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BITCOIN RAILS #69: ZERO-KNOWLEDGE PROOFS FOR POST-QUANTUM BITCOIN | with Benedikt Bünz 🔗 YOUTUBE: 🌿 SPOTIFY: While many Bitcoiners remain hopeful the network will embrace zero-knowledge proofs for protocol-level use cases, practical adoption has remained limited outside of BitVM and a handful of experimental proposals. Most of the world’s...

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Isabel Foxen Duke⚡️

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19,872 views • 28 days ago •via X (Twitter)

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BITCOIN RAILS #61: QUANTUM CRYPTOGRAPHY FOR BITCOIN | with Dan Boneh Dan Boneh 🔗 YOUTUBE: 🌿 SPOTIFY: One of the most prolific and influential cryptographers in the world, it’s difficult to fully quantify the impact that Dan Boneh has had on Bitcoin and digital assets more broadly. Through both his own research and his mentorship of some of the space’s most important contributors — e.g. Andrew Poelstra, Benedikt Bünz ☕️, and Robin Linus 🥖 — few people have done more to shape the cryptographic foundations underlying modern blockchains and digital finance. More recently, Dan co-authored Google's widely discussed paper, “Securing Elliptic Curve Cryptocurrencies against Quantum Vulnerabilities,” which reduced prior estimates of the resources required to run Shor’s algorithm against the elliptic-curve cryptography used by Bitcoin. The paper reignited debate around quantum computing timelines and the long-term security assumptions behind modern cryptocurrencies. In this episode of Bitcoin Rails, Dan and I discuss the current state of quantum computing, its potential implications for Bitcoin, and how he believes the Bitcoin community should think about preparing for a post-quantum future over the coming decade and beyond. And yes, Dan shares his take on the “when quantum” question in the interview, among other key perspectives. This episode of Bitcoin Rails is brought to you by my NEW sponsors: LayerTwo Labs LayerTwo Labs — developing research, software, and technologies for scaling Bitcoin via the integration of Drivechains (BIP 300/301) Hashi on Sui — a primitive for executing Bitcoin Defi transactions, without having to trust a federated bridge or other centralized entity BitBox BitBox — an open-source Bitcoin-only hardware wallet, with smooth UX and no compromises on security. Check out Bitbox [dot] swiss and use code BITCOINRAILS to get a discount TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 — Intro and Dan’s history with cryptography and Bitcoin 11:44 — Shor's algorithm: how a 1994 paper became cryptography's most important threat 16:39 — Building a quantum computer: superconducting qubits vs neutral atoms 25:37 — When should we start worrying about quantum computers? The timeline debate 31:51 — Have we already reached quantum computing's “ahá” moment? 39:09 — Inside the Google paper: how Shor's algorithm was optimized 49:57 — The Bitcoin mempool attack and the 10-minute window 59:21 — Mitigation: what should Bitcoin do to prepare for quantum? 1:11:54 — Hash-based vs lattice-based signatures: Dan's case for lattice 1:23:15 — ZK proofs, BIP361, and what to do with Satoshi's coins 1:31:52 — Encrypted mempools and MEV 1:38:29 — Why Bitcoin will survive quantum and Dan's message to Bitcoin builders
1:44:02

BITCOIN RAILS #61: QUANTUM CRYPTOGRAPHY FOR BITCOIN | with Dan Boneh Dan Boneh 🔗 YOUTUBE: 🌿 SPOTIFY: One of the most prolific and influential cryptographers in the world, it’s difficult to fully quantify the impact that Dan Boneh has had on Bitcoin and digital assets more broadly. Through both his own research and his mentorship of some of the space’s most important contributors — e.g. Andrew Poelstra, Benedikt Bünz ☕️, and Robin Linus 🥖 — few people have done more to shape the cryptographic foundations underlying modern blockchains and digital finance. More recently, Dan co-authored Google's widely discussed paper, “Securing Elliptic Curve Cryptocurrencies against Quantum Vulnerabilities,” which reduced prior estimates of the resources required to run Shor’s algorithm against the elliptic-curve cryptography used by Bitcoin. The paper reignited debate around quantum computing timelines and the long-term security assumptions behind modern cryptocurrencies. In this episode of Bitcoin Rails, Dan and I discuss the current state of quantum computing, its potential implications for Bitcoin, and how he believes the Bitcoin community should think about preparing for a post-quantum future over the coming decade and beyond. And yes, Dan shares his take on the “when quantum” question in the interview, among other key perspectives. This episode of Bitcoin Rails is brought to you by my NEW sponsors: LayerTwo Labs LayerTwo Labs — developing research, software, and technologies for scaling Bitcoin via the integration of Drivechains (BIP 300/301) Hashi on Sui — a primitive for executing Bitcoin Defi transactions, without having to trust a federated bridge or other centralized entity BitBox BitBox — an open-source Bitcoin-only hardware wallet, with smooth UX and no compromises on security. Check out Bitbox [dot] swiss and use code BITCOINRAILS to get a discount TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 — Intro and Dan’s history with cryptography and Bitcoin 11:44 — Shor's algorithm: how a 1994 paper became cryptography's most important threat 16:39 — Building a quantum computer: superconducting qubits vs neutral atoms 25:37 — When should we start worrying about quantum computers? The timeline debate 31:51 — Have we already reached quantum computing's “ahá” moment? 39:09 — Inside the Google paper: how Shor's algorithm was optimized 49:57 — The Bitcoin mempool attack and the 10-minute window 59:21 — Mitigation: what should Bitcoin do to prepare for quantum? 1:11:54 — Hash-based vs lattice-based signatures: Dan's case for lattice 1:23:15 — ZK proofs, BIP361, and what to do with Satoshi's coins 1:31:52 — Encrypted mempools and MEV 1:38:29 — Why Bitcoin will survive quantum and Dan's message to Bitcoin builders

Isabel Foxen Duke⚡️

114,004 views • 2 months ago

BITCOIN RAILS #59: Post-Quantum Bitcoin Signatures (+ their tradeoffs) | with BIP 360 co-author Ethan ✨ is on BlueSky✨ Heilman 🐱 and Blockstream Head of Research Jonas Nick 🔗 YOUTUBE: 🌿 SPOTIFY: According to BIP 360 co-author Ethan Heilman, Bitcoin needs a minimum of two soft forks to become quantum resistant: P2MR (or an output type that can safely execute PQ signatures) + a post-quantum checksig (signature scheme). Ethan and the BIP 360 team (including myself and Hunter Beast 🕯️) introduced the P2MR part via a BIP 360 update late last year—but the question remains, what’s the most appropriate PQ signature scheme for Bitcoin? They all have substantive tradeoffs, but hash-based signatures seem to be leading technical discourse—likely due to recent optimizations by Jonas Nick and the broader Blockstream research team. It was an honor to sit down with both of these men - arguably the two most influential and productive cryptographers in Bitcoin quantum mitigation right now - for an in-depth review of the leading PQ signature schemes and a temperature check on Bitcoin’s post-quantum planning process. TBH, if you want to skip the noise and jump straight to the signal on quantum, this is the interview to watch. In this episode, we discuss: - What needs to happen at the soft fork, infra, and mitigation levels to fully quantum-harden Bitcoin - Recent updates to BIP 360 + breakdown of the leading hash-based signatures schemes for Bitcoin (SHRINCS + SHRIMPS) - Why we may actually get consensus around a stateful scheme for Bitcoin - Comparisons of hash-based signatures vs Lattice and Isogeny-based schemes - Assessing the risks of both waiting too long and acting too fast (and why quantum is a better threat to be facing than a potential classical attack) This episode of Bitcoin Rails is brought to you by my NEW sponsors: - LayerTwo Labs LayerTwo Labs — developing research, software, and technologies for scaling Bitcoin via the integration of Drivechains (BIP 300/301) - Hashi on Sui — a primitive for executing Bitcoin Defi transactions, without having to trust a federated bridge or other centralized entity - BitBox BitBox — an open-source Bitcoin-only hardware wallet, with smooth UX and no compromises on security. Check out Bitbox [dot] swiss and use code BITCOINRAILS to get a discount TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 02:18 Ethan’s Quantum Wakeup 05:18 How Blockstream Enters Post Quantum 09:25 BIP 360 Explained 12:11 How Bitcoin Transitions to PQ 17:35 Choosing Post Quantum Signatures 23:20 How Blockstream Created SHRINCS 27:22 Signature Budgets Importance Explained 41:13 What are SHRIMPS? 44:51 SHRIMPS vs SHRINCS 47:48 Why SLH-DSA Alone Won’t Cut It 49:24 Is a SHRIMPS + SHRINCS BIP Coming? 51:51 Blockstream’s Big Plans for Liquid 59:04 Quantum Readiness Roadmap 01:02:22 Importance of a PQ Recovery Plan 01:05:35 How Long Would a PQ Migration Take 01:11:17 Quantum Watchlist Recommendations
1:18:04

