nostr, and Damus
6/26/2022 • 1hr 19m
William Casarin is a Bitcoin and Lightning developer working on a new project called Damus, built on the Nostr protocol. We had a technical discussion where William explained why he sees the Lightning Network as a communications layer for the Bitcoin economy, the ways the internet may evolve over time, and William’s work on LNLink, Nostr, and Damus. → Damus: https://damus.io/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → ZEBEDEE: https://zbd.gg/ Before every show, I ask listeners on Twitter to send in their best questions for future guests. I read off all the questions for the guest, and pick one listener to receive a split of the sats earned for the episode. To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 03:15 - William Casarin Intro 07:49 - BOLT12 10:35 - The Web and the Lightning Network 22:57 - Will Lightning be the Communications Layer of the Bitcoin Economy? 28:40 - The Issues with Centralized and Custodial Solutions on Lightning 40:28 - Building on Core Lightning vs. Other LN Implementations 45:52 - The Nostr Protocol & The Damus Client 59:51 - The Implications of Embedding Value in Internet Apps 1:08:01 - The Lightning Round
E53: Max Webster on Hivemind Ventures, Exponential Curves, and Lightning Network Opportunities
6/20/2022 • 1hr 22m
Max Webster is the founder of Hivemind Ventures, an early stage fund investing in Bitcoin startups building on the Lightning Network. In our conversation, Max explained why he’s investing in Lightning Network startups today, we explored the business opportunities for Lightning nodes, liquidity marketplaces, and emerging payment apps, and we got into startup valuations, identifying strong founders, and finding product-market fit in the Lightning ecosystem. → Hivemind Ventures: https://hivemind.vc/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → ZEBEDEE: https://zbd.gg/ Before every show, I ask listeners on Twitter to send in their best questions for future guests. I read off all the questions for the guest, and pick one listener to receive a split of the sats earned for the episode. To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:49 - Max Webster Intro 09:07 - How Lightning Solves Problems Crypto Can’t Solve 12:42 - Lightning Network Scalability 17:15 - Lightning Nodes & Railroad Networks 25:08 - Is Max Worried About Centralization on Lightning? 30:45 - Lightning Network Liquidity Marketplaces 38:33 - Emerging Lightning Native Applications 40:53 - Stacker News 55:36 - More Than 2 Billion People on Lightning in 2032 1:02:31 - Investing In Lightning Startups 1:14:45 - The Lightning Round
E52: Jared Nusinoff on Building Mash and Helping Creators Earn More on the Lightning Network
6/15/2022 • 1hr 14m
Jared Nusinoff is the founder and CEO of Mash, a Lightning powered platform helping anyone on the internet earn more for the content they create. In our conversation, Jared explained how Mash works, how independent creators can benefit from Mash in the same way independent retailers benefit from Shopify or Etsy, and the ways the internet will change when native payments are ubiquitous. → Mash: https://www.getmash.com/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → ZEBEDEE: https://zbd.gg/ Before every show, I ask listeners on Twitter to send in their best questions for future guests. I read off all the questions for the guest, and pick one listener to receive a split of the sats earned for the episode. To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:27 - Jared Nusinoff Intro 05:47 - How Does Mash Work? 07:00 - Why Is the Lightning Network Essential for Mash? 22:20 - Mash Enables Creators Like Shopify Enables Merchants 28:24 - Mash’s Total Addressable Market 37:50 - Pay As You Enjoy & Value 4 Value 42:06 - How Much Can Creators Earn on Mash? 54:51 - Web3, Web5, and the Future of the Internet 59:46 - The Lightning Round
E51: Roy Sheinfeld on Building Breez, Streaming Sats, & LN Adoption
6/10/2022 • 1hr 23m
Roy Sheinfeld is the co-founder and CEO of Breez, a self-custodial platform for streaming sats to podcasters, accepting payments as a merchant, and sending Bitcoin all on the Lightning Network. In our conversation, Roy shared insight into Breez adoption and the types of users on the app, and we explored the business of supplying liquidity on the Lightning Network. → Breez: https://breez.technology/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → ZEBEDEE: https://zbd.gg/ At the end of every show, I answer any questions listeners send in over the Lightning Network. To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:39 - Roy Sheinfeld Intro 11:20 - Streaming Sats on the Lightning Network 16:31 - Why Podcasts Adopted Lightning Before the Music Industry 25:26 - Breez’s Point of Sale System 31:48 - The Future of Payment Types on Lightning 39:06 - Breez’s Roadmap 52:16 - Lightning on the Internet vs. a Lightning Internet 57:59 - Breez’s Liquidity Service Provider Business 1:05:29 - The Lightning Round
E50: Alex Leishman on Building River, Taro Use Cases, and Earning Yield on the Lightning Network
6/4/2022 • 1hr 10m
Alex Leishman is the founder and CEO of River, a platform for buying Bitcoin that also happens to be one of the largest players on the Lightning Network. In our conversation, Alex explained why River launched their Lightning integration way back in 2019, we explored some of the new use cases Taro could unlock on Lightning, and examined the risk-reward tradeoffs of earning yield on Lightning vs. other forms of yield. → River: https://river.com/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → ZEBEDEE: https://zbd.gg/ Before every show, I ask listeners on Twitter to send in their best questions for future guests. I read off all the questions for the guest, and pick one listener to receive a split of the sats earned for the episode. To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:51 - Alex Leishman Intro 04:48 - Why Alex Built River 11:23 - Why River Integrated the Lightning Network 17:19 - Important Lightning Trends for River 25:59 - Will River Facilitate Asset Exchanges on Taro? 35:27 - Lessons Learned from Operating Lightning Routing Nodes 45:01 - Earning Yield on the Lightning Network 53:26 - Will Bitcoin Flow to Lightning As Yields Rise? 57:00 - Risks of Operating a Hot Lightning Wallet 59:14 - Exponential Lightning Network Growth 1:01:48 - The Lightning Round
E49: Paul Itoi on Stakwork, Sphinx Chat, Earning Bitcoin, and AI vs. Humans
6/1/2022 • 1hr 13m
Paul Itoi has built two of the most popular Lightning applications to date, Sphinx Chat and Stakwork. These platforms already enable people to chat and earn over the Lightning Network, and Paul’s vision for where these platforms will go next is incredible. In our wide-ranging conversation, Paul and I discussed the concept of earning Bitcoin, how AIs and humans can work together to truly build a world computer, and how decentralized knowledge graphs can help people learn faster than ever. → Sphinx: https://sphinx.chat/ → Stakwork: https://stakwork.ai/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → ZEBEDEE: https://zbd.gg/ At the end of every show, I answer any questions listeners send in over the Lightning Network. To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:26 - Paul Itoi Intro 05:29 - Why Build on Lightning? 10:36 - What is Stakwork? 14:53 - How Humans and AIs Can Work Together 21:10 - How Earning Bitcoin Can Change The Way We Work 32:52 - Stakwork’s Real World Impact Today 46:19 - Sphinx & Their Decentralized Knowledge Graph 51:47 - Knowledge Graph Use Cases 1:04:36 - What Else Will Be Built on Bitcoin? 1:08:49 - The Lightning Round
E48: Michael Levin on Lightning Labs, Bitcoin & Lightning Adoption, and Taro
5/28/2022 • 1hr 42m
Michael Levin is a Product Manager at Lightning Labs, a company building tools to bring Bitcoin to billions. In our conversation, Michael and I discussed the dual adoption curves of Bitcoin, we explored the entire suite of Lightning Labs products, and we discussed Taro and the future of the Lightning Network. → Lightning Labs: https://lightning.engineering/ → The Dual Adoption Curves of Bitcoin (Part 1): https://michael-levin.medium.com/part-1-the-dual-adoption-curves-of-bitcoin-2ffafbc5d5e7 → The Dual Adoption Curves of Bitcoin (Part 2): https://michael-levin.medium.com/part-2-lightning-network-bitcoins-crossing-the-chasm-superpower-7fe4fd4702dc Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → ZEBEDEE: https://zbd.gg/ At the end of every show, I answer any questions listeners send in over the Lightning Network. To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:21 - Michael Levin Intro 05:27 - Bitcoin as an Asset & a Network 14:49 - The Lightning Network’s Crossing the Chasm Moment 17:33 - Value 4 Value 27:58 - Lightning Labs and LND 39:27 - Lightning Loop 44:40 - Lightning Pool 59:04 - Plebnet & The Role of Routing Node Operators 1:09:26 - Lightning Network Usage, Fees, and Capacity 1:15:06 - Taro and a Multi-Asset Lightning Network 1:30:46 - Lightning Network Predictions 1:39:24 - The Lightning Round
E47: Henrik Skogstrøm on LN Capital and Operating a Successful Lightning Network Routing Node
5/25/2022 • 1hr 11m
Henrik Skogstrøm is the founder of LN Capital, a company building capital management software for routing nodes. In our conversation, Henrik and I discussed LN Capital’s first product Torq, the challenges routing operators face today, the addressable market for Lightning Network payments, and the skill and capital requirements for being a successful Lightning node operator. → LN Capital: https://ln.capital/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → ZEBEDEE: https://zbd.gg/ At the end of every show, I answer any questions listeners send in over the Lightning Network. To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:07 - Henrik Skogstrøm Intro 07:27 - The Addressable Market for Lightning Routing 13:54 - Measuring Routing Efficiency on the Lightning Network 19:53 - Bitcoin as a Productive Asset 24:09 - Factors Affecting Lightning Income Yield 29:01 - Ways to Earn Yield on Lightning 38:45 - Automating Lightning Node Operations 43:04 - What Skills Make for Good Routing Node Operators? 53:56 - Regulations & the Lightning Network 57:45 - Lightning Network Predictions 1:05:40 - The Lightning Round
