Luke Gromen is the founder of Forest for the Trees. In this episode, we discuss why the U.S. debt cycle is reaching a breaking point, how AI and geopolitics are accelerating structural change, and why we could be witnessing the endgame of the fiat era.
We get into why stablecoins may represent the next phase of the petrodollar system, the rise of financial repression, the return of inflation as a political tool, and why gold and Bitcoin are the only real safe havens this decade.
He also lays out how AI threatens the debt-based monetary system itself, why autonomous labor could cause mass unemployment, and why meaning, not money, might become society’s scarcest resource.
In this episode:
- Why the Fed has to cut rates and inflate away debt
- The new “petrodollar” built on stablecoins
- The coming wave of financial repression
THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:
IREN
RIVER
ANCHORWATCH
BLOCKWARE
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Follow:
Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny
Luke Gromen: https://x.com/LukeGromen
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1:20:05
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1:20:05
Market Chaos: Is the Bitcoin Bull Run Over? | Checkmate
Checkmate is a Bitcoin analyst known for his on-chain & macro research. In this episode, we get into the weekend’s deleveraging event across the markets, the structural fragility it exposed, and why Bitcoin’s resilience through it all might mark a new era of maturity for the asset.
Checkmate breaks down what caused over $20 billion in liquidations, how cascading leverage turned minor sell-offs into total wipeouts, and why market makers simply “walked away.” He also explains why Bitcoin’s fundamentals, ETF inflows, spot demand, and deep capital pools make it better positioned than ever despite short-term volatility.
We discuss how Bitcoin is becoming the world’s 24/7 macro signal, why "crypto" may be entering terminal decline, and what the data says about sentiment, and the critical price levels that will determine whether this was just a reset, or the start of a broader bear market.
In this episode:
- The $20 billion liquidation and what triggered it
- How leverage cascades break the market
- Bitcoin’s structural strength
- Why Bitcoin is the world’s macro thermometer
THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:
IREN
RIVER
ANCHORWATCH
BLOCKWARE
LEDN
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Follow:
Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny
Checkmate: https://x.com/_Checkmatey_
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1:10:40
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1:10:40
The AI Revolution That Ends Humanity | Roman Yampolskiy
Dr. Roman Yampolskiy is a computer scientist and AI safety researcher whose work explores the existential risks of artificial intelligence and the limits of human control. In this episode, we dive deep into whether superintelligence can be contained, why AI may already be on an unstoppable trajectory, and what that means for humanity’s future.
Roman explains the difference between narrow AI, AGI, and superintelligence, and why building systems smarter than us may be a form of mutually assured destruction. We cover the ethics of open-source models, whether AI could ever be conscious, and how Bitcoin fits into a world dominated by intelligent machines.
In this episode:
- Why superintelligence may be impossible to control
- The existential risk of AI
- Whether consciousness can exist in machines
- How AI will replace all human labor
- Why AI might eventually use Bitcoin as its native money
THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:
IREN
RIVER
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BLOCKWARE
LEDN
BITKEY
Follow:
Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny
Dr. Roman Yampolskiy: https://x.com/romanyam
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1:04:42
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1:04:42
Bitcoin Core v30 Explained: Spam, Filters & the Knots Debate | Antoine Poinsot
Antoine Poinsot is a Bitcoin Core contributor and researcher at Chaincode Labs. In this episode, we dive deep into the growing divide between Bitcoin Core and Knots, why mistrust in Core development has reached new levels, and what the v30 policy changes really mean for the future of Bitcoin.
Antoine explains the history behind the OP_RETURN controversy, how “spam” and arbitrary data affect the UTXO set, and why multiple implementations like Knots may be both a strength and a serious risk to the network. We also cover Core’s security-disclosure process, how decisions are actually made inside the project, and whether Bitcoin should ossify or continue to evolve.
In this episode:
- The Core vs Knots debate
- Spam, inscriptions, and the limits of filtering policy
- UTXO bloat, miner incentives, and decentralisation risks
- Why unreviewed Knots code could become a systemic threat
- How Core handles policy vs consensus changes
THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:
IREN
RIVER
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BLOCKWARE
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BITKEY
Follow:
Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny
Antoine Poinsot: https://x.com/darosior
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1:23:48
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1:23:48
Bitcoin is Generational Wealth | Peter Dunworth
Peter Dunworth is the Director of a multi-family office and is the co-founder of The Bitcoin Adviser. In this episode, we dive into why Bitcoin is the ultimate vehicle for generational wealth, how to actually protect it across jurisdictions, and why collateral, not debt, is the real story of global finance.
We get into why Bitcoin could underpin the collateral markets, how hyperbitcoinisation might play out both personally and globally, and why coexistence with fiat may last much longer than many expect. Peter explains how capital protected Bitcoin bonds could revolutionise sovereign debt, why the financialization of Bitcoin by Wall Street may actually be a net positive.
In this episode:
- Why 1 BTC could soon be generational wealth
- The challenges of preserving wealth
- Bitcoin as the foundation of collateral markets
- The case for Bitcoin bonds
- How Wall Street will financialize Bitcoin
- Coexistence of Bitcoin and fiat
THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:
IREN
RIVER
ANCHORWATCH
BLOCKWARE
LEDN
BITKEY
Follow:
Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles or https://primal.net/danny
Peter Dunworth: https://x.com/PeterBTCAdviser
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