BITCOIN RAILS #59: Post-Quantum Bitcoin Signatures (+ their tradeoffs) | with BIP 360 co-author Ethan ✨ is on BlueSky✨ Heilman 🐱 and Blockstream Head of Research Jonas Nick 🔗 YOUTUBE: 🌿 SPOTIFY: According to BIP 360 co-author Ethan Heilman, Bitcoin needs a minimum of two soft forks to become quantum resistant: P2MR (or an output type that can safely execute PQ signatures) + a post-quantum checksig (signature scheme). Ethan and the BIP 360 team (including myself and Hunter Beast 🕯️) introduced the P2MR part via a BIP 360 update late last year—but the question remains, what’s the most appropriate PQ signature scheme for Bitcoin? They all have substantive tradeoffs, but hash-based signatures seem to be leading technical discourse—likely due to recent optimizations by Jonas Nick and the broader Blockstream research team. It was an honor to sit down with both of these men - arguably the two most influential and productive cryptographers in Bitcoin quantum mitigation right now - for an in-depth review of the leading PQ signature schemes and a temperature check on Bitcoin’s post-quantum planning process. TBH, if you want to skip the noise and jump straight to the signal on quantum, this is the interview to watch. In this episode, we discuss: - What needs to happen at the soft fork, infra, and mitigation levels to fully quantum-harden Bitcoin - Recent updates to BIP 360 + breakdown of the leading hash-based signatures schemes for Bitcoin (SHRINCS + SHRIMPS) - Why we may actually get consensus around a stateful scheme for Bitcoin - Comparisons of hash-based signatures vs Lattice and Isogeny-based schemes - Assessing the risks of both waiting too long and acting too fast (and why quantum is a better threat to be facing than a potential classical attack) This episode of Bitcoin Rails is brought to you by my NEW sponsors: - LayerTwo Labs LayerTwo Labs — developing research, software, and technologies for scaling Bitcoin via the integration of Drivechains (BIP 300/301) - Hashi on Sui — a primitive for executing Bitcoin Defi transactions, without having to trust a federated bridge or other centralized entity - BitBox BitBox — an open-source Bitcoin-only hardware wallet, with smooth UX and no compromises on security. Check out Bitbox [dot] swiss and use code BITCOINRAILS to get a discount TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 02:18 Ethan’s Quantum Wakeup 05:18 How Blockstream Enters Post Quantum 09:25 BIP 360 Explained 12:11 How Bitcoin Transitions to PQ 17:35 Choosing Post Quantum Signatures 23:20 How Blockstream Created SHRINCS 27:22 Signature Budgets Importance Explained 41:13 What are SHRIMPS? 44:51 SHRIMPS vs SHRINCS 47:48 Why SLH-DSA Alone Won’t Cut It 49:24 Is a SHRIMPS + SHRINCS BIP Coming? 51:51 Blockstream’s Big Plans for Liquid 59:04 Quantum Readiness Roadmap 01:02:22 Importance of a PQ Recovery Plan 01:05:35 How Long Would a PQ Migration Take 01:11:17 Quantum Watchlist Recommendations

Isabel Foxen Duke⚡️

23,783 views • 3 months ago

Is Quantum FUD BS? with James O'Beirne | SLP721 jamesob, Bitcoin developer joins me to discuss quantum hype vs reality, developer trade-offs, protocol upgrade challenges, and what it means for self-custody, UX, and Bitcoin’s long-term adoption. (00:00) - Intro (00:46) - What is the deal with quantum computing and Bitcoin? (05:05) - Advancing progress in quantum computing (09:43) - Is the quantum threat to Bitcoin around the corner? (11:57) - Quantum resistant schemes developed by Bitcoiners (15:45) - NIST and diverse views on Post-quantum cryptography (22:31) - The future of Bitcoin in a Post-quantum world (29:45) - 'Matt Corallo (Matt Corallo 🟠) Quantum Plan' (34:08) - A modest version of the Big Blocker view (38:41) - Covenants and Scaling Bitcoin (43:35) - Comparing OP_TEMPLATEHASH & OP_CTV (48:01) - The ‘Slow and Steady’ approach to Bitcoin development (55:19) - What’s the next adoption pathway for Bitcoin? (1:04:04) - AssumeUTXO, Utreexo & Floresta (1:07:20) - Why are so few people running Bitcoin nodes? (1:14:52) - Closing thoughts
1:18:57

Is Quantum FUD BS? with James O'Beirne | SLP721 jamesob, Bitcoin developer joins me to discuss quantum hype vs reality, developer trade-offs, protocol upgrade challenges, and what it means for self-custody, UX, and Bitcoin’s long-term adoption. (00:00) - Intro (00:46) - What is the deal with quantum computing and Bitcoin? (05:05) - Advancing progress in quantum computing (09:43) - Is the quantum threat to Bitcoin around the corner? (11:57) - Quantum resistant schemes developed by Bitcoiners (15:45) - NIST and diverse views on Post-quantum cryptography (22:31) - The future of Bitcoin in a Post-quantum world (29:45) - 'Matt Corallo (Matt Corallo 🟠) Quantum Plan' (34:08) - A modest version of the Big Blocker view (38:41) - Covenants and Scaling Bitcoin (43:35) - Comparing OP_TEMPLATEHASH & OP_CTV (48:01) - The ‘Slow and Steady’ approach to Bitcoin development (55:19) - What’s the next adoption pathway for Bitcoin? (1:04:04) - AssumeUTXO, Utreexo & Floresta (1:07:20) - Why are so few people running Bitcoin nodes? (1:14:52) - Closing thoughts

Stephan Livera

17,889 views • 5 months ago

BITCOIN RAILS #62: BITCOIN'S 3 BIGGEST CHALLENGES | with Neha Narula Director of Digital Currency Initiative (DCI) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 🔗 YOUTUBE: 🌱 SPOTIFY: Neha Narula is the Director of the MIT Digital Currency Initiative, where she focuses on Bitcoin research and the broader design tradeoffs of decentralized money systems. Her work often centers on what Bitcoin gets right—and where it runs into hard limits—especially around scaling, decentralization, and how systems behave as global demand increases. In this interview, Neha and I explore longer-term risks to Bitcoin—including advancements in quantum computing and the implications of a diminishing block subsidy—as well as the ongoing challenge of scaling Bitcoin without losing access to self-custody. A thoughtful conversation on how Bitcoin may change in the coming years, we also explore its social and governance dynamics—including tensions within the development community over protocol changes, scaling philosophies, and the future direction of the system. This episode of Bitcoin Rails is brought to you by: LayerTwo Labs LayerTwo Labs — developing research, software, and technologies for scaling Bitcoin via the integration of Drivechains (BIP 300/301) Hashi on Sui — a primitive for executing Bitcoin Defi transactions, without having to trust a federated bridge or other centralized entity BitBox BitBox— an open-source Bitcoin-only hardware wallet, with smooth UX and no compromises on security. Check out Bitbox [dot] swiss and use code BITCOINRAILS to get a discount TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 00:17 Neha’s Origins 02:26 Bitcoin to MIT 04:40 Media Lab Culture and Mission 11:34 CBDCs as Digital Cash Debate 24:42 Funding Model and Bitcoin Security Budget 29:55 Reorg Risk and Quantum Computing 32:14 Bitcoin Dev Funding Map 42:49 Governance and Corporate Stakes 50:23 Quantum Tradeoffs Framework 56:02 Post Quantum Proposals 58:59 Prioritize PQ Transactions 01:00:54 Satoshi Coins Debate 01:02:12 Mining Incentives And Price 01:08:08 Corporate Funding And Governance 01:10:54 Scaling Self Custody And L2s 01:20:30 Bitcoin Kernel And Wrap Up
1:22:57

BITCOIN RAILS #62: BITCOIN'S 3 BIGGEST CHALLENGES | with Neha Narula Director of Digital Currency Initiative (DCI) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 🔗 YOUTUBE: 🌱 SPOTIFY: Neha Narula is the Director of the MIT Digital Currency Initiative, where she focuses on Bitcoin research and the broader design tradeoffs of decentralized money systems. Her work often centers on what Bitcoin gets right—and where it runs into hard limits—especially around scaling, decentralization, and how systems behave as global demand increases. In this interview, Neha and I explore longer-term risks to Bitcoin—including advancements in quantum computing and the implications of a diminishing block subsidy—as well as the ongoing challenge of scaling Bitcoin without losing access to self-custody. A thoughtful conversation on how Bitcoin may change in the coming years, we also explore its social and governance dynamics—including tensions within the development community over protocol changes, scaling philosophies, and the future direction of the system. This episode of Bitcoin Rails is brought to you by: LayerTwo Labs LayerTwo Labs — developing research, software, and technologies for scaling Bitcoin via the integration of Drivechains (BIP 300/301) Hashi on Sui — a primitive for executing Bitcoin Defi transactions, without having to trust a federated bridge or other centralized entity BitBox BitBox— an open-source Bitcoin-only hardware wallet, with smooth UX and no compromises on security. Check out Bitbox [dot] swiss and use code BITCOINRAILS to get a discount TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 00:17 Neha’s Origins 02:26 Bitcoin to MIT 04:40 Media Lab Culture and Mission 11:34 CBDCs as Digital Cash Debate 24:42 Funding Model and Bitcoin Security Budget 29:55 Reorg Risk and Quantum Computing 32:14 Bitcoin Dev Funding Map 42:49 Governance and Corporate Stakes 50:23 Quantum Tradeoffs Framework 56:02 Post Quantum Proposals 58:59 Prioritize PQ Transactions 01:00:54 Satoshi Coins Debate 01:02:12 Mining Incentives And Price 01:08:08 Corporate Funding And Governance 01:10:54 Scaling Self Custody And L2s 01:20:30 Bitcoin Kernel And Wrap Up