E46: Rene Pickhardt on Multi-Part Payments, Zero Base Fee, and Lightning Network Limitations
5/18/2022 • 1hr 23m
Rene Pickhardt is an independent researcher working on improving payments on the Lightning Network. In our talk, Rene explained his experience doing independent Bitcoin research, how multi-part payments and zero base fees can improve Lightning payments, and some of the limitations of the Lightning Network today. → Rene’s Website: https://ln.rene-pickhardt.de/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → ZEBEDEE: https://zbd.gg/ At the end of every show, I answer any questions listeners send in over the Lightning Network. To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:21 - Rene Pickhardt Intro 10:40 - Rene’s Experience Writing Mastering The Lightning Network 15:41 - Rene’s Experience as an Independent Researcher 27:41 - Multi-Part Payments 47:51 - Reliability, Fees, and Latency on Lightning 54:15 - Zero Base Fees 1:09:57 - Real-World Parallels for Lightning Network Architecture 1:16:41 - Limitations of the Lightning Network 1:21:01 - The Lightning Round
E45: Daniel Buchner on Building Decentralized Identity at Block
5/11/2022 • 1hr 23m
Daniel Buchner is the Head of Decentralized Identity at Block, the company formerly known as Square. In our talk, Daniel helped me understand the concept of identity, why and how identity can be decentralized, and how having self-sovereignty over your identity can change the relationships and the power dynamics between users and the apps we use today. → TBD: https://tbd.website/ → DIF: https://identity.foundation/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → ZEBEDEE: https://zbd.gg/ At the end of every show, I answer any questions listeners send in over the Lightning Network. To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog Timestamps 00:00 - Highlights & Intro 02:34 - Daniel Buchner Intro 08:38 - Taking Control of Your Public Identifiers 13:39 - Securing Decentralized Identifiers 22:59 - Building a Decentralized Identity Network 25:32 - Block’s Decentralized Identity Work 36:54 - Privacy for DIDs 45:00 - DIDs vs. Slashtags 49:24 - The Process of Developing Open Standards 56:31 - Applications for Decentralized Identity 1:00:07 - Personal Servers 1:03:00 - How Self-Hosting Changes the Relationships Between Apps and Users 1:12:24 - tbDEX 1:20:06 - The Lightning Round
E44: Tom Chojnacki on Satsback & Lightning Powered Loyalty Rewards
5/7/2022 • 1hr 3m
Tom Chojnacki is the founder of Satsback, a platform that helps you save in bitcoin whenever you shop online. In our conversation, Tom and I discussed the concept of Sats back rewards, why consumers love Bitcoin as a form of loyalty points, and the addressable market for retail and e-commerce rewards. →Satsback: https://satsback.com/ Sponsors → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → ZEBEDEE: https://zbd.gg/ At the end of every show, I answer any questions listeners send in over the Lightning Network. To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Links → Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations → Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 01:05 - Tom Chojnacki Intro 04:15 - Different Types of Satsback Rewards 14:23 - Onboarding New Users to Lightning 19:44 - Can Merchants Instantly Split Payments on Lightning? 28:43 - How Big is the Global Cashback Economy? 46:43 - Sats Back vs. Loyalty Points & Rewards 50:48 - Interesting New Lightning Applications 1:00:07 - The Lightning Round
E43: Sam Walker on Reacher and Solving Email Spam with Lightning Payments
5/5/2022 • 1hr 16m
Sam Walker is a Senior Software Engineer at Strike, and the creator of a new app called Reacher that aims to solve email spam with Lightning payments. In our conversation, Sam and I discussed exactly how Reacher works, how Lightning can eliminate spam all over the internet, and some of the new business models that may emerge on a Lightning-powered internet. → Reacher: https://www.reacher.me/ Today’s show is sponsored by Voltage and ZEBEDEE. → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → ZEBEDEE: https://zbd.gg/ At the end of every show in the Lightning Round, I answer any questions listeners send in over the Lightning Network. To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the iOS or Google Play App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → Listen to More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Follow Kevin Rooke on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 01:09 - Sam Walker Intro 12:47 - Can Email Paywalls Enable New Email Use Cases? 21:35 - Streaming Bitcoin on Lightning vs. Streaming Dollars on Lightning 26:38 - Web3, Lightning, and the Next Iteration of the Internet 35:31 - Monopolies & Value Capture on Lightning 43:06 - Twitter and the Lightning Network 52:46 - How Will Users Interact with Lightning Apps? 1:00:05 - The Impact of Lightning on Internet vs. Offline Payments 1:09:13 - The Lightning Round
E42: Julie Landrum on OpenNode, Payment Processing Fees, and Network Effects
4/30/2022 • 1hr 25m
Julie Landrum leads International Strategy & Growth for OpenNode, a Bitcoin payment processor built on the Lightning Network. In our conversation, Julie and I discussed the addressable market for Bitcoin payments, the hidden fees traditional payment processors charge, and the challenge of overcoming the network effect of fiat payment systems. → OpenNode: https://www.opennode.com/ Today’s show is sponsored by Voltage and ZEBEDEE. → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → ZEBEDEE: https://zbd.gg/ At the end of every show in the Lightning Round, I answer any questions listeners send in over the Lightning Network. To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the iOS or Google Play App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → Listen to More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Follow Kevin Rooke on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 01:17 - Julie Landrum Intro 07:49 - The Addressable Market for Payments & Payouts 15:40 - The Adoption of Lightning In El Salvador 29:09 - Success Metrics for OpenNode 41:24 - Can Lightning Break Down Traditional Payment Rail Network Effects? 53:46 - Merchants on Lightning & Hidden Credit Card Fees 1:18:21 - The Lightning Round
E41: Lyn Alden on the Lightning Network, Stablecoins, and Bitcoin Adoption
4/28/2022 • 1hr 25m
Lyn Alden is an investor and analyst who needs no introduction on this show. In our conversation, Lyn and I discussed her interest in Bitcoin’s Lightning Network, liquidity as a network effect, the impact of stablecoins on Lightning, nation-state Bitcoin adoption, and much more. → Lyn Alden: https://www.lynalden.com/ Today’s show is sponsored by Voltage and ZEBEDEE. → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → ZEBEDEE: https://zbd.gg/ At the end of every show in the Lightning Round, I answer any questions listeners send in over the Lightning Network. To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the iOS or Google Play App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → Listen to More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Follow Kevin Rooke on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 01:38 - Lyn Alden Intro 08:57 - Lightning & Bitcoin Network Effects 22:02 - Bitcoin as a Unit of Account 28:16 - Stablecoins on Lightning 38:23 - Regulatory Risks for Bitcoin & Lightning 42:36 - Interesting Use Cases for Lightning Payments 59:09 - Nation State Bitcoin Adoption 1:08:58 - The Bear Case for Bitcoin and Lightning 1:22:30 - The Lightning Round
E40: Zero Fee Routing on Running One of the World's Top Lightning Routing Nodes
4/23/2022 • 1hr 11m
Zero Fee Routing is the pseudonymous operator of one of the world’s largest Lightning Network routing nodes. As the name implies, Zero Fee Routing doesn’t charge fees to route payments, and as a result has become a major hub of Lightning connectivity, routing over 10 BTC of payment volume per day. In our conversation, we discussed their strategy of selling liquidity and routing for free, their decision to move their node from LND to Core Lightning, and the future earning prospects for routing nodes on the network. → Zero Fee Routing Node: https://amboss.space/node/038fe1bd966b5cb0545963490c631eaa1924e2c4c0ea4e7dcb5d4582a1e7f2f1a5 Today’s show is sponsored by Voltage and ZEBEDEE. → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → ZEBEDEE: https://zbd.gg/ At the end of every show in the Lightning Round, I answer any questions listeners send in over the Lightning Network. To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the iOS or Google Play App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → Listen to More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Follow Kevin Rooke on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Lightning Address: ⚡kr@getalby.com Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 01:28 - Zero Fee Routing Intro 03:47 - Why Zero Fee Routing Doesn’t Charge Routing Fees 09:38 - How Much Bitcoin Should You Allocate to the Lightning Network? 12:43 - Inbound Liquidity Fees on the Lightning Network 16:17 - LND vs. Core Lightning for Routing Nodes 21:31 - Zero Fee Routing’s Transaction Volume 38:53 - Where Should Lightning Node Operators Allocate Capital? 43:27 - Earning Interest on your Bitcoin from Routing on Lightning 51:26 - The Risks of Storing Bitcoin on Lightning 59:34 - Advice for Routing Node Operators 1:08:53 - The Lightning Round
E39: Dennis Reimann on BTCPay Server, Lightning Merchants, & Value 4 Value
4/20/2022 • 1hr 12m
