Marty Bent - Freedom Tech vs. The State | Ep. 83

My guest today is Marty Bent, a writer, investor, and one of the most influential voices in the Bitcoin media ecosystem. As the founder of the popular podcast and newsletter TFTC (Truth for the Commoner) and managing partner at Ten31, a venture firm investing exclusively in Bitcoin infrastructure, Marty has helped shape the conversation around Bitcoin’s future for nearly a decade. In this episode, Marty walks us through his journey from unemployed blogger to leading Bitcoin commentator and how he's leveraging AI to scale his media output across platforms. We explore the impact of open protocols like Nostr, the potential of podcasting 2.0, and the need for content authentication in the age of deepfakes. Marty also shares how Bitcoin is solving real-world energy problems, from stranded power to nuclear buildouts, and why self-custody and decentralization remain essential to Bitcoin’s resilience.

► This episode is part of the "Bitcoin Vegas 2025 Special" in collaboration with Ben Samocha, Founder of Israel’s CryptoJungle and Crypto Talks podcast.

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-- LINKS –

Marty’s Twitter: https://x.com/MartyBent
TFTC Twitter: https://x.com/TFTC21
TFTC Website: https://www.tftc.io/
Ten31’s Website: https://ten31.vc/
Efrat's Twitter: https://twitter.com/efenigson
Efrat's Telegram: https://t.me/efenigson
Ben's Twitter: https://x.com/bensamocha
Ben's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-samocha-728147153/
Watch/listen on all platforms: https://linktr.ee/yourethevoice
Support Efrat's work: ⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/efenigson ⁠
Support Efrat with Bitcoin: https://geyser.fund/project/efenigson

-- CHAPTERS –

00:00 Coming Up...
01:10 Welcome from Bitcoin Vegas
01:58 Introducing Marty Bent
03:19 Vegas, gambling, and societal decay
04:50 The origins of TFTC and Marty's media journey
09:00 Using AI to grow and streamline content
14:22 Onboarding newcomers through relatable content
15:56 Open-source media, Podcasting 2.0, and Nostr
20:36 Content authenticity in the AI age
25:05 Most influential podcast guests for Marty
30:08 Why Ten31 invests only in Bitcoin infrastructure
35:24 Bitcoin mining, climate realism, and energy use
43:53 Biggest threats to Bitcoin: apathy and custody risks
49:15 What trends will accelerate Bitcoin adoption
54:29 Bitcoin gifting stories and early advocacy
56:17 What gives Marty hope