Isabel Foxen Duke⚡️

24,482 views • 2 months ago

BITCOIN RAILS EPISODE #24: The History of Zero-Knowledge Proofs | with ZK “Godfather” Eli Ben Sasson In 2013, computer science professor Eli Ben-Sasson | Starknet.io presented his research on zero-knowledge proofs at a small Bitcoin conference outside of Standford University. The presentation immediately sparked interest from Bitcoin Core developer Greg Maxwell—leading Eli into over a decade of sustained work advancing ZK-based solutions for blockchain scalability and privacy. Today, zero-knowledge proofs are widely considered some of the most powerful and promising cryptographic primitives for scaling—with their full potential for Bitcoin simmering just beneath the surface of active development. This episode shares Eli’s early discussions of ZKPs for scaling, the use of proofs in privacy-enhancing technologies like Zcash, the explosion of ZKPs for Layer 2s on Ethereum… and his recent return to exploring ZKPs for Bitcoin. As always, you can view this episode on YouTube or Spotify via the linktree in my bio—YouTube link in comments as well. This episode is powered by Best In Slot—the leading API for Ordinals and BRC20 data aggregation and indexing. TIMESTAMPS: 00:51 Eli Ben-Sasson: Godfather of ZKPs 02:15 Revealing Proof Research to Bitcoiners 04:15 Meeting Greg Maxwell; Mike Hearn 06:10 ZCash: Bringing ZK Based Privacy for Crypto 07:05 SNARKs and STARKs Explained 08:10 Would Satoshi Approve of Bitcoin STARKs? 11:41 ZCash Privacy Versus Monero 13:45 When did the ZKP era begin on Ethereum? 16:34 What’s different about ZK STARKs? 18:40 Vitalik and STARKs on Ethereum with Starkware 21:10 Academics finally appreciating STARKs 23:18 Healthy competition in the ZK industry 24:20 What is Starknet? 25:50 What is an L2, in Eli’s view? 27:20 Focustree, an app on Starknet 30:00 How Eli arrived at Bitcoin Season 2 34:45 When did ZK look realistic for Bitcoin? 36:55 Eli first heard about OP_CAT 39:30 Why Lightning isn’t good enough 40:30 When did Starkware start focusing on OP_CAT? 44:20 Runes bridge to Starknet! 46:00 Expanding Starknet staking to BTC 48:20 Why is OP_CAT “barely enough” for Bitcoin L2s? 51:00 The real reason people oppose OP_CAT, per Eli 53:00 The risks of *not* changing Bitcoin 55:35 The weakness of Bitcoin’s lack of governance 01:00:15 We will need to softfork for quantum!
1:02:08

BITCOIN RAILS EPISODE #24: The History of Zero-Knowledge Proofs | with ZK “Godfather” Eli Ben Sasson In 2013, computer science professor Eli Ben-Sasson | Starknet.io presented his research on zero-knowledge proofs at a small Bitcoin conference outside of Standford University. The presentation immediately sparked interest from Bitcoin Core developer Greg Maxwell—leading Eli into over a decade of sustained work advancing ZK-based solutions for blockchain scalability and privacy. Today, zero-knowledge proofs are widely considered some of the most powerful and promising cryptographic primitives for scaling—with their full potential for Bitcoin simmering just beneath the surface of active development. This episode shares Eli’s early discussions of ZKPs for scaling, the use of proofs in privacy-enhancing technologies like Zcash, the explosion of ZKPs for Layer 2s on Ethereum… and his recent return to exploring ZKPs for Bitcoin. As always, you can view this episode on YouTube or Spotify via the linktree in my bio—YouTube link in comments as well. This episode is powered by Best In Slot—the leading API for Ordinals and BRC20 data aggregation and indexing. TIMESTAMPS: 00:51 Eli Ben-Sasson: Godfather of ZKPs 02:15 Revealing Proof Research to Bitcoiners 04:15 Meeting Greg Maxwell; Mike Hearn 06:10 ZCash: Bringing ZK Based Privacy for Crypto 07:05 SNARKs and STARKs Explained 08:10 Would Satoshi Approve of Bitcoin STARKs? 11:41 ZCash Privacy Versus Monero 13:45 When did the ZKP era begin on Ethereum? 16:34 What’s different about ZK STARKs? 18:40 Vitalik and STARKs on Ethereum with Starkware 21:10 Academics finally appreciating STARKs 23:18 Healthy competition in the ZK industry 24:20 What is Starknet? 25:50 What is an L2, in Eli’s view? 27:20 Focustree, an app on Starknet 30:00 How Eli arrived at Bitcoin Season 2 34:45 When did ZK look realistic for Bitcoin? 36:55 Eli first heard about OP_CAT 39:30 Why Lightning isn’t good enough 40:30 When did Starkware start focusing on OP_CAT? 44:20 Runes bridge to Starknet! 46:00 Expanding Starknet staking to BTC 48:20 Why is OP_CAT “barely enough” for Bitcoin L2s? 51:00 The real reason people oppose OP_CAT, per Eli 53:00 The risks of *not* changing Bitcoin 55:35 The weakness of Bitcoin’s lack of governance 01:00:15 We will need to softfork for quantum!

Isabel Foxen Duke⚡️

46,022 views • 1 year ago

Hash-based signatures for Bitcoin's post-quantum future? with Jonas Nick | SLP713 Bitcoin researcher Blockstream and bitcoin/secp256k1 contributor, Jonas Nick joins me to discuss how quantum computing could impact Bitcoin’s security. We explore post-quantum cryptography, hash-based signatures, impact on hardware wallets, the controversial block size trade-offs and more. (00:00) - Intro (01:49) - How real is quantum risk to Bitcoin? (04:39) - When could quantum pose a threat to Bitcoin’s cryptography? (09:56) - Long range vs Short range attacks (12:37) - How many coins are vulnerable to Long range attacks? (14:12) - Different types of cryptography and exploring Hash-based signature schemes (17:00) - Categories of Hash-based signature scheme and their pros & cons (23:42) - How do Hash-based signatures work? (32:14) - Would Lightning, Multi-sig, Taproot, Silent Payments, Atomic swaps work in a post-quantum world? (38:50) - What are Adaptor signatures & how do they affect atomic swapping? (41:27) - Will we need new Bitcoin hardware wallets?; Signature production & verification (44:41) - Signature size and Bitcoin block capacity implications (46:52) - Should we revisit the block size conversation? (54:57) - Overview of SPHINCS+ & SHRINCS (59:49) - Transitioning to post-quantum signature schemes; Overview of BIP 360 (1:09:06) - Closing thoughts
1:12:29

Hash-based signatures for Bitcoin's post-quantum future? with Jonas Nick | SLP713 Bitcoin researcher Blockstream and bitcoin/secp256k1 contributor, Jonas Nick joins me to discuss how quantum computing could impact Bitcoin’s security. We explore post-quantum cryptography, hash-based signatures, impact on hardware wallets, the controversial block size trade-offs and more. (00:00) - Intro (01:49) - How real is quantum risk to Bitcoin? (04:39) - When could quantum pose a threat to Bitcoin’s cryptography? (09:56) - Long range vs Short range attacks (12:37) - How many coins are vulnerable to Long range attacks? (14:12) - Different types of cryptography and exploring Hash-based signature schemes (17:00) - Categories of Hash-based signature scheme and their pros & cons (23:42) - How do Hash-based signatures work? (32:14) - Would Lightning, Multi-sig, Taproot, Silent Payments, Atomic swaps work in a post-quantum world? (38:50) - What are Adaptor signatures & how do they affect atomic swapping? (41:27) - Will we need new Bitcoin hardware wallets?; Signature production & verification (44:41) - Signature size and Bitcoin block capacity implications (46:52) - Should we revisit the block size conversation? (54:57) - Overview of SPHINCS+ & SHRINCS (59:49) - Transitioning to post-quantum signature schemes; Overview of BIP 360 (1:09:06) - Closing thoughts