Dennis Reimann is a programmer at BTCPay Server, a self-hosted, open-source Bitcoin payment processor. In our conversation, we discussed how BTCPay Server works and the plug-ins that will be built on top of it, the benefits and drawbacks of Lightning for merchants, and value 4 value as a business model. → BTCPay Server: https://btcpayserver.org/ Today’s show is sponsored by Voltage and ZEBEDEE. → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → ZEBEDEE: https://zbd.gg/ At the end of every show in the Lightning Round, I answer any questions listeners send in over the Lightning Network. To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the iOS or Google Play App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → Listen to More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Follow Kevin Rooke on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Lightning Address: ⚡kr@getalby.com Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 01:08 - Dennis Reimann Intro 09:10 - Features & Plugins Being Built on BTCPay Server 14:52 - The Challenges Holding Back Bitcoin Merchant Adoption 30:28 - How Will Bitcoin & Lightning Fees Evolve? 36:47 - BTCPay Server’s Foundation & Non-Profit Sustainability 43:14 - Value 4 Value as a Business Model 53:23 - PodServer & Podcasting 2.0 1:08:50 - The Lightning Round
E38: John Cantrell on Building Sensei, Lightning Node Implementations, and Emerging Lightning Use Cases
4/17/2022 • 1hr 17m
John Cantrell is the pseudonymous creator of Sensei, a lightning node implementation focused on making Bitcoin accessible to the entire world. In our conversation, we discussed exactly what Sensei is, Sensei’s relationship to Spiral’s BDK and LDK, the broader Lightning implementation landscape, and emerging payments use cases that could be built on Lightning. → Sensei: https://l2.technology/sensei Today’s show is sponsored by Voltage and ZEBEDEE. → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → ZEBEDEE: https://zbd.gg/ At the end of every show in the Lightning Round, I answer any questions listeners send in over the Lightning Network. To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the iOS or Google Play App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → Listen to More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Follow Kevin Rooke on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Lightning Address: ⚡kr@getalby.com Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 01:07 - John Cantrell Intro 06:35 - Non-Payment Use Cases on Lightning 16:52 - What Is Sensei? 33:06 - Business Models for Lightning Implementations 45:14 - Developers Building on LDK 57:03 - The Impact of Streaming Payments 1:05:16 - Lightning Adoption Successes & Areas for Improvement 1:15:43 - The Lightning Round
E37: Mempool Co-Founder Simon on Open Source Bitcoin Projects, Lightning, Liquid, Bisq, & Bitcoin's Mempool
4/15/2022 • 1hr 1m
Simon is the co-founder of the Mempool Open Source project, an explorer for monitoring Bitcoin transactions, mempool congestion, network fees, and more. In our conversation, we discussed the value of building Mempool as an open-source, self-hosted project, the Liquid Network’s role as a side chain on Bitcoin, peer-to-peer exchanges like Bisq, and the debate around Bitcoin’s transaction fee sustainability. → Mempool: https://mempool.space/ The Lightning Round is sponsored by Voltage, the industry standard in Lightning Network infrastructure. → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Use code KEVINROOKE to get 50% off your first month's Lightning node The Lightning Round is the show segment where I answer any questions listeners send in over the Lightning Network. To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the iOS or Google Play App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → Listen to More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Follow Kevin Rooke on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Lightning Address: ⚡kr@getalby.com Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 01:07 - Simon Intro 03:00 - The Importance of Building Open Source & Self-Hosted Projects 14:41 - The Future of Centralized vs. Self-Hosted Applications 25:57 - The Liquid Network as a Sidechain on Bitcoin 37:31 - Why Haven’t Exchanges Integrated Liquid? 42:00 - Mempool’s Plans to Build a Lightning Explorer 44:33 - Bitcoin’s Mempool & Transaction Fee Sustainability 52:21 - Incentives for Bitcoin Businesses to Move to Lightning & Liquid 56:09 - The Similarities and Differences Between Taro & Liquid 59:45 - The Lightning Round
E36: Stelios Rammos on Building Geyser and Crowdfunding on the Lightning Network
4/12/2022 • 1hr 18m
Stelios Rammos is the co-founder of Geyser, a Bitcoin crowdfunding platform built on the Lightning Network. In our conversation, we discussed the pros and cons of fiat crowdfunding platforms, the ways Lightning can improve accessibility for fundraisers, as well as stablecoins, censorship resistance, and the Geyser roadmap. → Geyser: https://geyser.fund/ The Lightning Round is sponsored by Voltage, the industry standard in Lightning Network infrastructure. → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Use code KEVINROOKE to get 50% off your first month's Lightning node The Lightning Round is the show segment where I answer any questions listeners send in over the Lightning Network. To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the iOS or Google Play App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → Listen to More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Follow Kevin Rooke on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Lightning Address: ⚡kr@getalby.com Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 00:58 - Stelios Rammos Intro 08:02 - The Pros & Cons of Fiat Crowdfunding Platforms 11:55 - How Lightning Could Improve Crowdfunding 14:03 - Geyser Success Stories & User Behaviour 22:37 - How Geyser Works Today 33:26 - Future Payment Methods on Lightning 44:24 - Helping More People Earn More Sats 53:05 - Stablecoins on Lightning 56:30 - Canadian Truckers & Bitcoin Fundraising 1:03:12 - Geyser’s Roadmap 1:06:57 - Equity Crowdfunding on Bitcoin 1:16:28 - The Lightning Round
E35: Lisa Neigut on Blockstream's Core Lightning, The Differences Between LN Implementations, and Base58
4/8/2022 • 1hr 21m
Lisa Neigut is a member of Blockstream’s Lightning team, and the co-founder of Base58, branded as the world’s best Bitcoin education company. Lisa and I discussed her work at Blockstream, the differences between Lightning implementations, as well as centralization risks and educating Bitcoin developers at Base58. → Core Lightning: https://blockstream.com/lightning/ → Base58: https://www.base58.info/ The Lightning Round is sponsored by Voltage, the industry standard in Lightning Network infrastructure. → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Use code KEVINROOKE to get 50% off your first month's Lightning node The Lightning Round is the show segment where I answer any questions listeners send in over the Lightning Network. To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the iOS or Google Play App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → Listen to More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Follow Kevin Rooke on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 01:09 - Lisa Neigut Intro 10:43 - Lisa’s Work on the Lightning Team at Blockstream 14:58 - What Differentiates Various Lightning Implementations? 24:24 - Do Lightning Implementations Have Strong Network Effects? 29:38 - Corporate Incentives for Lightning Implementations 39:57 - Centralization Risks on the Lightning Network 43:43 - The Importance of Distributed LN Nodes & Personal Servers 1:03:24 - Lisa’s Vision for Base58 & Bitcoin Education 1:19:06 - The Lightning Round
E34: Cory Klippsten on Building Swan Bitcoin, Angel Investing, and the Lightning Network
4/6/2022 • 58m
Cory Klippsten is the co-founder of Swan Bitcoin, as well as a Bitcoin angel investor and educator. Cory and I had a wide-ranging conversation, starting with Cory’s work at Swan, and then getting into the Lightning work Cory is doing, startup investing, the macro-economic picture, educating Bitcoiners, and more. → Swan Bitcoin: https://www.swanbitcoin.com/ → The Bitcoin Canon: https://www.swanbitcoin.com/canon/ The Lightning Round is sponsored by Voltage, the industry standard in Lightning Network infrastructure. → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Use code KEVINROOKE to get 50% off your first month's Lightning node The Lightning Round is the show segment where I answer any questions listeners send in over the Lightning Network. To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the iOS or Google Play App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → Listen to More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Follow Kevin Rooke on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Lightning Address: ⚡kr@getalby.com Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 00:52 - Cory Klippsten Intro 07:43 - Swan’s Ambition to Help Bitcoin Savers, Earners, and Spenders 15:03 - Constraints Limiting Bitcoin Adoption Today 17:49 - Earning Bitcoin on Lightning 25:52 - The Hardest Part of Educating People on Bitcoin 27:55 - Are Enough People Aware of Inflation? 37:31 - Governments Using Bitcoin as a Tool to Improve Their Country 45:20 - Cory’s Bitcoin Startup Investing & El Zonte Capital 50:30 - Bitcoin & Lightning Predictions 54:34 - The Lightning Round
E33: Pierre Rochard on Kraken's Lightning Integration, Other Exchanges Supporting Lightning, and Lightning Predictions
4/2/2022 • 1hr 22m
