Inside the Bitcoin Betrayal: How Core Is Losing the Plot

In this episode, I chat with Jimmy Song, a Bitcoin developer and educator that has been a driving force in Bitcoin for over a decade.

We dive deep into the political undercurrents around Bitcoin Core development, funding models, decentralization theater and the question on everyone’s mind: Is Bitcoin under attack from within?

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––– Get To Know Today's Guest –––

• Jimmy Song on X: https://x.com/jimmysong
• Jimmy Song on Nostr: https://primal.net/jimmysong

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––– Chapters –––

00:00 - Intro
01:06 - Jimmy Song's Bakground
08:58 - Relay policy vs. consensus, dust limits, and sub-sat fee relay
09:46 - Why uniform relay policy matters
11:00 - Compact block relay and stale-block risk explained
17:09 - Miner templates, pool concentration, andcensorship worries
36:28 - “The Core letter”: precedent, pushback, and an inner circle?
52:56 - Is the fight healthy?
59:41 - Who funds Core? Chaincode, Spiral, low-profile funders & incentives
1:05:36 - Is Core v30 an existential threat?
1:14:50 - Wallets, mempool.space, and sovereignty myths
1:18:35 - Bitcoin governance lessons from history
1:23:00 - Jimmy’s long view: cultural decay, builders vs. complainers

I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to all of you for tuning in, supporting the show, and contributing.

Thank you for listening!

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