Stephan Livera

45,684 views • 6 months ago

BITCOIN RAILS #63: Bitcoin's threshold for trust-minimization—without a soft fork | with Sam Blackshear Sam Blackshear 🔗 YOUTUBE: 🌱 SPOTIFY: Some of the most impressive technical and commercial leaders in digital assets emerged from what insiders call the "Libra Mafia" — the team assembled by Meta to build Libra (later Diem). Though the project ultimately succumbed to regulatory pressure, it produced a generation of founders and engineers who went on to shape the industry, including Sam Blackshear (Sam Blackshear), a leading expert in blockchain programming languages and CTO of MystenLabs.sui In this episode of Bitcoin Rails, Sam joins me to discuss: - Why Mysten Labs has turned its focus toward Bitcoin + why Sam leans conservative on soft-fork changes to Bitcoin script - What makes a strong crypto programming language + why EVM is missing the mark - Why trust minimization remains the critical technical challenge standing between Bitcoin and broader DeFi adoption - Why Mysten Lab's new Hashi architecture may be the most trust-minimized architecture for Bitcoin "bridging" without a soft fork This episode of Bitcoin Rails is brought to you by: LayerTwo Labs LayerTwo Labs — developing research, software, and technologies for scaling Bitcoin via the integration of Drivechains (BIP 300/301) Hashi on Sui — a primitive for executing Bitcoin DeFi transactions, without having to trust a federated bridge or other centralized entity BitBox BitBox — an open-source Bitcoin-only hardware wallet, with smooth UX and no compromises on security. Check out Bitbox [dot] swiss and use code BITCOINRAILS to get a discount TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 — Intro 01:09 — Sam's Origin Story 04:40 — Building Move Inside Libra 10:18 — Why Sui Looks Like Bitcoin 15:55 — Libra Dies & Sui Is Born 23:06 — Quantum Resistance & Sui's Cryptography 28:24 — Bitcoin's Programmability Problem 34:39 — How Hashi Works 38:00 — Hashi's Trust Assumptions 53:54 — Why Nobody Else Could Build This 56:24 — The Future of Building on Bitcoin
58:05

BITCOIN RAILS #63: Bitcoin's threshold for trust-minimization—without a soft fork | with Sam Blackshear Sam Blackshear 🔗 YOUTUBE: 🌱 SPOTIFY: Some of the most impressive technical and commercial leaders in digital assets emerged from what insiders call the "Libra Mafia" — the team assembled by Meta to build Libra (later Diem). Though the project ultimately succumbed to regulatory pressure, it produced a generation of founders and engineers who went on to shape the industry, including Sam Blackshear (Sam Blackshear), a leading expert in blockchain programming languages and CTO of MystenLabs.sui In this episode of Bitcoin Rails, Sam joins me to discuss: - Why Mysten Labs has turned its focus toward Bitcoin + why Sam leans conservative on soft-fork changes to Bitcoin script - What makes a strong crypto programming language + why EVM is missing the mark - Why trust minimization remains the critical technical challenge standing between Bitcoin and broader DeFi adoption - Why Mysten Lab's new Hashi architecture may be the most trust-minimized architecture for Bitcoin "bridging" without a soft fork This episode of Bitcoin Rails is brought to you by: LayerTwo Labs LayerTwo Labs — developing research, software, and technologies for scaling Bitcoin via the integration of Drivechains (BIP 300/301) Hashi on Sui — a primitive for executing Bitcoin DeFi transactions, without having to trust a federated bridge or other centralized entity BitBox BitBox — an open-source Bitcoin-only hardware wallet, with smooth UX and no compromises on security. Check out Bitbox [dot] swiss and use code BITCOINRAILS to get a discount TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 — Intro 01:09 — Sam's Origin Story 04:40 — Building Move Inside Libra 10:18 — Why Sui Looks Like Bitcoin 15:55 — Libra Dies & Sui Is Born 23:06 — Quantum Resistance & Sui's Cryptography 28:24 — Bitcoin's Programmability Problem 34:39 — How Hashi Works 38:00 — Hashi's Trust Assumptions 53:54 — Why Nobody Else Could Build This 56:24 — The Future of Building on Bitcoin

Isabel Foxen Duke⚡️

34,558 views • 2 months ago

BITCOIN RAILS #34: Bitcoin’s Security & Quantum Risks—and the Future of Satoshi’s Coins | with Jameson Lopp Jameson Lopp “Most people don’t think about security until it’s too late,” says the Casa co-founder and CSO. One of the most prolific thought-leaders in Bitcoin security and privacy, there are few people who understand the nuances of Bitcoin security quite as deeply - not to mention the OPSEC practices required to protect against wrench attacks, for instance, which are rising globally as Bitcoin price increases. More recently, Lopp has turned his attention to mitigating Bitcoin’s quantum vulnerabilities, including market risks associated with quantum-vulnerable Satoshi’s Coins + longer-term strategies for quantum-hardening of Bitcoin addresses long term. In this special episode of Bitcoin Rails, we cover: - Lopp’s experiences designing self-custody products at both BitGo and Casa - The swatting attack he suffered in 2017, and the radical steps he’s taken to secure his home location since - The ‘quantum computing’ challenge for Bitcoin and its impacts on Satoshi’s Coins - How the network may respond to QCs in the face of ossification and why QC preparation may be the hardest governance test the network has ever faced This episode is powered by: - Best In Slot (Best in Slot | BRC2.0 🧑‍🍳), the leading API for Ordinals and BRC20 data aggregation and indexing - Spark (Lightspark), a statechains implementation leading the path towards institutional adoption of Bitcoin-powered payments - Citrea (Citrea), the leading Bitcoin Rollup technology and contributor to the BitVM alliance 📌 Timestamps 00:00 – Intro: Quantum Computing Meets Bitcoin 00:19 – Jameson Lopp on the Bitcoin Rails 00:53 – The Quantum Threat to Bitcoin Security 06:32 – Lopp’s Path into Bitcoin & Security 12:58 – The Swatting Attack During the Block Size Wars 25:28 – Could Quantum Crack Satoshi’s Coins? 43:55 – Announcements & Sponsors Messages 45:30 – Building Bitcoin’s Quantum Resistance 47:00 – QBTC and the Push for Quantum-Resistant Bitcoin 48:43 – Why Changing Bitcoin Is So Hard 51:19 – Email Protocols, Ossification, and Bitcoin’s Future 01:01:53 – A Roadmap for Quantum Resistance
1:27:58

BITCOIN RAILS #34: Bitcoin’s Security & Quantum Risks—and the Future of Satoshi’s Coins | with Jameson Lopp Jameson Lopp “Most people don’t think about security until it’s too late,” says the Casa co-founder and CSO. One of the most prolific thought-leaders in Bitcoin security and privacy, there are few people who understand the nuances of Bitcoin security quite as deeply - not to mention the OPSEC practices required to protect against wrench attacks, for instance, which are rising globally as Bitcoin price increases. More recently, Lopp has turned his attention to mitigating Bitcoin’s quantum vulnerabilities, including market risks associated with quantum-vulnerable Satoshi’s Coins + longer-term strategies for quantum-hardening of Bitcoin addresses long term. In this special episode of Bitcoin Rails, we cover: - Lopp’s experiences designing self-custody products at both BitGo and Casa - The swatting attack he suffered in 2017, and the radical steps he’s taken to secure his home location since - The ‘quantum computing’ challenge for Bitcoin and its impacts on Satoshi’s Coins - How the network may respond to QCs in the face of ossification and why QC preparation may be the hardest governance test the network has ever faced This episode is powered by: - Best In Slot (Best in Slot | BRC2.0 🧑‍🍳), the leading API for Ordinals and BRC20 data aggregation and indexing - Spark (Lightspark), a statechains implementation leading the path towards institutional adoption of Bitcoin-powered payments - Citrea (Citrea), the leading Bitcoin Rollup technology and contributor to the BitVM alliance 📌 Timestamps 00:00 – Intro: Quantum Computing Meets Bitcoin 00:19 – Jameson Lopp on the Bitcoin Rails 00:53 – The Quantum Threat to Bitcoin Security 06:32 – Lopp’s Path into Bitcoin & Security 12:58 – The Swatting Attack During the Block Size Wars 25:28 – Could Quantum Crack Satoshi’s Coins? 43:55 – Announcements & Sponsors Messages 45:30 – Building Bitcoin’s Quantum Resistance 47:00 – QBTC and the Push for Quantum-Resistant Bitcoin 48:43 – Why Changing Bitcoin Is So Hard 51:19 – Email Protocols, Ossification, and Bitcoin’s Future 01:01:53 – A Roadmap for Quantum Resistance

Isabel Foxen Duke⚡️

14,538 views • 11 months ago

BITCOIN RAILS #38: Two Forces That Could Break Bitcoin: AI vs Quantum I with Martin Shkreli 🔗 YOUTUBE: 🌿 SPOTIFY: A couple months ago, I co-hosted an X space with LayerTwo Labs re: “Should Bitcoiners care about quantum computing?” You can imagine our surprise when (in?)famous tech investor Martin Shkreli arrived to share that he’s been researching this very question for years… and dropped that he’s been personally considering raising funds to hire a team of mathematicians to hack Satoshi’s Coins. In this episode, Martin and I explore the limits of Bitcoin’s security model and the two forces he believes could potentially challenge it: a computational path driven by advances in quantum hardware, and/or a mathematical path fueled by AI-assisted discovery. This interview additionally shares takes on: - Why hacking Bitcoin would be the "ultimate" mathematical achievement—and why hacking Satoshi’s coins should be considered a “bug bounty” for Bitcoin - Why quantum may be more problematic for Bitcoin than for the traditional tech world (e.g. why quantum doesn’t likely threaten NVIDIA) - The little known history of Bitcoin’s “overflow bug” (yup, Bitcoin *has* been hacked before… an exploit corrected by hard fork). - And of course, why mathematicians do their deepest work in prison 😉 As always, this episode of Bitcoin Rails can be viewed on YouTube or Spotify via the link available in my bio—and is brought to you with the help of my incredible partners: - Best In Slot (Best in Slot | BRC2.0 🧑‍🍳) – the leading API for Ordinals and BRC20 data aggregation and indexing - Spark (Lightspark) – a statechains implementation leading the path towards institutional adoption of Bitcoin-powered payments - Citrea (Citrea) – the leading Bitcoin rollup technology and contributor to the BitVM alliance 📷 Timestamps 00:00 Intro 02:57 Quantum Supremacy and Google’s Breakthroughs 05:02 Bitcoin’s Cryptographic Vulnerabilities 08:24 Studying Math and Cryptography Behind Bars 20:04 Governance and the Culture of Bitcoin Development 26:29 The Future of Quantum and AI in Cryptography 37:42 Hardware Challenges and Fidelity in Quantum 47:57 Game Theory and the Quantum Race 01:04:08 Bitcoin Recovery and the Quantum Security Question 01:08:38 Mathematical Challenges in Breaking Cryptography 01:15:08 The Role of AI in Future Mathematical Breakthroughs
1:28:17