Pierre Rochard is a Bitcoin advocate, entrepreneur, and a Product Manager at Kraken, where he played a key role in launching Kraken’s Lightning Network integration. Pierre and I discussed exactly how Kraken’s Lightning integration was launched, the trade-offs that exchanges face when considering integrating with the Lightning Network, and a wide array of Lightning Network predictions. → Kraken: https://www.kraken.com/ → Kraken’s Lightning Node: https://amboss.space/node/02f1a8c87607f415c8f22c00593002775941dea48869ce23096af27b0cfdcc0b69 The Lightning Round is sponsored by Voltage, the industry standard in Lightning Network infrastructure. → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Use code KEVINROOKE to get 50% off your first month's Lightning node The Lightning Round is the show segment where I answer any questions listeners send in over the Lightning Network. To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the iOS or Google Play App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → Listen to More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Follow Kevin Rooke on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 01:04 - Pierre Rochard Intro 13:52 - Kraken’s Lightning Network Integration 17:34 - Will Kraken Be a Catalyst for Other Exchanges to Adopt Lightning? 27:06 - Using Lightning for Exchange Operations vs. Routing Revenue 36:11 - Why Kraken Chose to Build on LND 46:10 - Exchanges Choosing To Integrate Lightning 54:07 - Lightning Network Predictions 1:17:56 - The Lightning Round
E32: Anders Helseth on the State of the Lightning Network
3/25/2022 • 1hr 16m
Anders Helseth is a senior analyst at Arcane Research, and helped create their State of The Lightning Network report. Anders and I discussed the Lightning Network metrics covered in his report, the pace of innovation in Lightning since the report was published, and potential catalysts that could spur on further Lightning adoption. → Arcane Research: https://www.research.arcane.no/ → The State of  Lightning Report: https://www.research.arcane.no/the-state-of-lightning The Lightning Round is sponsored by Voltage, where you can ask me questions over the Lightning Network. → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Use code KEVINROOKE to get 50% off your first month's Lightning node At the end of every show I answer any questions listeners send in over the Lightning Network. To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the iOS or Google Play App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → Listen to More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Follow Kevin Rooke on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 00:57 - Anders Helseth Intro 07:27 - State of Lightning Report Findings 15:02 - Almost 100 Million People Have Access to the Lightning Network 17:18 - What Will Be The First Mainstream Lightning Application? 24:35 - Adoption of Remittances on the Lightning Network 34:08 - Sending vs. Earning Bitcoin on Lightning 38:24 - Lightning Network Misconceptions 56:47 - Lightning Network Predictions 1:07:22 - The Next Lightning Network Growth Catalyst 1:15:09 - The Lightning Round
E31: Abubakar Nur Khalil on the ₿ Trust and Lightning Innovation in Africa
3/20/2022 • 1hr 19m
Abubakar Nur Khalil is the CEO at Recursive Capital, a ₿ Trust board member, and a co-founder at Qala. Abubakar and I discussed his role in overseeing Jack Dorsey and Jay Z’s ₿ Trust, Bitcoin and Lightning adoption in Nigeria and Africa more broadly, investing in African Lightning startups through his work at Recursive, and educating the next generation of Bitcoin developers. → Recursive Capital: https://rcrsv.xyz The Lightning Round is sponsored by Voltage, where you can ask me questions over the Lightning Network. → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Use code KEVINROOKE to get 50% off your first month's Lightning node At the end of every show I answer any questions listeners send in over the Lightning Network. To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the iOS or Google Play App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → Listen to More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Follow Kevin Rooke on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 00:59 - Abubakar Nur Khalil Intro 12:00 - What Motivates Abubakar To Build on Bitcoin? 17:56 - The Evolution of Payments & Banks in Nigeria 26:46 - Bitcoin’s Role in Helping the Banked & Unbanked 34:09 - Is Bitcoin A Hedge Against Inflation in Nigeria? 38:40 - Abubakar’s Role in Jack Dorsey & Jay Z’s B Trust 57:55 - Factors Limiting Lightning Adoption 1:02:45 - What Applications Will Accelerate Lightning Adoption? 1:18:33 - The Lightning Round
E30: Bryan Solstin on Making Bitcoin Legal Tender In America
3/19/2022 • 1hr 19m
Bryan Solstin is a US Senate Candidate with a campaign focused on making Bitcoin legal tender in America. Bryan and I discussed the steps required to make Bitcoin legal tender, Bitcoin’s effect on the US political landscape today, how the Lightning Network will fulfill Bitcoin’s ability to be a medium of exchange, and the second-order effects of America on a fiat vs. Bitcoin standard. → Bryan Solstin: https://solstin.org/ → Bryan’s 22 Bitcoin Use Cases: https://zenimal.xyz/use-cases The Lightning Round is sponsored by Voltage, where you can ask me questions over the Lightning Network. → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Use code KEVINROOKE to get 50% off your first month's Lightning node At the end of every show I answer any questions listeners send in over the Lightning Network. To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the iOS or Google Play App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → Listen to More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Follow Kevin Rooke on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 01:47 - Bryan Solstin Intro 04:31 - Bryan’s Introduction to Bitcoin 09:44 - The Impact of a Broken Fiat Financial System 14:29 - Transitioning From a Fiat Standard to a Bitcoin Standard 21:25 - The Steps to Making Bitcoin Legal Tender in the US 30:39 - What Will The Future Role of the US Dollar Be? 34:56 - Bitcoin as a Medium of Exchange 42:46 - Bitcoin’s Impact as a Payments Platform 49:45 - Bitcoin’s Energy Usage 56:49 - Why America Should Be First to Adopt Bitcoin 1:01:05 - How Long Will It Take to Make Bitcoin Legal Tender? 1:04:29 - How Bitcoin Demonetizes Real Estate 1:12:48 - The Lightning Round
E29: Brian Murray on Craft Ventures, Investing in Bitcoin Companies, and the Impact of the Lightning Network
3/17/2022 • 1hr 23m
Brian Murray is a partner and the COO at Craft Ventures, a VC firm dedicated to finding the next generation of world-changing companies. Brian shared a fascinating perspective on Bitcoin, Lightning, startup investing, and the ways in which the Lightning Network will be impactful to different sets of people all over the world. I learned a ton from this conversation, and I know you will too. → Craft Ventures: https://www.craftventures.com/ The Lightning Round is sponsored by Voltage, where you can ask me questions over the Lightning Network. → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Use code KEVINROOKE to get 50% off your first month's Lightning node At the end of every show I answer any questions listeners send in over the Lightning Network. To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the iOS or Google Play App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → Listen to More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Follow Kevin Rooke on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 01: 38 - Brian Murray Intro 07:18 - The Lightning Network’s Impact on Society 12:05 - Will Lightning Change The Way People Earn? 19:22 - How To Get More People Building on Bitcoin 21:22 - How Craft Ventures Partners Think About Bitcoin 23:36 - Craft Ventures’ Investing Process 28:28 - SaaS and Bitcoin Business Models 37:22 - Bootstrapping a Bitcoin Business 39:39 - The Lightning Network’s TAM 45:05 - Hedging Uncertainty with Bitcoin 48:00 - Measuring Bitcoin Adoption 55:19 - Lightning’s Impact in the Developing vs. Developed World 59:25 - Creating & Capturing Value on Lightning 1:12:30 - The Lightning Round
E28: Michael Bumann & Moritz Kaminski on Building Alby, Improving Lightning Payments, and Value 4 Value
3/15/2022 • 1hr 17m
Michael Bumann and Moritz Kaminski are the co-founders of Alby, a Chrome extension that enables anyone to send Bitcoin over the Lightning Network directly from their browser. Michael, Moritz, and I spoke about exactly how Alby works, the similarities and differences between Alby and Metamask, why Alby chose to build on WebLN and LNURL, as well as a wide-ranging discussion covering identity, value for value, and interesting new Lightning applications. → Alby: https://getalby.com/ The Lightning Round is sponsored by Voltage, where you can ask me questions over the Lightning Network. → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Use code KEVINROOKE to get 50% off your first month's Lightning node At the end of every show I answer any questions listeners send in over the Lightning Network. To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the iOS or Google Play App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → Listen to More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Follow Kevin Rooke on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Lightning Address: ⚡kr@getalby.com Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 01:35 - Alby Intro 05:21 - Connecting the Lightning Network to the Web 09:09 - Building a Browser Extension  vs. Browser vs. Mobile App 13:08 - Disrupting Existing Business Models vs. Creating New Markets 16:40 - Similarities & Differences Between Alby and MetaMask 18:56 - Why Should People Use Alby? 26:50 - Are Lightning App Developers Using WebLN & LNURL? 30:48 - Value 4 Value 53:52 - Will Lightning Be More Impactful for Digital or Physical Goods? 56:30 - Alby's Business Model 59:56 - Will Alby Solve Identity on the Lightning Network? 1:07:00 - Interesting Lightning Applications 1:11:50 - The Lightning Round
E27: Ken Kruger on Building Moon & Enabling Anyone To Spend Bitcoin Anywhere
3/11/2022 • 1hr 17m
