Scaling Bitcoin with Giacomo Zucco, John Carvalho & Matt Corallo - WBD758

Giacomo Zucco is a Bitcoin educator, John Carvalho is CEO of
Synonym, and Matt Corallo is a Bitcoin Core developer and
open-source engineer at Block/Spiral. In this interview, we
discuss how to scale Bitcoin while maintaining self-sovereignty.


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The best way to scale Bitcoin has been a hot topic since its
inception. Whether it be through Bitcoin-backed banks as Hal
Finney suggested back in 2010, increasing the throughput on the
Bitcoin blockchain, layer 2 solutions like the Lightning Network,
or federated custodian options like Fedimints.


Over the past year, the surge in Bitcoin transaction fees,
largely attributed to the emergence of BRC20 tokens, ordinals,
and inscriptions, has once again brought the topic of scaling
Bitcoin to the forefront of conversation. High fees have priced
smaller transactions out of the market, and the Lightning
Network, hailed as a potential solution to scalability
challenges, has faced some initial hurdles.


The different scaling solutions all have different trade-offs.
Trustlessness and trust minimization are key tenets of Bitcoin,
ensuring that users do not need to trust any central authority or
third party. The Lightning Network aligns with these principles
as it enables trustless, peer-to-peer transactions, reducing the
need for custodial services and enhancing individual control over
funds.


While Bitcoin's primary focus is on decentralization and
self-sovereignty, some developments, such as the concept of the
"Wallet of Satoshi" or Bitcoin ETFs, aim to make Bitcoin more
accessible and user-friendly to a broader audience. Wallet of
Satoshi is a custodial Lightning wallet designed to simplify the
user experience, while Bitcoin ETFs provide a means for
traditional investors to gain exposure to Bitcoin without
directly holding the asset. These developments have the potential
to expand Bitcoin's adoption, but may raise concerns about
centralization and counterparty risk.


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Show notes:
https://www.whatbitcoindid.com/podcast/scaling-bitcoin-with-zucco-carvalho-corallo


This episode’s sponsors:
Iris Energy - Bitcoin Mining. Done Sustainably
Bitcasino - The Future of Gaming is here
Ledger - State of the art Bitcoin hardware wallet
Wasabi Wallet - Privacy by default
Unchained - Secure your Bitcoin with confidence
Bitcoin Atlantis - A Bitcoin conference in the Atlantic
SwanBitcoin - Invest in Bitcoin with Swan