BITCOIN RAILS #38: Two Forces That Could Break Bitcoin: AI vs Quantum I with Martin Shkreli 🔗 YOUTUBE: 🌿 SPOTIFY: A couple months ago, I co-hosted an X space with LayerTwo Labs re: “Should Bitcoiners care about quantum computing?” You can imagine our surprise when (in?)famous tech investor Martin Shkreli arrived to share that he’s been researching this very question for years… and dropped that he’s been personally considering raising funds to hire a team of mathematicians to hack Satoshi’s Coins. In this episode, Martin and I explore the limits of Bitcoin’s security model and the two forces he believes could potentially challenge it: a computational path driven by advances in quantum hardware, and/or a mathematical path fueled by AI-assisted discovery. This interview additionally shares takes on: - Why hacking Bitcoin would be the "ultimate" mathematical achievement—and why hacking Satoshi’s coins should be considered a “bug bounty” for Bitcoin - Why quantum may be more problematic for Bitcoin than for the traditional tech world (e.g. why quantum doesn’t likely threaten NVIDIA) - The little known history of Bitcoin’s “overflow bug” (yup, Bitcoin *has* been hacked before… an exploit corrected by hard fork). - And of course, why mathematicians do their deepest work in prison 😉 As always, this episode of Bitcoin Rails can be viewed on YouTube or Spotify via the link available in my bio—and is brought to you with the help of my incredible partners: - Best In Slot (Best in Slot | BRC2.0 🧑‍🍳) – the leading API for Ordinals and BRC20 data aggregation and indexing - Spark (Lightspark) – a statechains implementation leading the path towards institutional adoption of Bitcoin-powered payments - Citrea (Citrea) – the leading Bitcoin rollup technology and contributor to the BitVM alliance 📷 Timestamps 00:00 Intro 02:57 Quantum Supremacy and Google’s Breakthroughs 05:02 Bitcoin’s Cryptographic Vulnerabilities 08:24 Studying Math and Cryptography Behind Bars 20:04 Governance and the Culture of Bitcoin Development 26:29 The Future of Quantum and AI in Cryptography 37:42 Hardware Challenges and Fidelity in Quantum 47:57 Game Theory and the Quantum Race 01:04:08 Bitcoin Recovery and the Quantum Security Question 01:08:38 Mathematical Challenges in Breaking Cryptography 01:15:08 The Role of AI in Future Mathematical Breakthroughs

Isabel Foxen Duke⚡️

62,881 views • 10 months ago

BITCOIN RAILS EPISODE #18: MAKE BITCOIN QUANTUM RESISTANT | with BIP360 author Hunter Beast Hunter Beast 🕯️ Quantum computing is a complicated topic—one that incites equal amounts of fear and skepticism depending on who you talk to… especially in Bitcoin. In this episode, BIP360 author Hunter Beast wisely shares why the “truth is likely somewhere in the middle,” citing incremental advancements in quantum computing that may eventually pose a legitimate threat to some Bitcoin addresses—as well as steps we can take to protect ourselves in the short, medium and long term. The correct posture is to “be prepared, not scared,” says Hunter Beast 🕯️ Ultimately, the introduction of quantum resistant cryptography—via proposals like BIP360—will be needed for higher degrees of security. That said, individuals can mitigate personal risk substantially through proper address-use hygiene. This episode breaks down the specific challenges Bitcoin will face in the event of a quantum attack, the likelihood of an attack over time, and the steps we’ll need to take at the individual and communal level to ensure Bitcoin’s safety. This episode includes detailed discussion of: 1) How quantum computing could potentially affect Bitcoin public/private key cryptography—and technologies built on vulnerable addresses (e.g. Taproot) 2) Best practices for protecting yourself against quantum in the short and long term 3) Implications of vulnerable address types—e.g. what about Satoshi’s coins? 4) Deep Dive into BIP360 + proposed long-term solutions 5) Industry roadmaps for quantum computing + how banks and governments are preparing for “Q Day” As always, this episode can be viewed on Spotify or YouTuve—full episode in the comments or linktree in my bio. This episode is powered by Best In Slot—the leading API for Ordinals and BRC20 data aggregation and indexing. TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 02:05 What is quantum computing? 04:30 How could quantum threaten your Bitcoin wallet? 06:50 Addresses that are safe from quantum 09:13 Satoshi’s coins are in danger! 11:25 What happens if Satoshi’s coins are touched? 14:45 Do we softfork to shield Satoshi’s coins? 16:38 “Transitory inflation” for bitcoin after quantum 21:05 Why Taproot addresses are vulnerable 23:50 Do NOT reuse your Bitcoin addresses! 26:03 When will Quantum become a threat? 28:34 The long/short exposure attack; explained 31:45 Protection using private mempools 33:20 Why all the new Bitcoin L2s are in danger 37:45 Quantum is 5 to 10 years away, governments fear 40:34 Non-Bitcoin systems threatened by quantum 42:26 Centralized systems can adapt to quantum 43:50 Hunter’s BIP: Post quantum cryptography in Bitcoin 47:40 Hunter’s three new signature algorithms 53:48 Is new cryptography on Bitcoin risky? 56:33 Why not just stick to hash-based cryptography? 58:49 A 16X discount for quantum resistant addresses? 01:02:30 Creating quantum resistant multisig addresses 01:04:00 What is Frost? 01:06:50 The long process of approving a BIP 01:08:30 What developers think of Hunter’s BIP 01:10:00 Matt Corallo’s concerns with Hunter’s approach 01:11:00 Steps to implementing the BIP 360 01:17:00 Where to learn more about BIP 360 01:17:50 Who can push the button to change Bitcoin?
1:23:12

BITCOIN RAILS EPISODE #18: MAKE BITCOIN QUANTUM RESISTANT | with BIP360 author Hunter Beast Hunter Beast 🕯️ Quantum computing is a complicated topic—one that incites equal amounts of fear and skepticism depending on who you talk to… especially in Bitcoin. In this episode, BIP360 author Hunter Beast wisely shares why the “truth is likely somewhere in the middle,” citing incremental advancements in quantum computing that may eventually pose a legitimate threat to some Bitcoin addresses—as well as steps we can take to protect ourselves in the short, medium and long term. The correct posture is to “be prepared, not scared,” says Hunter Beast 🕯️ Ultimately, the introduction of quantum resistant cryptography—via proposals like BIP360—will be needed for higher degrees of security. That said, individuals can mitigate personal risk substantially through proper address-use hygiene. This episode breaks down the specific challenges Bitcoin will face in the event of a quantum attack, the likelihood of an attack over time, and the steps we’ll need to take at the individual and communal level to ensure Bitcoin’s safety. This episode includes detailed discussion of: 1) How quantum computing could potentially affect Bitcoin public/private key cryptography—and technologies built on vulnerable addresses (e.g. Taproot) 2) Best practices for protecting yourself against quantum in the short and long term 3) Implications of vulnerable address types—e.g. what about Satoshi’s coins? 4) Deep Dive into BIP360 + proposed long-term solutions 5) Industry roadmaps for quantum computing + how banks and governments are preparing for “Q Day” As always, this episode can be viewed on Spotify or YouTuve—full episode in the comments or linktree in my bio. This episode is powered by Best In Slot—the leading API for Ordinals and BRC20 data aggregation and indexing. TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 02:05 What is quantum computing? 04:30 How could quantum threaten your Bitcoin wallet? 06:50 Addresses that are safe from quantum 09:13 Satoshi’s coins are in danger! 11:25 What happens if Satoshi’s coins are touched? 14:45 Do we softfork to shield Satoshi’s coins? 16:38 “Transitory inflation” for bitcoin after quantum 21:05 Why Taproot addresses are vulnerable 23:50 Do NOT reuse your Bitcoin addresses! 26:03 When will Quantum become a threat? 28:34 The long/short exposure attack; explained 31:45 Protection using private mempools 33:20 Why all the new Bitcoin L2s are in danger 37:45 Quantum is 5 to 10 years away, governments fear 40:34 Non-Bitcoin systems threatened by quantum 42:26 Centralized systems can adapt to quantum 43:50 Hunter’s BIP: Post quantum cryptography in Bitcoin 47:40 Hunter’s three new signature algorithms 53:48 Is new cryptography on Bitcoin risky? 56:33 Why not just stick to hash-based cryptography? 58:49 A 16X discount for quantum resistant addresses? 01:02:30 Creating quantum resistant multisig addresses 01:04:00 What is Frost? 01:06:50 The long process of approving a BIP 01:08:30 What developers think of Hunter’s BIP 01:10:00 Matt Corallo’s concerns with Hunter’s approach 01:11:00 Steps to implementing the BIP 360 01:17:00 Where to learn more about BIP 360 01:17:50 Who can push the button to change Bitcoin?