Ken Kruger is the CEO and Founder of Moon, a company making it easy for anyone to spend their Bitcoin anywhere online. Ken and I spoke about exactly how Moon enables this functionality, Moon’s partnership with VISA, the challenge for traditional payment platforms to innovate on Lightning, as well as a wide-ranging discussion covering privacy, censorship, and emerging Lightning applications. → Moon: https://paywithmoon.com/ The Lightning Round is sponsored by Voltage, where you can ask me questions over the Lightning Network. → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Use code KEVINROOKE to get 50% off your first month's Lightning node At the end of every show I answer any questions listeners send in over the Lightning Network. To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the iOS or Google Play App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → Listen to More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Follow Kevin Rooke on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Lightning Address: ⚡kr@getalby.com Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 01:20 - Ken Kruger Intro 05:51 - How Does Moon Work? 09:00 - Visa’s Expansion Into Crypto Wallets 14:53 - The Impact of Low Transaction Fees oh Lightning 19:40 - Demand for Stablecoins 22:18 - Commerce Activity on Moon 26:52 - Making Private Payments on Moon 30:56 - Why Are People Concerned About Privacy and Censorship Now? 33:17 - Politics in Business 41:14 - Moon’s Product Roadmap 45:38 - Lightning Adoption on Moon 48:13 - Why Moon Users Are Choosing Lightning 57:40 - Will Lightning Payments Change Commerce Volume? 59:05 - Interesting Lightning Applications 01:12:21 - The Lightning Round
E26: Justin Rezvani on Building Zion, Social Media on Lightning, Value 4 Value, and Lightning Adoption
3/8/2022 • 1hr 10m
Justin Rezvani is the CEO of Zion, a Bitcoin company re-imagining social media on the Lightning Network. Justin and I spoke about how Zion differs from traditional social media apps, the importance of peer-to-peer communication and value transfer, how Value 4 Value changes people’s behavior, and Zion’s business model and adoption metrics to date. → Zion: https://www.getzion.com/ The Lightning Round is sponsored by Voltage, where you can ask me questions over the Lightning Network. → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Use code KEVINROOKE to get 50% off your first month's Lightning node At the end of every show I answer any questions listeners send in over the Lightning Network. To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the iOS or Google Play App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → Listen to More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Follow Kevin Rooke on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke → Lightning Address: ⚡kr@getalby.com Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 01:29 - Justin Rezvani Intro 07:07 - Zion’s Social Media Vision 15:54 - Transitioning Users From Web 2 to Zion 19:04 - Zion’s Social Media Focus 24:41 - Supporting Creators With Sats 33:13 - Paid vs. Free Social Media 40:24 - Convincing Users To Pay For Zion 43:02 - Does Zion Rank Content? 48:25 - How Will Zion Build A Sustainable Business? 52:00 - Getting New Users On Lightning & Zion 54:40 - Educating People About Bitcoin 56:35 - Lightning Network Statistics 01:00:53 - Lightning Network Predictions 01:03:14 - Interesting Lightning Applications 01:05:12 - The Lightning Round
E25: Oleg Mikhalsky on Fulgur Ventures, Investing in Lightning Companies, and Lightning Adoption
3/5/2022 • 1hr 22m
Oleg Mikhalsky is a Partner at Fulgur Ventures, a VC firm focused on investing in Bitcoin and Lightning Network companies. Oleg and I spoke about why Fulgur is so excited about the Lightning Network, new business models enabled by Lightning, attracting founders to build on Lightning, valuations in the Lightning startup ecosystem, and the different types of adoption the Lightning Network is seeing today. → Fulgur Ventures: https://fulgur.ventures/ The Lightning Round is sponsored by Voltage, where you can ask me questions over the Lightning Network. → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Use code KEVINROOKE to get 50% off your first month's Lightning node At the end of every show I answer any questions listeners send in over the Lightning Network. To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the iOS or Google Play App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → Listen to More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Follow Kevin Rooke on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 01:43 - Oleg Mikhalsky Intro 05:59 - Lightning Network Progress Since 2018 09:27 - Is Lightning Adoption Tied To Bitcoin’s Price? 12:25 - Why Invest in Lightning Companies? 17:17 - The Importance Of Value-Add Investors 22:16 - The Lightning Network’s Impact on Existing and New Markets 28:13 - Missing Components of the Lightning Ecosystem 32:08 - How Will the Metaverse Evolve? 36:26 - Proven Business Models in Lightning 43:13 - Are Lightning Companies Appropriately Valued? 49:51 - Are There Enough Founders Building on Lightning? 54:28 - Convincing Founders To Build on Lightning 58:23 - Where Does Lightning Adoption Come From? 01:05:03 - El Salvador’s Approach To Bitcoin 01:09:50 - Lightning Network Predictions 01:17:28 - The Lightning Round
E24: Chris Stewart on Suredbits, Oracles, DLCs, and Building Financial Markets on Bitcoin
3/3/2022 • 1hr 26m
Chris Stewart is the founder of Suredbits, a company focused on building financial applications and markets directly on the Bitcoin protocol. Chris and I spoke about Bitcoin’s smart contract limitations today, the ways in which DLCs could enable new applications for Bitcoin, how DLCs, CFDs, and Oracles work, and the future applications of Bitcoin smart contracts that Chris is excited about. → Suredbits: https://suredbits.com/ The Lightning Round is sponsored by Voltage, where you can ask me questions over the Lightning Network. → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Use code KEVINROOKE to get 50% off your first month's Lightning node At the end of every show I answer any questions listeners send in over the Lightning Network. To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the iOS or Google Play App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → Listen to More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Follow Kevin Rooke on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 02:15 - Chris Stewart Intro 06:30 - Smart Contract Development on Bitcoin 12:45 - How To Create Censorship Resistant Markets on Bitcoin 14:56 - What Are Oracles? 23:27 - Financial & Reputation Incentives for Oracles 32:30 - What Are DLCs? 41:01 - Use Cases For DLCs 45:57 - Sports Betting & Bitcoin 49:14 - What are Schnorr Signatures? 53:57 - The Importance of Backwards Compatibility on Bitcoin 55:27 - Future Use Cases For Smart Contracts on Bitcoin 1:01:21 - Contracts For Difference 01:07:04 - Contract-Based Stablecoins and Hedging Bitcoin’s Volatility 01:16:33 - Interesting Bitcoin Innovations 01:21:12 - The Lightning Round
E23: Adam Curry on Podcasting 2.0, Value 4 Value, The Fall of Legacy Institutions, and the Lightning Network
2/28/2022 • 1hr 58m
Adam Curry is one of the pioneers of podcasting, and is playing an integral role in advancing the Podcasting 2.0 movement, and the Value 4 Value business model. Adam and I spoke about his background in broadcasting, the ways in which the podcast industry has evolved, his work on the Podcast Index, the value of earning and engaging directly with your audience, and the new features being built into modern podcasting apps today. → Podcast Index: https://podcastindex.org/ The Lightning Round is sponsored by Voltage, where you can ask me questions over the Lightning Network. → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Use code KEVINROOKE to get 50% off your first month's Lightning node At the end of every show I answer any questions listeners send in over the Lightning Network. To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the iOS or Google Play App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → Listen to More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Follow Kevin Rooke on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 02:29 - Adam Curry Intro 08:06 - Adam's Transition from Broadcasting to Podcasting 14:07 - Podcasting vs. Radio 27:59 - Applying Value 4 Value To Other Industries 31:35 - Audience vs. Advertiser Funding 33:20 - Why Is Now The Right Time for Podcasting 2.0? 47:02 - Apple and Spotify's Influence on Podcasting 58:53 - The Fall of Legacy Institutions 01:04:40 - Adam’s Introduction to Bitcoin 01:10:10 - The Excitement of Receiving Sats 01:18:35 - What is Holding Back Podcasting 2.0 Adoption? 01:22:09 - How New Podcast 2.0 Features Get Adopted 01:31:34 - How Other Industries Become Self-Sovereign 01:37:37 - Has Bitcoin Hit Escape Velocity? 01:39:54 - Stablecoins on The Lightning Network 01:44:03 - Interesting Lightning Applications 01:53:35 - The Lightning Round
E22: Alyse Killeen on Building Stillmark, Investing in Bitcoin Companies, and Emerging Lightning Network Applications
2/22/2022 • 1hr 28m
Alyse Killeen is the Founding Partner at Stillmark, a Bitcoin focused VC firm.   Alyse and I spoke about her focus on investing in Bitcoin companies, the things Alyse looks for in founders and startup pitches, and the particular segments of Bitcoin and the Lightning Network she is most excited about in 2022.   → Stillmark: https://www.stillmark.com/  The Lightning Round is sponsored by Voltage, where you can ask me questions over the Lightning Network.     → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Use code KEVINROOKE to get 50% off your first month's Lightning node     At the end of every show I answer any questions listeners send in over the Lightning Network.     To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the iOS or Google Play App Store and load your wallet with a few sats.     → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → Listen to More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Follow Kevin Rooke on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke  Timestamps  00:00 - Intro  01:15 - Alyse Killeen Intro  03:42 - Why Is Stillmark Focused on Bitcoin?   08:33 - Investing in Bitcoin vs. Bitcoin Companies  10:39 - Emerging Bitcoin Companies  20:28 - Investing in Tokens vs. Equity  23:03 - Is Bitcoin Innovation Constrained by Capital?   25:30 - Can There Be Too Much Capital in Bitcoin Companies?  29:22 - Down Rounds in VC Investing  33:34 - Benefits of Investing In Bitcoin Startups  38:14 - Web 2 Monopolies vs. Bitcoin Companies   42:57 - Competitive Moats for Bitcoin Companies  47:26 - Investing in the Lightning Network  49:19 - Should Large Bitcoin Holders Fund Bitcoin Companies?  54:04 - Deciding Which Founders To Invest In  01:01:53 - New Lightning Payment Applications  01:04:39 - Lightning Adoption & Earning Bitcoin  01:11:08 - Bitcoin's Role in Web 3.0   01:15:56 - What Areas of the Internet will Integrate Lightning?  01:19:25 - How Will Newcomers Interact with Lightning?  01:24:07 - The Lightning Round
