I dive into the Human Rights Foundation’s look at Bitcoin’s quantum vulnerability - what’s real, what’s hype, and what would it take to truly secure the network. Then I unpack the social and technical chaos such a shift would demand, from wallet redesigns to the moral question of whether “fixing” the past would break Bitcoin’s principles.

Links Mentioned

• Against Allowing Quantum Recovery of Bitcoin by Jameson Lopp (Link: https://blog.lopp.net/against-quantum-recovery-of-bitcoin/)
• Presidio Bitcoin Quantum Summit - summary and speaker discussions (Link: https://www.presidiobitcoin.org/)
• Replication of Quantum Factorisation Records with an
  8-bit Home Computer, an Abacus, and a Dog - paper by Peter Gutmann & Stephan Neuhaus (Link: https://eprint.iacr.org/2025/1237.pdf)
  Angewandte Wissenschaften
• Guy's Roundtable_011 - Treasuries, Politics, Quantum & Why This Cycle is Different (Discusses Steve’s take on quantum hype) (Link: https://fountain.fm/episode/4xAEXBtZcdFfg064FIRI)

Check out the original article The Quantum Threat to Bitcoin by HRF (Link: https://hrf.org/latest/the-quantum-threat-to-bitcoin/)

Check out our awesome sponsors!

• Ledn: Need fiat but don’t want to sell your Bitcoin? Ledn offers secure, Bitcoin-backed loans with no credit checks, flexible repayment, and fast turnaround—often within 24 hours. With $10B+ in loans across 100+ countries and transparent Proof of Reserves, Ledn is a trusted option for unlocking liquidity without giving up your Bitcoin. (Link: https://learn.ledn.io/audible)
• HRF: The Human Rights Foundation is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that promotes and protects human rights globally, with a focus on closed societies. Subscribe to HRF's Financial Freedom Newsletter today. (Link: https://mailchi.mp/hrf.org/financial-freedom-newsletter)
• OFF: The Oslo Freedom Forum is a global human rights event by the Human Rights Foundation (HRF), uniting voices from activism, journalism, tech, and beyond. Through powerful stories and collaboration, OFF advances freedom and human potential worldwide. Join us next June. (Link: https://oslofreedomforum.com/)
• Pubky: Pubky is building the next web, a decentralized system designed to put control back in your hands. Escape censorship, algorithmic manipulation, and walled gardens by owning your identity and data. Explore the Pubky web and become the algorithm today. Don't forget to find me on my Pubky ID here: pk:5d7thwzkxx5mz6gk1f19wfyykr6nrwzaxri3io7ahejg1z74qngo. (Link: https://pubky.org)
• Chroma: Chroma is dedicated to advancing human performance and well-being through cutting-edge light therapy devices and performance eyewear. Their mission is to enhance physical and mental health, unlocking peak human health, cognitive function, and physical performance. Get 10% off your order with the code BITCOINAUDIBLE. (Link: https://getchroma.co/?ref=BitcoinAudible)

Host Links

• ⁠Guy on Nostr ⁠(Link: http://tinyurl.com/2xc96ne...

Grab your drink and pull up a chair - it’s another Bitcoin Roundtable with Simple Steve, Bitcoin Mechanic, and my brother Jeff Swann.

This time we’re diving into the chaos around soft forks, censorship, and the latest round of Bitcoin drama. We get into the weeds (and the memes) of BIP 444, Taproot fallout, node wars, and whether limiting data on-chain is smart security or overzealous gatekeeping.

Between technical tangents, Halloween costumes, and a few “did that really happen?” moments, we bounce between philosophy and practicality... all while trying to figure out who exactly broke Bitcoin this time.

Check out our awesome sponsors!