Isabel Foxen Duke⚡️

31,148 views • 1 year ago

What do Bitcoiners do about Quantum? with Matt Corallo | SLP719 Matt Corallo 🟠, Bitcoin & Lightning developer at Spiral joins me to discuss the threat of Q-Day on Bitcoin, and his ideas on how to gracefully deal with it. (00:00) - Intro (00:51) - Quantum computing timelines (03:38) - Are Bitcoin developers taking the quantum threat seriously? (07:41) - Evaluating the quantum threat (10:00) - The 'Matt Corallo Quantum Plan' (17:48) - Future community decisions on quantum security (20:12) - Will Bitcoin need a soft fork? (23:30) - Market response to quantum threat (28:15) - The role of seed phrases in quantum security (33:40) - Post quantum cryptographic schemes (37:23) - Patoshi miner adapting to Q-Day (43:25) - Which public cryptography scheme is most suitable? (50:20) - Closing thoughts
51:08

What do Bitcoiners do about Quantum? with Matt Corallo | SLP719 Matt Corallo 🟠, Bitcoin & Lightning developer at Spiral joins me to discuss the threat of Q-Day on Bitcoin, and his ideas on how to gracefully deal with it. (00:00) - Intro (00:51) - Quantum computing timelines (03:38) - Are Bitcoin developers taking the quantum threat seriously? (07:41) - Evaluating the quantum threat (10:00) - The 'Matt Corallo Quantum Plan' (17:48) - Future community decisions on quantum security (20:12) - Will Bitcoin need a soft fork? (23:30) - Market response to quantum threat (28:15) - The role of seed phrases in quantum security (33:40) - Post quantum cryptographic schemes (37:23) - Patoshi miner adapting to Q-Day (43:25) - Which public cryptography scheme is most suitable? (50:20) - Closing thoughts

Stephan Livera

23,851 views • 6 months ago

Bitcoin Rails x MARA Foundation presents: THE POLITICS OF POST-QUANTUM BITCOIN | with Nic Carter 🔗 YouTube: 🌿Spotify: Less than nine months ago, investor and researcher nic carter sparked one of the most heated debates in Bitcoin's recent history — when he published a series of essays arguing that the network should prepare for its post-quantum transition sooner rather than later. While the essays broadly persuaded investors and institutions, many of Bitcoin's technical leaders dismissed them as alarmist — that is, until Google's quantum resource estimates were updated just a few months later. Crediting Google's paper with "shifting the Overton Window" on quantum and strengthening the case for post-quantum preparation, Nic shares his thoughts on the delicate politics surrounding this transition — and how he believes a quantum attack and response could potentially play out in practice. In more detail, this special episode of Bitcoin Rails X MARA Foundation TV covers: - How a quantum attack could realistically unfold + the different ways stakeholder groups might respond - The constitutional tensions surfaced by quantum vulnerable coins and how incentives will ultimately dictate outcomes - How a state actor could facilitate "benevolent" quantum recovery and eliminate the need for a contentious fork - The role and influence of institutional investors as key players in quantum outcomes - How Bitcoin's post-quantum transition could permanently reshape Bitcoin’s governance structures ...or build them from the ground up TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 — Intro 00:18 — Nick's path from Fidelity to founding Castle Island 07:00 — How quantum went from FUD to Nick's biggest concern 12:45 — Why Core devs refuse to be accountable 26:09 — Investors vs developers: who took quantum seriously first 32:33 — Bitcoin's "pre-constitutional" governance problem 39:18 — Satoshi's coins: liquidate, burn, slow-bleed, or let the government take them 47:36 — Why there will never be another Bitcoin fork war 01:01:35 — Bitcoin is about to choose the wrong signature scheme 01:09:42 — The actual deadline: why PQ signatures need to ship in 2026 01:13:09 — The happy path, the coup, and why Bitcoin won't die
1:15:19

Bitcoin Rails x MARA Foundation presents: THE POLITICS OF POST-QUANTUM BITCOIN | with Nic Carter 🔗 YouTube: 🌿Spotify: Less than nine months ago, investor and researcher nic carter sparked one of the most heated debates in Bitcoin's recent history — when he published a series of essays arguing that the network should prepare for its post-quantum transition sooner rather than later. While the essays broadly persuaded investors and institutions, many of Bitcoin's technical leaders dismissed them as alarmist — that is, until Google's quantum resource estimates were updated just a few months later. Crediting Google's paper with "shifting the Overton Window" on quantum and strengthening the case for post-quantum preparation, Nic shares his thoughts on the delicate politics surrounding this transition — and how he believes a quantum attack and response could potentially play out in practice. In more detail, this special episode of Bitcoin Rails X MARA Foundation TV covers: - How a quantum attack could realistically unfold + the different ways stakeholder groups might respond - The constitutional tensions surfaced by quantum vulnerable coins and how incentives will ultimately dictate outcomes - How a state actor could facilitate "benevolent" quantum recovery and eliminate the need for a contentious fork - The role and influence of institutional investors as key players in quantum outcomes - How Bitcoin's post-quantum transition could permanently reshape Bitcoin’s governance structures ...or build them from the ground up TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 — Intro 00:18 — Nick's path from Fidelity to founding Castle Island 07:00 — How quantum went from FUD to Nick's biggest concern 12:45 — Why Core devs refuse to be accountable 26:09 — Investors vs developers: who took quantum seriously first 32:33 — Bitcoin's "pre-constitutional" governance problem 39:18 — Satoshi's coins: liquidate, burn, slow-bleed, or let the government take them 47:36 — Why there will never be another Bitcoin fork war 01:01:35 — Bitcoin is about to choose the wrong signature scheme 01:09:42 — The actual deadline: why PQ signatures need to ship in 2026 01:13:09 — The happy path, the coup, and why Bitcoin won't die

Isabel Foxen Duke⚡️

50,840 views • 1 month ago

BITCOIN RAILS #36: The Birth Story of ‘OPCAT’ | with proposal co-author Ethan ✨ is on BlueSky✨ Heilman 🐱 🔗 YOUTUBE: 🌿 SPOTIFY: As interest in Bitcoin Layer 2s skyrockets, the inclusion of OP_CAT — an opcode enabling concatenation of elements in the Bitcoin stack — has become a key technical upgrade to watch for its potential in the development of trustless bridges. OP_CAT co-author Ethan ✨ is on BlueSky✨ Heilman 🐱 and I sat down to discuss debate around this opcode — including why it’s controversial, the cultural environment shaping its future, and why some worry its broad expressivity could pose “unknown risks” to Bitcoin over time. More recently, Ethan co-authored BIP 360 with Hunter Beast 🕯️ — another controversial proposal aimed at addressing Bitcoin’s quantum vulnerabilities. Suffice it to say, there are few people with Ethan's experience in navigating Bitcoin politics and its shifting governance landscape as we move towards ossification over time. In this episode, we cover: - The origins of OP_CAT and why it was included and removed from early Bitcoin - What makes OP_CAT so powerful (and why that worries some developers) - Cultural shifts in Bitcoin governance as its developer community matures - The ‘great covenants debate’ + OPCAT vs. CTV - The path to BIP 360 and why Bitcoin should be ‘quantum ready’ This episode is powered by: - Best In Slot (Best in Slot | BRC2.0 🧑‍🍳), the leading API for Ordinals and BRC20 data aggregation and indexing - Spark (Lightspark), a statechains implementation leading the path towards institutional adoption of Bitcoin-powered payments - Citrea (Citrea), the leading Bitcoin Rollup technology and contributor to the BitVM alliance 📍 Timestamps 00:00 – Intro 00:45 – Bitcoin Privacy and the OP_CAT Proposal 03:18 – Technical Challenges of Adding New Opcodes 07:37 – Politics and Culture of Bitcoin Upgrades 28:46 – Quantum Computing Meets Bitcoin 37:48 – How Governments View Quantum Risk 39:06 – Breaking Down BIP 360 for Developers 42:03 – Post-Quantum Signature Schemes Explained 45:18 – Trade-offs in Quantum Security for Bitcoin 53:16 – Community Reactions to BIP 360 01:00:23 – The Future of Bitcoin in a Post Quantum World
1:08:25

