Bullish On Lightning Network With Thomas Jestopher: Meet The Taco Plebs

For this episode of Bitcoin Magazine’s “Meet The Taco Plebs,” I was joined by Thomas Jestopher (@Jestopher_BTC), a Lightning Network enthusiast and co-host of “Bitcoin Kindergarten.”

We kicked off this interview with Jestopher sharing his rabbit hole story, discussing his first attempt to buy bitcoin from Mt. Gox in 2015. In order to buy bitcoin from there, you had to wire money to the exchange in Japan, and his bank actually blocked his transaction, forcing him to look for other avenues to acquire BTC.

Using faucets, Jestopher was able to stack some sats in trade for his time watching ads on websites. He did this for a while, but didn’t make his first actual purchase until the bull run in 2017. At the time, he worked in a call center where he saw just how corrupt and unfair banks are to their customers. This, in addition to the price catching his attention, caused him to fall deep down the rabbit hole.

Jestopher shared his thoughts on how Bitcoin inspires innovation for builders and entrepreneurs to flourish. Since the Bitcoin protocol does not change, and upgrades only happen so often, people now have a solid base layer that they know will always be there, and they know nothing will change on them in a negative way. This gives builders comfort knowing that they’re building on a solid foundation.

Jestopher was one of the many people who got inspired to build on Bitcoin, and saw massive potential in the Lightning Network. We discussed the entrepreneurial opportunities that pop up thanks to Lightning and how people can become more independent from taking tips on the second layer solution. Then he shared his thoughts on using the Lightning Network on top of Bitcoin as a medium of exchange.

If there are any Taco Plebs you’d like to see on this show, make sure to drop their names and Twitter handles in the comments section below or tweet your feedback to @nikcantmine!

Timestamps:

0:00 - 1:10 Intro
1:10 - 4:15 Jestopher's rabbit hole story
4:15 - 7:19 Jestopher's experience providing information on class action lawsuits
7:19 - 9:03 What piqued Jestopher's interest with Bitcoin
9:03 - 11:40 Using Bitcoin Faucets
11:40 - 14:02 Has Jestopher's life changed because of Bitcoin?
14:02 - 14:40 Nik wants to sell his car to buy more Bitcoin
14:40 - 16:54 Greed and Bitcoin
16:54 - 18:10 Running a lightning node
18:10 - 19:00 Greed and Bitcoin (cont.)
19:00 - 20:44 What is the best thing about Bitcoin?
20:44 - 24:10 What inspired Jestopher to build lightning products?
24:10 - 27:52 Micropayments with lightning
27:52 - 30:03 Is lightning the second layer solution to lead Bitcoin into being a medium of exchange?
30:03 - 32:02 Is lightning final settlement?
32:02 - 33:29 Jestopher's price predictions for 2021 and 2030
33:29 - 35:50 Closing comments

For more compelling video content from Bitcoin's original publication, subscribe and turn on notifications for the Bitcoin Magazine YouTube channel.

Follow Jestopher on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jestopher_BTC?s=20
Jestophers website: http://satbase.org/

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/meet-the-bitcoin-taco-plebs-bitcoin-magazine/id1546678654
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6adVIPz6vPHEV1aHyaL1bQ?si=2uqjBq1jS3eaVTRQhYwQ9g&dl_branch=1
Libsyn: https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/id/18958592
Connect with us on social media and join the conversation:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BitcoinMagazine
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bitcoin-magazine/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BitcoinMagazine
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/bitcoin

Subscribe to our newsletter and receive news and analysis before anyone else: https://bitcoinmagazine.com/subscribe

Listen and subscribe to our podcasts:
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bitcoin-magazine/id1459884105
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1IxBiqXrUwWUgwiQwKWwxk?si=i1YLDbXySIGGZ1owRdgXtQ
Google: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL2JpdGNvaW5tYWdhemluZS5idGMubGlic3lucHJvLmNvbS9yc3M

~

Bitcoin 2021 will be the biggest Bitcoin conference ever! Get your ticket now: https://b.tc/conference