• Ledn: Need fiat but don’t want to sell your Bitcoin? Ledn offers secure, Bitcoin-backed loans with no credit checks, flexible repayment, and fast turnaround—often within 24 hours. With $10B+ in loans across 100+ countries and transparent Proof of Reserves, Ledn is a trusted option for unlocking liquidity without giving up your Bitcoin. (Link: https://learn.ledn.io/audible)
• HRF: The Human Rights Foundation is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that promotes and protects human rights globally, with a focus on closed societies. Subscribe to HRF's Financial Freedom Newsletter today. (Link: https://mailchi.mp/hrf.org/financial-freedom-newsletter)
• OFF: The Oslo Freedom Forum is a global human rights event by the Human Rights Foundation (HRF), uniting voices from activism, journalism, tech, and beyond. Through powerful stories and collaboration, OFF advances freedom and human potential worldwide. Join us next June. (Link: https://oslofreedomforum.com/)
• Pubky: Pubky is building the next web, a decentralized system designed to put control back in your hands. Escape censorship, algorithmic manipulation, and walled gardens by owning your identity and data. Explore the Pubky web and become the algorithm today. Don't forget to find me on my Pubky ID here: pk:5d7thwzkxx5mz6gk1f19wfyykr6nrwzaxri3io7ahejg1z74qngo. (Link: https://pubky.org)
• Chroma: Chroma is dedicated to advancing human performance and well-being through cutting-edge light therapy devices and performance eyewear. Their mission is to enhance physical and mental health, unlocking peak human health, cognitive function, and physical performance. Get 10% off your order with the code BITCOINAUDIBLE. (Link: https://getchroma.co/?ref=BitcoinAudible)

Guest Links

• Steve Simple Nostr (Link: https://tinyurl.com/3s6a8yn8)
• Steve Simple on X (Link: https://x.com/stevesimple)
• Bitcoin Mechanic Nostr (Link: https://tinyurl.com/2tm827ut)
• Bitcoin Mechanic on X (Link: https://x.com/GrassFedBitcoin)
• Jeff Swann Nostr (Link: https://tinyurl.com/3sjc3bcp)
• Jeff Swann on X (Link: https://x.com/agoristview)

Host Links

• ⁠Guy on Nostr ⁠(Link: http://tinyurl.com/2xc96ney)
• ⁠Guy on X ⁠(Link: https://twitter.com/theguyswann)

"They’re passing the torch. And the torch is being received by entities who care less about ideology and more about returns. BlackRock doesn’t care about “being your own bank.” They care about portfolio diversification and risk-adjusted returns.

Is that a loss? In some ways, yes. Bitcoin will probably never again have the radical energy it had in its early years. The days of 100x returns in a single year are likely over. The volatility that created life-changing wealth will moderate as ownership becomes more distributed.

But it’s also a victory. Because Bitcoin survived long enough to become boring. It succeeded so thoroughly that the original believers can actually cash out. It proved itself to the point where the most conservative financial institutions in the world are buying it."
~ Jordi Visser

Everyone’s frustrated that Bitcoin’s not pumping. But what if this stagnation isn’t failure — it’s distribution? I break down why the OG whales are finally taking profits, what that means for institutional adoption, and how Bitcoin’s growing stability could mark the start of its next great era.

Check out the original article Bitcoin’s Silent IPO by Jordi Visser on Substack (Link: https://visserlabs.substack.com/p/bitcoins-silent-ipo-why-this-consolidation)

Links & References

• Jordi Visser on X (Link: https://x.com/jvisserlabs)
• Checkmate on X (Link: https://x.com/_Checkmatey_)
• Explore the data Checkmatey shared on Bitcoin holder waves and distribution trends (Link: https://x.com/_Checkmatey_/status/1984723754057113776)

Check out our awesome sponsors!

• Ledn: Need fiat but don’t want to sell your Bitcoin? Ledn offers secure, Bitcoin-backed loans with no credit checks, flexible repayment, and fast turnaround—often within 24 hours. With $10B+ in loans across 100+ countries and transparent Proof of Reserves, Ledn is a trusted option for unlocking liquidity without giving up your Bitcoin. (Link: https://learn.ledn.io/audible)
• HRF: The Human Rights Foundation is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that promotes and protects human rights globally, with a focus on closed societies. Subscribe to HRF's Financial Freedom Newsletter today. (Link: https://mailchi.mp/hrf.org/financial-freedom-newsletter)
• OFF: The Oslo Freedom Forum is a global human rights event by the Human Rights Foundation (HRF), uniting voices from activism, journalism, tech, and beyond. Through powerful stories and collaboration, OFF advances freedom and human potential worldwide. Join us next June. (Link: https://oslofreedomforum.com/)
• Pubky: Pubky is building the next web, a decentralized system designed to put control back in your hands. Escape censorship, algorithmic manipulation, and walled gardens by owning your identity and data. Explore the Pubky web and become the algorithm today. Don't forget to find me on my Pubky ID here: pk:5d7thwzkxx5mz6gk1f19wfyykr6nrwzaxri3io7ahejg1z74qngo. (Link: https://pubky.org)
• Chroma: Chroma is dedicated to advancing human performance and well-being through cutting-edge light therapy devices and performance eyewear. Their mission is to enhance physical and mental health, unlocking peak human health, cognitive function, a...