BITCOIN RAILS #36: The Birth Story of ‘OPCAT’ | with proposal co-author Ethan ✨ is on BlueSky✨ Heilman 🐱 🔗 YOUTUBE: 🌿 SPOTIFY: As interest in Bitcoin Layer 2s skyrockets, the inclusion of OP_CAT — an opcode enabling concatenation of elements in the Bitcoin stack — has become a key technical upgrade to watch for its potential in the development of trustless bridges. OP_CAT co-author Ethan ✨ is on BlueSky✨ Heilman 🐱 and I sat down to discuss debate around this opcode — including why it’s controversial, the cultural environment shaping its future, and why some worry its broad expressivity could pose “unknown risks” to Bitcoin over time. More recently, Ethan co-authored BIP 360 with Hunter Beast 🕯️ — another controversial proposal aimed at addressing Bitcoin’s quantum vulnerabilities. Suffice it to say, there are few people with Ethan's experience in navigating Bitcoin politics and its shifting governance landscape as we move towards ossification over time. In this episode, we cover: - The origins of OP_CAT and why it was included and removed from early Bitcoin - What makes OP_CAT so powerful (and why that worries some developers) - Cultural shifts in Bitcoin governance as its developer community matures - The ‘great covenants debate’ + OPCAT vs. CTV - The path to BIP 360 and why Bitcoin should be ‘quantum ready’ This episode is powered by: - Best In Slot (Best in Slot | BRC2.0 🧑‍🍳), the leading API for Ordinals and BRC20 data aggregation and indexing - Spark (Lightspark), a statechains implementation leading the path towards institutional adoption of Bitcoin-powered payments - Citrea (Citrea), the leading Bitcoin Rollup technology and contributor to the BitVM alliance 📍 Timestamps 00:00 – Intro 00:45 – Bitcoin Privacy and the OP_CAT Proposal 03:18 – Technical Challenges of Adding New Opcodes 07:37 – Politics and Culture of Bitcoin Upgrades 28:46 – Quantum Computing Meets Bitcoin 37:48 – How Governments View Quantum Risk 39:06 – Breaking Down BIP 360 for Developers 42:03 – Post-Quantum Signature Schemes Explained 45:18 – Trade-offs in Quantum Security for Bitcoin 53:16 – Community Reactions to BIP 360 01:00:23 – The Future of Bitcoin in a Post Quantum World

Isabel Foxen Duke⚡️

13,231 views • 10 months ago

“Only two steps” required to make Bitcoin quantum-resistant? In this Unchained episode, Matt Corallo 🟠 joins me to discuss: ❌ Why he thinks Nic Carter is wrong about the quantum threat to Bitcoin ⛔ Why he disagrees with Nic on his ranking of Bitcoin’s most influential developers 😱 Why “the community at that time” will deal with the quantum threat 🥷 Why making bitcoin post-quantum might require a block size increase 🔥 Why he believes “you burn old lost coins, you burn anyone who hasn't migrated” Timestamps: 🚀0:00 Introduction ⚔️02:16 What Matt says Nic is getting wrong about the quantum threat to Bitcoin 🤔08:59 What Matt says Bitcoin's quantum security roadmap could look like 🫠19:04 Do Bitcoin Core developers have any timelines? 🤯29:34 Are there only two steps required to quantum-proof Bitcoin? 📍34:04 Matt weighs in on public comments from other Bitcoin developers on the quantum threat ⁉️47:37 Why Bitcoin Core has not announced a quantum team 👀53:57 Can BlackRock “fire” Bitcoin developers? 💫58:07 What Matt says is the North Star for Bitcoin developers 🔥1:07:42 What Matt thinks will happen to lost bitcoins 🤔1:08:26 Is there any plan to secure Bitcoin against AI? 👀1:11:31 Will Bitcoin and Ethereum align on quantum security?
1:17:34

“Only two steps” required to make Bitcoin quantum-resistant? In this Unchained episode, Matt Corallo 🟠 joins me to discuss: ❌ Why he thinks Nic Carter is wrong about the quantum threat to Bitcoin ⛔ Why he disagrees with Nic on his ranking of Bitcoin’s most influential developers 😱 Why “the community at that time” will deal with the quantum threat 🥷 Why making bitcoin post-quantum might require a block size increase 🔥 Why he believes “you burn old lost coins, you burn anyone who hasn't migrated” Timestamps: 🚀0:00 Introduction ⚔️02:16 What Matt says Nic is getting wrong about the quantum threat to Bitcoin 🤔08:59 What Matt says Bitcoin's quantum security roadmap could look like 🫠19:04 Do Bitcoin Core developers have any timelines? 🤯29:34 Are there only two steps required to quantum-proof Bitcoin? 📍34:04 Matt weighs in on public comments from other Bitcoin developers on the quantum threat ⁉️47:37 Why Bitcoin Core has not announced a quantum team 👀53:57 Can BlackRock “fire” Bitcoin developers? 💫58:07 What Matt says is the North Star for Bitcoin developers 🔥1:07:42 What Matt thinks will happen to lost bitcoins 🤔1:08:26 Is there any plan to secure Bitcoin against AI? 👀1:11:31 Will Bitcoin and Ethereum align on quantum security?

Laura Shin

19,795 views • 5 months ago

People drastically underestimate how important cryptography is for US national security interests. I am fascinated by the work being done on zero-knowledge proofs in particular. I sat down with Rob Viglione to understand the latest developments. Enjoy! YouTube: Spotify: Apple: TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 - Intro 1:34 - ZK proofs and bitcoin & crypto in Afghanistan 6:31 - National security use cases 9:48 - Biggest areas for opportunity 13:51 - AI, proof of human & machine 19:31 - Why blockchain is so valuable 23:50 - What are some technical obstacles? 26:23 - How to cut costs and improve efficiency 29:39 - Bitcoin integration & future tech
33:29

People drastically underestimate how important cryptography is for US national security interests. I am fascinated by the work being done on zero-knowledge proofs in particular. I sat down with Rob Viglione to understand the latest developments. Enjoy! YouTube: Spotify: Apple: TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 - Intro 1:34 - ZK proofs and bitcoin & crypto in Afghanistan 6:31 - National security use cases 9:48 - Biggest areas for opportunity 13:51 - AI, proof of human & machine 19:31 - Why blockchain is so valuable 23:50 - What are some technical obstacles? 26:23 - How to cut costs and improve efficiency 29:39 - Bitcoin integration & future tech

Anthony Pompliano 🌪

58,768 views • 10 months ago

BITCOIN RAILS #50: HISTORY OF SEGWIT & TAPROOT | with Pieter Wuille 🔗 YOUTUBE: A primary maintainer of Bitcoin Core from 2011-2022, Pieter Wuille is arguably the most influential developer in Bitcoin’s history since Satoshi himself. After receiving keys to the Bitcoin codebase from Gavin Andresen, who was tasked with maintaining the codebase by Satoshi Nakamoto, Pieter went on to implement some of Bitcoin’s most dramatic and influential upgrades, including but not limited to: - Implementation of Bitcoin’s Taproot and Segwit upgrades - Implementation of libsecp256k + Bitcoin’s unique encoding structure for the cryptography securing all Bitcoin public/private keys - The first import/export feature for Bitcoin private keys into Bitcoin (now Bitcoin Core) - Development of hierarchical deterministic (HD) wallets, enabling backups via a single seedphrase and paving the way for seedphrases themselves - DER signatures, Miniscript, and so much more A truly special episode of Bitcoin Rails, this is a rare long-form interview with one of the most important historical figures in the arc of Bitcoin’s development. Pieter and I walk through how Bitcoin consensus works in practice, the history of Bitcoin's most critical early developments, and the key role of his good friend, Greg Maxwell, nearly every step of the way. This episode of Bitcoin Rails is powered by: — Best In Slot (Best in Slot | BRC2.0 🧑‍🍳) - the leading API for Ordinals and BRC-20 data aggregation and indexing. — Spark (Lightspark) - a statechains implementation advancing Bitcoin-powered payments. — Citrea (Citrea | Mainnet Live 🍊🍋) - a leading Bitcoin rollup technology and BitVM alliance contributor. TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 00:42 Early Days in Bitcoin 01:25 First Contributions to Bitcoin Core 04:38 Challenges and Innovations in Bitcoin Development 06:54 The Hal Finney Challenge 12:16 Bitcoin Core Contributors Back Then 14:18 The Creation of HD Wallets and Seed Phrases 17:47 Greg Maxwell Role and Relationship 21:00 Implementing Libsecp256k1 28:39 Why Did Satoshi Choose ECDSA 33:34 Addressing OpenSSL Issues 40:41 Why Pieter Wrote BIP 66 47:54 BIP 103 Proposal and Initial Reactions 49:57 SegWit Development and Implementation 01:05:39 Taproot's History, Details, and Benefits 01:11:09 Why Taproot Has No Hashed Addresses 01:16:55 Pieter's Thoughts on BitVM and other non-softfork dependent scaling solutions cc Robin Linus 🥖 01:18:27 Non-Soft Fork Scaling Solutions 01:23:03 Future Consensus Changes and Challenges 01:25:28 Bitcoin's Miner Centralization and Security Concerns (e.g. MEV) cc Matt Corallo 🟠 01:34:48 Miniscript: Simplifying Bitcoin Script? cc Rob Hamilton
1:40:30