E21: Hussein Badakhchani on Noah, Earning and Saving Money, and the Lightning Network
2/16/2022 • 1hr 11m
Hussein Badakhchani is the CTO at Noah, a Bitcoin company building what they believe is the money app of the future. Hussein and I spoke about the new products Noah is building, the different mechanics that help people earn, save, spend, and pay money on Noah, and the future of payments on the Lightning Network. → Noah: https://noah.com/ The Lightning Round is sponsored by Voltage, where you can ask me questions over the Lightning Network. → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Use code KEVINROOKE to get 50% off your first month's Lightning node At the end of every show I answer any questions listeners send in over the Lightning Network. To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the iOS or Google Play App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → Listen to More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Follow Kevin Rooke on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke 00:00 - Intro 01:27 - Hussein Badakhchani Intro 04:46 - Why Noah Is Building on Bitcoin 09:21 - Noah’s Liquidity Pool 10:56 - Noah Badges 15:29 - Saving and Earning Money on Noah 18:17 - Interest Rates on Noah 21:17 - Why Noah is Non-Custodial 26:44 - How Does Credit Work on Noah? 36:06 - The Challenges of Expanding Globally 38:50 - Political Problems with Bitcoin 40:54 - Second Order Effects of Instant Payments 43:46 - Bitcoin and the Inflationary Economic Environment 51:05 - How Noah Makes Bitcoin Adoption Easier 54:29 - Societal Implications When People Start Saving 01:00:49 - Noah’s Competitors 01:02:11 - Interesting Lightning Applications 01:06:03 - The Lightning Round
E20: Jesse Shrader on Amboss, Data Analytics for Lightning Nodes, & Lightning as a Social Network
2/11/2022 • 1hr 11m
Jesse Shrader is the co-founder of Amboss, a Lightning Network explorer and data analytics tool.   Jesse and I spoke about Amboss role in helping node operators make better routing decisions, the ways Amboss can build a competitive moat when Lightning data is publicly available, the future of node operations on Lightning, as well as a discussion on Lightning messaging and other applications Jesse finds exciting.   → Amboss: https://amboss.space/  The Lightning Round is sponsored by Voltage, where you can ask me questions over the Lightning Network.     → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Use code KEVINROOKE to get 50% off your first month's Lightning node     At the end of every show I answer any questions listeners send in over the Lightning Network.     To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the iOS or Google Play App Store and load your wallet with a few sats.     → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → Listen to More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Follow Kevin Rooke on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke  Timestamps:    00:00 - Intro  00:59 - Jesse Shrader Intro  03:10 - Building Amboss  06:33 - The Amboss Vision  09:28 - Data Analytics with Limited Information  11:24 - How Do Node Operators Make Decisions?  15:34 - Can You Earn a Full Time Income From Your Node?  22:50 - Will Lightning Fees Change Over Time?  31:56 - Lightning Growth Surprises  34:39 - Amboss’s Competitive Advantage  39:55 - Will Amboss Be a Lightning-Native Business?  42:27 - Features to Improve Node Operations  44:48 - Is Lightning a Social Network?  47:26 - What is Keysend?   53:06 - Will The Lightning Network Get Congested?   58:36 - Growth of Capacity, Nodes, and Channels  01:03:29 - Total Addressable Market for Lightning  01:07:39 - The Lightning Round
E19: André Neves on ZEBEDEE, the Metaverse, LNURL, Lightning Addresses, and BOLT12
2/8/2022 • 1hr 36m
André Neves is the co-founder and CTO of ZEBEDEE, a Lightning Network company focused on powering real economies in virtual worlds.   André and I spoke about ZEBEDEE’s role in the metaverse, the ways Bitcoin can be integrated into games to change incentives, the history of LNURL and its use cases, as well as a discussion on Lightning Addresses and BOLTs.   → ZEBEDEE: https://zebedee.io/  The Lightning Round is sponsored by Voltage.     → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Use code KEVINROOKE to get 50% off your first month's Lightning node     In the Lightning Round at the end of every show, I answer any questions listeners send in over the Lightning Network. To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the iOS or Google Play App Store and load your wallet with a few sats.     → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → Listen to More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Follow Kevin Rooke on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke   Timestamps:    00:00 - Intro  01:14 - André Neves Intro  06:47 - The Future of the Metaverse  10:28 - Will All Metaverse Platforms Become One?   12:59 - Will Bitcoin Be The Currency of Virtual Environments?   17:00 - How Bitcoin is Being Integrated in Games  25:41 - Making a Living From Playing Games  30:07 - Emerging Gaming Applications  33:13 - ZEBEDEE’s Business Model   38:46 - Can Bitcoin Disrupt Closed Platforms?   42:45 - Demand for Bitcoin Game Developers  45:23 - What is LNURL?   51:53 - Lightning Addresses & LNURL  01:01:39 - Lightning Addresses vs QR Codes  01:08:06 - What are BOLTs?   01:21:25 - How Lightning Implementations Make Decisions  01:23:52 - The Current State of Lightning Implementations  01:29:20 - Exciting Lightning Tech for 2022  01:33:32 - The Lightning Round
E18: Keagan McClelland on Start9, Personal Servers, and the Future of Sovereign Computing
2/5/2022 • 1hr 10m
Keagan McClelland is the co-founder of Start9 Labs, where his team is ushering in the age of sovereign computing with their personal servers.   Keagan and I spoke about the distinction between Bitcoin/Lightning nodes and personal servers, the challenges of getting app developers and users to adopt personal servers, the growth of the Lightning Network, and the new technologies Keagan is most excited about.   → Start9 Labs: https://start9.com/   The Lightning Round is sponsored by Voltage, where you can ask me or my future guests questions over the Lightning Network.     → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo  → Use code KEVINROOKE to get 50% off your first month's Lightning node     At the end of every show I answer any questions listeners send in over the Lightning Network.     To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the iOS or Google Play App Store and load your wallet with a few sats.     → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/  → Listen to More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT  → Follow Kevin Rooke on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke   Timestamps   00:00 - Intro  01:25 - Keagan McClelland Intro  06:58 - Lightning Nodes vs. Personal Servers  15:29 - Current Features on Start9’s Embassy  20:32 - Future Applications for Lightning Nodes  24:23 - Lightning Nodes & Hardware Design  28:07 - Are Embassy Apps Censorship Resistant?  30:39 - Decentralized Network Efficiency Trade-offs  35:00 - Do People Care About Privacy & Censorship?   37:42 - How Much Storage Do People Need?   39:23 - How Does Start9 Earn Revenue?   43:17 - Centralization Risks & Personal Servers  45:27 - Start9 Competitive Advantages  49:01 - The Growth of the Lightning Network  51:35 - Challenges for Lightning Network Builders  56:31 - Lightning Node Predictions  01:00:44 - Interesting Lightning Projects to Keagan  01:05:51 - The Lightning Round
E17: Keyan Kousha on Stacker News, Earning Bitcoin for Curating Content, & Decentralized Social Media
2/2/2022 • 1hr 15m
Keyan Kousha is the founder of Stacker News, a Bitcoin forum that pays users for sharing great content using the Lightning Network.   Keyan and I spoke about the issues plaguing social media platforms, how the Lightning Network can incentivize better online communities and conversations, the growth of Stacker News so far, and the new features Stacker News is working on.   → Stacker News: https://stacker.news/   The Lightning Round is sponsored by Voltage, where you can ask me or my future guests questions over the Lightning Network.     → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo  → Use code KEVINROOKE to get 50% off your first month's Lightning node     At the end of every show I answer any questions listeners send in over the Lightning Network.     To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the iOS or Google Play App Store and load your wallet with a few sats.     → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/  → Listen to More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT  → Follow Kevin Rooke on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke   Timestamps   00:00 - Intro   01:33 - Keyan Kousha Intro  03:17 - Why Did You Build Stacker News?  09:02 - Is Austin the Bitcoin Capital of the World?  11:18 - What Features Are You Integrating?  14:17 - How Does Stacker News Work?   23:48 - Constraints to Stacker News Adoption  26:09 - Can Curating Content Become a Career?  32:32 - Why Stacker News Is Better Than Reddit  38:40 - Decentralizing Your Reputation  41:38 - How Users Can Earn Sats on Stacker News  44:54 - Decentralizing Stacker News  50:24 - Can Lightning Nodes Eliminate Censorship?  53:21 - How Lightning Nodes Could Evolve  59:30 - Stacker News Growth and Metrics  01:06:01 - The Future of Stacker News  01:11:32 - The Lightning Round