BITCOIN RAILS #50: HISTORY OF SEGWIT & TAPROOT | with Pieter Wuille 🔗 YOUTUBE: A primary maintainer of Bitcoin Core from 2011-2022, Pieter Wuille is arguably the most influential developer in Bitcoin’s history since Satoshi himself. After receiving keys to the Bitcoin codebase from Gavin Andresen, who was tasked with maintaining the codebase by Satoshi Nakamoto, Pieter went on to implement some of Bitcoin’s most dramatic and influential upgrades, including but not limited to: - Implementation of Bitcoin’s Taproot and Segwit upgrades - Implementation of libsecp256k + Bitcoin’s unique encoding structure for the cryptography securing all Bitcoin public/private keys - The first import/export feature for Bitcoin private keys into Bitcoin (now Bitcoin Core) - Development of hierarchical deterministic (HD) wallets, enabling backups via a single seedphrase and paving the way for seedphrases themselves - DER signatures, Miniscript, and so much more A truly special episode of Bitcoin Rails, this is a rare long-form interview with one of the most important historical figures in the arc of Bitcoin’s development. Pieter and I walk through how Bitcoin consensus works in practice, the history of Bitcoin's most critical early developments, and the key role of his good friend, Greg Maxwell, nearly every step of the way. This episode of Bitcoin Rails is powered by: — Best In Slot (Best in Slot | BRC2.0 🧑‍🍳) - the leading API for Ordinals and BRC-20 data aggregation and indexing. — Spark (Lightspark) - a statechains implementation advancing Bitcoin-powered payments. — Citrea (Citrea | Mainnet Live 🍊🍋) - a leading Bitcoin rollup technology and BitVM alliance contributor. TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 00:42 Early Days in Bitcoin 01:25 First Contributions to Bitcoin Core 04:38 Challenges and Innovations in Bitcoin Development 06:54 The Hal Finney Challenge 12:16 Bitcoin Core Contributors Back Then 14:18 The Creation of HD Wallets and Seed Phrases 17:47 Greg Maxwell Role and Relationship 21:00 Implementing Libsecp256k1 28:39 Why Did Satoshi Choose ECDSA 33:34 Addressing OpenSSL Issues 40:41 Why Pieter Wrote BIP 66 47:54 BIP 103 Proposal and Initial Reactions 49:57 SegWit Development and Implementation 01:05:39 Taproot's History, Details, and Benefits 01:11:09 Why Taproot Has No Hashed Addresses 01:16:55 Pieter's Thoughts on BitVM and other non-softfork dependent scaling solutions cc Robin Linus 🥖 01:18:27 Non-Soft Fork Scaling Solutions 01:23:03 Future Consensus Changes and Challenges 01:25:28 Bitcoin's Miner Centralization and Security Concerns (e.g. MEV) cc Matt Corallo 🟠 01:34:48 Miniscript: Simplifying Bitcoin Script? cc Rob Hamilton

Isabel Foxen Duke⚡️

43,894 views • 6 months ago

.Sui has a massive headstart and the most flexible architecture for the post-quantum and AI era. This conversation with Kostas Kryptos tells you exactly why, and what every other chain still has to figure out. If you hold anything onchain, watch this pod. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 6:00 What a quantum computer actually is (the 10-year-old version) 10:00 Quantum will be used for trading before it ever breaks Bitcoin? 13:00 Post-quantum algorithms (solved) vs hardware (decades out) 17:00 "If you think quantum breaks crypto by 2030, you can make free money" 19:00 Everyone missed this: AI is now researching quantum alongside humans 25:00 The post-quantum-algorithm debate: Falcon, Dilithium, Sphincs and why each chain picks differently 27:00 Why Bitcoin will ONLY adopt hash-based post-quantum algorithms 31:00 This is why Sui's architecture wins: 128KB transactions, native multi-sig, flexible authenticator 36:00 How Sui can natively support any signature scheme 40:00 The Sui-only algorithm: protect existing EdDSA addresses without moving a coin 44:00 Design philosophy: what Sui kept from Libra, and what it threw out 47:00 Why Sui can keep gas low even with post-quantum signatures 49:00 How Kostas first started working on this in 2016 at R3 Corda 51:00 Attending tech conference one day after his son was born: meeting Sam Blackshear , joining Libra 55:00 The bigger near-term threat: AI-aided attacks, not quantum 58:00 Why Mysten Labs is now sharing its security tooling with the community 1:02:00 Sui's $100K post-quantum bounty: break it, keep it
1:05:30

.Sui has a massive headstart and the most flexible architecture for the post-quantum and AI era. This conversation with Kostas Kryptos tells you exactly why, and what every other chain still has to figure out. If you hold anything onchain, watch this pod. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 6:00 What a quantum computer actually is (the 10-year-old version) 10:00 Quantum will be used for trading before it ever breaks Bitcoin? 13:00 Post-quantum algorithms (solved) vs hardware (decades out) 17:00 "If you think quantum breaks crypto by 2030, you can make free money" 19:00 Everyone missed this: AI is now researching quantum alongside humans 25:00 The post-quantum-algorithm debate: Falcon, Dilithium, Sphincs and why each chain picks differently 27:00 Why Bitcoin will ONLY adopt hash-based post-quantum algorithms 31:00 This is why Sui's architecture wins: 128KB transactions, native multi-sig, flexible authenticator 36:00 How Sui can natively support any signature scheme 40:00 The Sui-only algorithm: protect existing EdDSA addresses without moving a coin 44:00 Design philosophy: what Sui kept from Libra, and what it threw out 47:00 Why Sui can keep gas low even with post-quantum signatures 49:00 How Kostas first started working on this in 2016 at R3 Corda 51:00 Attending tech conference one day after his son was born: meeting Sam Blackshear , joining Libra 55:00 The bigger near-term threat: AI-aided attacks, not quantum 58:00 Why Mysten Labs is now sharing its security tooling with the community 1:02:00 Sui's $100K post-quantum bounty: break it, keep it

Sooraj

13,761 views • 2 months ago

LIVE NOW - Ethereum’s Quantum Plan Before Q-Day Quantum is no longer a distant thought experiment. Justin Drake joins Bankless to unpack: - when Q-Day could actually arriv,e - why Bitcoin and Ethereum face very different quantum risks, - what Ethereum’s post-quantum roadmap looks like, - why this upgrade could be bigger than the Merge, - and how quantum could become Ethereum’s chance to lead. --- TIMESTAMPS 0:00 When is Q-Day? 5:35 The moment quantum becomes crypto-relevant 10:11 How many qubits does it take to break crypto? 16:22 What a real Bitcoin quantum attack would look like 20:19 How much Bitcoin is actually vulnerable? 26:26 Burn, freeze, or salvage? Bitcoin’s impossible choice 35:06 Proof of seed phrase and Bitcoin’s post-quantum bottleneck 41:02 Ethereum’s exposure: smaller, but not zero 45:43 Ethereum’s tougher roadmap: three layers, three upgrades 50:29 The execution-layer plan: replace ECDSA without killing throughput 57:56 Post-quantum, post-AI cryptography 1:03:36 BLS, KZG, LeanVM, and the rest of the stack 1:06:42 Is this bigger than the Merge? 1:17:21 If Bitcoin stumbles, does all crypto stumble too? 1:19:35 “Quantum is not a challenge—it’s an opportunity” 1:21:27 AI, quantum, crypto and the 2032 convergence 1:28:04 Harvest now, decrypt later 1:30:09 Defensive accelerationism and Ethereum’s role 1:39:10 Stoicism, P-doom, and why he keeps building
1:44:00

LIVE NOW - Ethereum’s Quantum Plan Before Q-Day Quantum is no longer a distant thought experiment. Justin Drake joins Bankless to unpack: - when Q-Day could actually arriv,e - why Bitcoin and Ethereum face very different quantum risks, - what Ethereum’s post-quantum roadmap looks like, - why this upgrade could be bigger than the Merge, - and how quantum could become Ethereum’s chance to lead. --- TIMESTAMPS 0:00 When is Q-Day? 5:35 The moment quantum becomes crypto-relevant 10:11 How many qubits does it take to break crypto? 16:22 What a real Bitcoin quantum attack would look like 20:19 How much Bitcoin is actually vulnerable? 26:26 Burn, freeze, or salvage? Bitcoin’s impossible choice 35:06 Proof of seed phrase and Bitcoin’s post-quantum bottleneck 41:02 Ethereum’s exposure: smaller, but not zero 45:43 Ethereum’s tougher roadmap: three layers, three upgrades 50:29 The execution-layer plan: replace ECDSA without killing throughput 57:56 Post-quantum, post-AI cryptography 1:03:36 BLS, KZG, LeanVM, and the rest of the stack 1:06:42 Is this bigger than the Merge? 1:17:21 If Bitcoin stumbles, does all crypto stumble too? 1:19:35 “Quantum is not a challenge—it’s an opportunity” 1:21:27 AI, quantum, crypto and the 2032 convergence 1:28:04 Harvest now, decrypt later 1:30:09 Defensive accelerationism and Ethereum’s role 1:39:10 Stoicism, P-doom, and why he keeps building

Bankless

50,065 views • 4 months ago