E16: Jack Everitt on Building THNDR Games, Designing Bitcoin Games, and the Constrains Limiting Lightning Adoption
2/1/2022 • 1hr 2m
Jack Everitt is the founder of THNDR Games, a game studio that leverages Bitcoin's Lightning Network.   Jack and I spoke about how to design the right incentives in Bitcoin games, the growth of THNDR Games, the constraints limiting Lightning adoption, and much more.   → THNDR Games: https://www.thndr.gg/  The Lightning Round is sponsored by Voltage, where you can ask me or my future guests questions over the Lightning Network.   → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Use code KEVINROOKE to get 50% off your first month's Lightning node   At the end of every show I answer any questions listeners send in over the Lightning Network.   To ask a question, send a message, or to support the show, download Fountain from the iOS or Google Play App Store and load your wallet with a few sats.   → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → Listen to More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Follow Kevin Rooke on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke
E15: Danny Scott and Zakk on CoinCorner, Lightning Merchants, and CoinCorner's New Lightning Card
1/29/2022 • 1hr 21m
Danny Scott is the CEO of CoinCorner, and Zakk is their Technical Lead working on Lightning.   Danny, Zakk, and I spoke about how CoinCorner merchants are using Lightning today, CoinCorner's new Lightning card, as well as the various Lightning payment standards and UX challenges that still need to be solved.   → CoinCorner: https://www.coincorner.com/  The Lightning Round is sponsored by Voltage, where you can ask me or my future guests questions over the Lightning Network.   → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Use code KEVINROOKE to get 50% off your first month's Lightning node   At the end of every show I answer any questions and comments that listeners send in.  To send a direct message or to support the show, download Fountain from the iOS or Google Play App Store and load your wallet with a few sats.   → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → Listen to More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Follow Kevin Rooke on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke  Timestamps   00:00 - Intro  02:02 - Danny and Zakk Intro  04:53 - Supporting Bitcoin over Altcoins  10:20 - Why CoinCorner Integrated The Lightning Network  13:54 - Merchants on the Lightning Network   16:49 - Pitching Lightning to New Merchants   23:41 - Are Merchants or Customers More Excited About Lightning?  28:46 - How Large is the Lightning Network?   31:46 - How CoinCorner Can Improve Their Lightning Integrations  38:48 - CoinCorner’s Lightning Card  44:24 - LNURL, BOLT 12, and the Future of Lightning Payments  53:57 - Automatic Swaps Between Lightning and Bitcoin  59:38 - Stablecoins on Lightning  01:03:39 - Why Should Businesses Adopt Lightning?   01:10:30 - What Danny and Zakk are Most Excited About on the Lightning Network  01:17:25 - The Lightning Round
E14: Alex Gladstein on How Bitcoin Improves Freedom, Stablecoins, and Improving the Lightning Network
1/25/2022 • 48m
Alex Gladstein is the Chief Strategy Officer of the Human Rights Foundation, where he has worked since 2007. Alex and I spoke about how Bitcoin improves financial freedom, how Lightning extends Bitcoin’s functionality, and the ways in which Lightning still needs to improve for journalists, dissidents, and citizens under authoritarian rule. → The Human Rights Foundation: https://hrf.org The Lightning Round is sponsored by Voltage, where you can ask me or my future guests questions over the Lightning Network. → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Use code KEVINROOKE to get 50% off your first month's Lightning node At the end of every show I answer any questions listeners send in, and announce my next guest for anyone who wants to ask my next guest a question. To send a direct message or to support the show, download Fountain from the iOS or Google Play App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → Listen to More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Follow Kevin Rooke on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 01:03 - Alex Gladstein Intro 04:22 - Integrating Bitcoin at the Human Rights Foundation 06:42 - How Bitcoin Improves Freedom 10:00 - What Can & Can’t Bitcoin Fix? 16:39 - Lightning’s Advantage over On-Chain Bitcoin 21:07 - Stabilized Lightning 32:32 - Who Wants Crypto Dollars? 36:17 - The Impact of Stablecoins on the US Dollar 42:48 - Exciting Bitcoin/Lightning Developments 46:25 - The Lightning Round
E13: Graham Krizek on Voltage, Improving Lightning Node Management, and the Future of the Lightning Network
1/20/2022 • 1hr 7m
Graham Krizek is the CEO and founder of Voltage, the premier provider of Bitcoin and Lightning node infrastructure. Graham and I spoke about how Voltage is improving Lightning node management, solving challenges for Lightning builders today, and the future of the Lightning Network. → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo This episode also features The Lightning Round sponsored by Voltage, where you can ask me or my future guests questions over the Lightning Network. → Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo → Use code KEVINROOKE to get 50% off your first month's Lightning node At the end of every show I answer any questions you send in, and announce my next guest for anyone who wants to ask my next guest a question. To send a direct message or to support the show, download Fountain from the iOS or Google Play App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. → Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ → Listen to More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT → Follow Kevin Rooke on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke Timestamps 00:00 - Intro  00:59 - Graham Intro  07:08 - Automating Lightning Node Management  11:36 - How To Pitch The Lightning Network  19:32 - Voltage’s Customer Focus  27:36 - Payment Trends on Lightning  35:47 - Lightning Growth & Surprises  38:58 - What is Flow?  47:47 - Stablecoins and Price Volatility  53:26 - Graham’s Views on Web 3.0  01:01:07 - 2025 Lightning Node Predictions  01:05:00 - The Lightning Round
E12: Chris Tramount on Scarce City, Bitcoin Collectibles vs. NFTs, and Monetizing Internet Memes
1/14/2022 • 1hr 5m
Chris Tramount is the CEO of Scarce City, a Bitcoin marketplace for buying digital and physical art and collectibles on the Lightning Network. Chris and I spoke about how Scarce City uses the Lightning Network for collateral payments, Bitcoin collectibles (called 'Rares') vs. NFTs on other chains, the history of Rare Pepes, and monetizing internet memes. This episode also features the Lightning Round, where you can ask me or my future guests questions over the Lightning Network. At the end of every show I answer any questions you send in, and announce my next guest for anyone who wants to ask my next guest a question. To send a direct message or to support the show, download Fountain from the iOS or Google Play App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/ Episode Chapters 00:00 - Intro 01:32 - What is Scarce City? 05:42 - How Scarce City uses the Lightning Network 22:32 - Bitcoin 'Rares' vs. Ethereum NFTs 30:58 - The History and Value of Rare Pepes 34:24 - Scarce City’s business model 43:13 - Trading vs. HODLing art on Scarce City 47:32 - What caused the Rare Pepe Resurgence? 55:10 - What's next for Scarce City? 1:04:01 - The Lightning Round
E11: Daniel Berezovsky on sMiles and Earning Bitcoin for Walking, Gaming, and Shopping
1/11/2022 • 53m
Daniel Berezovsky is the co-founder of sMiles, which is one of the easiest ways for anyone to earn Bitcoin on the Lightning Network. Daniel and I spoke about how Lightning will affect industries from gaming to healthcare to retail, the issues holding back Lightning adoption today, and the new features sMiles is building to make earning Bitcoin easier and more enjoyable. This episode also features the Lightning Round, where you can ask me any of your most pressing questions directly over the Lightning Network. At the end of every show I answer all the questions that listeners send over the Lightning Network. To send a direct message or to tip a few sats, download Fountain from the iOS or Google Play App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/
E10: Sergej Kotliar on Bitrefill, El Salvador's Circular Bitcoin Economy, and Lightning Network Nodes
1/5/2022 • 1hr 3m
Sergej Kotliar is the co-founder of Bitrefill, one of the most important Bitcoin and Lightning Network businesses in the world. Sergej and I spoke about how people are using Bitrefill today to live off their Bitcoin, how they manage their Lightning Network nodes, and the new features Bitrefill is building in El Salvador to kickstart a circular Bitcoin economy. This episode also features the Lightning Round, where you can ask me any of your most pressing questions directly over the Lightning Network. At the end of every show I answer all the questions that listeners send over the Lightning Network. To send a direct message or to tip a few sats, download Fountain from the iOS or Google Play App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/
E9: Boltz Co-Founder on Lightning Exchanges, Lightning Network Activity, and the Future of the Lightning Network
1/2/2022 • 59m
Michael is the pseudonymous co-founder of Boltz, a non-custodial Lightning exchange and Lightning service provider. Michael and I spoke about how he built Boltz, estimating Lightning Network activity and payment volumes, and the applications he is excited about in the Lightning ecosystem. This episode also features the Lightning Round, where you can support the show and ask me any questions directly over the Lightning Network. To send a direct message and/or tip, download Fountain from the iOS or Google Play App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/
E8: John Carvalho on Synonym, Tokens on the Lightning Network, and the Future of Web3
12/26/2021 • 1hr 20m
John Carvalho is the CEO of Synonym, a Bitcoin-only company that has been building in stealth mode for almost two years. John and I spoke about the projects Synonym is working on, enabling tokens on the Lightning Network, and how Web3 can be built without any blockchains or tokens at all. This episode also features the Lightning Round, where you can ask me your questions directly over the Lightning Network. To send a direct message and/or tip, download Fountain from the iOS or Google Play App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/
E7: Chris Hunter on Galoy's Bitcoin Beach Wallet, Lightning Adoption in El Salvador, and Banking-as-a-Service
12/22/2021 • 57m
Chris Hunter is the co-founder of Galoy, the company behind the Bitcoin Beach Wallet in El Salvador. Chris and I spoke about how the Bitcoin Beach project developed, the shifting sentiment around the Lightning Network in El Salvador over time, and how Galoy’s Banking-as-a-Service business model could help onboard different forms of communities, companies, and countries to Bitcoin. Got a question? You can ask any questions to me directly over the Lightning Network, and I'll answer them at the end of every show in the Lightning Round. To send a direct message and/or tip, download Fountain from the iOS or Google Play App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/
E6: The Lightning Network's Next Big Use Case
12/21/2021 • 25m
In November, I wrote an article about why I think podcasting will be the next big use case for the Lightning Network, and this is the audio version for those who prefer listening to podcasts over reading long articles. In the time since I wrote the article, over 500 podcasters have enabled Lightning tips on their shows, bringing the total number of lightning podcasters to just under 3,400 today. Anecdotally, I can also say that there are a number of really cool developments in the Lightning podcasting space that will help grow the number of podcasters and listeners on Lightning, and I am just as optimistic about Lightning podcasting as I was when I originally wrote the article. For anyone who has just discovered Lightning podcasting and isn’t sure exactly why it’s important - give this episode a listen and as always I’ll be answering your questions in the Lightning Round at the end of the show. To ask a question, just download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with a few sats, and send a boost. Article on payment value vs. payment frequency: https://www.kevinrooke.blog/when-sending-money-is-instant-and-free/
E5: Shone Anstey on Buying Bitcoin as a Public Company, Earning Yield, and the Lightning Network
12/10/2021 • 48m
Shone Anstey is the CEO of LQwD, the world's first public Lightning Network company.  Shone and I spoke about LQwD's Bitcoin accumulation strategy, the ways Lightning service providers can earn yield on their Bitcoin holdings, and how the Lightning Network might evolve over time. This episode also features the Lightning Round, where you can ask me your questions directly over the Lightning Network. To send a direct message and/or tip, download Fountain from the iOS or Google Play App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/
E4: Bernard Parah on Bitcoin in Africa, Payrolls on Lightning, and African Entrepreneurs
12/7/2021 • 57m
Bernard Parah is the CEO of Bitnob, a Nigerian Bitcoin business with a Lightning Network integration. Bernard and I spoke about the payments and savings landscape in Nigeria, the ways Bitcoin can empower Africans to push back against fees and restrictions levied by fiat payment processors, and how remote work and Bitcoin are enabling a new generation of African entrepreneurs. This episode also features my new segment called the Lightning Round, where you can ask me your questions directly over the Lightning Network. To send a direct message and/or tip, download Fountain from the iOS or Google Play App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/
E3: Romain Rouphael on LNMarkets, El Salvador, and Lightning Network Adoption
12/1/2021 • 53m
LNMarkets is a Lightning Network derivatives exchange, with over $300M in trading volume since their launch in March 2020. Last week I spoke with LNMarkets co-founder Romain Rouphael about derivatives, the growth of the Lightning Network, his experience using Lightning in El Salvador, and much more. This episode also features my new segment called the Lightning Round, where you can ask me your questions directly over the Lightning Network. To send a direct message and/or tip for this episode, download Fountain from the iOS or Google Play App Store and load your wallet with a few sats. Bitcoin games discussed during the Lightning Round: https://stacker.news/items/5551
E2: Nathan Jessop on Kollider, Derivatives, and the Lightning Network
11/25/2021 • 45m
Derivatives trading is faster than ever on the Lightning Network. Last week I spoke with Kollider co-founder Nathan Jessop about the next era of derivatives trading, the importance of building on the Lightning Network, and the ways instant settlement may change the behavior of traders. I’m also starting a new podcast segment called the Lightning Round, where you can ask me any question you want as a message on the Lightning Network. To send a direct message and/or tip this episode, download Fountain from the iOS or Google Play App Store and load your wallet with a few sats.
E1: Oscar Merry on Fountain, The Lightning Network, and Podcasting 2.0
10/28/2021 • 43m
Podcasting 2.0 is here, and Fountain is leading the charge. I spoke with Fountain co-founder Oscar Merry about the next era of podcasting, the importance of Lightning Network payments, and the impact Podcasting 2.0 could have on creators, podcasting apps, and the overall media landscape. To send direct messages and tips on this podcast, download Fountain from the iOS or Google Play App Store and load your wallet with a few sats.
@blokchainboog boosted 5,000 sats
13h
I have a better understanding of RGB still don’t understand 100%. is RGB the new age Linux?
EPISODE • The Kevin Rooke Show
E108: Maxim Orlovsky on Building RGB, Standards for BTC & LN, and Smart Contracts on Bitcoin
@unitofacc created a clip
25 May
CLIP • The Kevin Rooke Show
🟥🟩🟦
@siggy47 boosted 500 sats
25 May
Great episode!
EPISODE • The Kevin Rooke Show
SS5: How Jesse Berger Stacked 100,000+ Sats with Mash
@michaelmatulef boosted 500 sats
24 May
🤔
EPISODE • The Kevin Rooke Show
E108: Maxim Orlovsky on Building RGB, Standards for BTC & LN, and Smart Contracts on Bitcoin
@user6184286607519902 boosted 210 sats
23 May
wow this episode is just so good. Maxim is such an ambitious genius, wish him the best of luck. good questions asked and overall very kind conversation
EPISODE • The Kevin Rooke Show
E108: Maxim Orlovsky on Building RGB, Standards for BTC & LN, and Smart Contracts on Bitcoin
@unitofacc boosted 210 sats
23 May
♥️💚💙
EPISODE • The Kevin Rooke Show
E108: Maxim Orlovsky on Building RGB, Standards for BTC & LN, and Smart Contracts on Bitcoin
@blokchainboog boosted 2,000 sats
21 May
don’t use mash yet but I might check this book out
EPISODE • The Kevin Rooke Show
SS5: How Jesse Berger Stacked 100,000+ Sats with Mash
@blokchainboog boosted 2,000 sats
21 May
Great interview. it’s May 2023 and synthetic stablecoins have been launched by various wallets.
EPISODE • The Kevin Rooke Show
E14: Alex Gladstein on How Bitcoin Improves Freedom, Stablecoins, and Improving the Lightning Network
@blokchainboog boosted 2,000 sats
20 May
Good interview might give lava a chance now. but I am wondering how do they monetize.
EPISODE • The Kevin Rooke Show
E107: Shehzan Maredia on Building Lava, Bitcoin-Native Borrowing, and Improving Self-Custody UX
@bon boosted 1,337 sats
19 May
🫂🤙
EPISODE • The Kevin Rooke Show
E103: Pablo F7Z on Building Nostr Projects, Why Open Networks Win, and The Economics of Nostr
@bon boosted 1,337 sats
19 May
🤙🫂
EPISODE • The Kevin Rooke Show
E104: UTXO on Building Nodeless, Improving Bitcoin UX for Merchants, and LN & Nostr Use Cases
@bon boosted 1,337 sats
19 May
Really looking forward to Jesse's new piece. I think I know what it is 👀
EPISODE • The Kevin Rooke Show
SS5: How Jesse Berger Stacked 100,000+ Sats with Mash
@colabpilli created a clip
18 May
CLIP • The Kevin Rooke Show
Stacking Sats, 100,000 + Sats witch Mash
@marssats created a clip
18 May
CLIP • The Kevin Rooke Show
if you are really passionate for something you should always pursue it no matter what.
@kepford boosted 2,000 sats
18 May
Love this episodes. Keep it up Kevin.
EPISODE • The Kevin Rooke Show
SS5: How Jesse Berger Stacked 100,000+ Sats with Mash
@and1 boosted 121 sats
16 May
💜
EPISODE • The Kevin Rooke Show
E106: Konstantin on Building Kollider, Lightning Derivatives, Synthetic Fiat, and Running a Nostr Relay
@vake boosted 500 sats
14 May
👌
EPISODE • The Kevin Rooke Show
E106: Konstantin on Building Kollider, Lightning Derivatives, Synthetic Fiat, and Running a Nostr Relay
@unitofacc created a clip
14 May
CLIP • The Kevin Rooke Show
⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡
@unitofacc boosted 121 sats
14 May
🤙
EPISODE • The Kevin Rooke Show
E106: Konstantin on Building Kollider, Lightning Derivatives, Synthetic Fiat, and Running a Nostr Relay
@blokchainboog boosted 5,000 sats
13 May
I think voltage is a great company not a customer yet because I run my own nodes. but I am hoping someday they offer a clearnet node subscription. would love to have a clearnet node and protect my meatspace privacy
EPISODE • The Kevin Rooke Show
E13: Graham Krizek on Voltage, Improving Lightning Node Management, and the Future of the Lightning Network