
Hosted by cypherpunkd · EN
Welcome to Cypherpunk’d, where we explore the intersection of privacy, technology, and personal freedom in the digital age.
Hosted by Matty Ice, this podcast delves into the challenges posed by government surveillance and big tech’s intrusion into our lives. We bring you thought-provoking conversations with thought leaders, authors, computer scientists, Bitcoiners, entrepreneurs, and human rights activists who are at the forefront of the digital resistance.
Each episode cuts through the noise to tackle critical topics like privacy, human rights, economics, cryptography, Web 3, Bitcoin, AI, and more. Our daily roundtable discussions offer deeper insights into current events, fostering open dialogue and defending the fundamental right to privacy.
Whether you’re a tech enthusiast, a privacy advocate, or simply concerned about the future of personal freedom, Cypherpunk’d is your guide to understanding and navigating the complexities of the digital world. Join us as we explore the tools and ideas that empower you to protect your privacy and secure your future.
To Connect With Us👇
Youtube: CypherpunkdTV
X: @Cypherpunkd_
For inquiries, feedback, or to connect with us, feel free to reach out at contact@consensusprotocol.org

Bruce Barone Jr. and his 10-year-old son Brucie Barone III join Cypherpunk'd to break down Civic Bitcoin, the Time Chain mythology, and why the most ingenious innovation in human history doesn't need any marketing to win. Bruce spent five years transforming Naples' Fifth Avenue South into one of the most exclusive commercial districts in the country. Now he's plugging Bitcoin into the financial DNA of cities through Civic Bitcoin, while building a faith-driven Bitcoin universe with his son through BrainSprout Studios that has already surpassed five million views. We cover flare gas mining as a civic utility, why Florida's three billion dollar surplus and zero income tax make it the natural home for Bitcoin-aligned governance, why mythology teaches Bitcoin better than a whitepaper, the transhumanist technocrat villain in their universe, what losing his father taught Bruce about durable value, and what a 10-year-old understands about sound money that most adults still miss. “If you could put one message on the timechain for kids 100 years from now, what would it say?” “Whatever you do… don’t sell your Bitcoin.” This is one of the most unexpected and entertaining conversations we've had on the show. Follow BrainSprout Studios: @BrainSproutStudios Subscribe to Cypherpunk'd for more sovereign signal. Bitcoin #MichaelSaylor #Crypto #AI #Blockchain #Freedom #CivicBitcoin #Timechain #Podcast #Cipherpunkd

William D. Cohan and Tyler Maroney spent four years hunting the most famous ghost in financial history. They interviewed Michael Saylor, Gary Gensler, Bill Gates, Sam Bankman-Fried, Katie Haun, Joe Lubin, Brian Brooks, and 25 other Bitcoin and crypto heavyweights. Almost every single one of them told them to stop. In this episode of Cypherpunk'd, the investigative duo behind the upcoming documentary Finding Satoshi sit down to explain why they kept going, what wall they hit, and what made them bring in a private investigator to break through it. They walk through the cypherpunk roots of Bitcoin going back to the 1970s, the financial crisis context that opened the door for the white paper, the Eric Hughes manifesto, the Metzdowd mailing list, Hal Finney, and the ethical question of unmasking someone who clearly never wanted to be found. The conversation gets sharp on the question that has divided every Satoshi investigation: can a $100 billion fortune sit untouched for sixteen years if the person holding the keys is still alive? Bill is a former 20-year Wall Street banker. He thinks he knows the answer. Cohan and Maroney are confident in their conclusion. They are also honest about what they cannot prove. This is the Satoshi conversation that takes the question seriously. Guests: William D. Cohan, investigative journalist, eight-time author, co-founder of Puck Tyler Maroney, private investigator, author of The Modern Detective Watch the documentary Finding Satoshi when it releases. Subscribe to Cypherpunk'd for sovereign Bitcoin journalism, cypherpunk history, and the conversations the rest of crypto media will not have.

In this episode of Cypherpunk’d, we sit down with Mike Revy — former Lehman Brothers trader turned crypto founder — to unpack the hidden mechanics of money, credit, and the global financial system. From surviving the 2008 financial collapse to discovering Bitcoin in its earliest days, Mike shares an unfiltered perspective on how Wall Street actually works — and why the current system may be fundamentally broken. We dive into: What really happened inside Lehman Brothers The truth about investment banking and “the evil empire” Why credit — not money — is the foundation of the global economy How rehypothecation quietly powers (and risks) the financial system Why Bitcoin solves money… but not credit How Bulla Network is rebuilding finance on-chain The future of decentralized credit, stablecoins, and global trade This conversation goes beyond surface-level crypto takes — it’s a deep exploration of power, incentives, and what comes next. Welcome to Cypherpunk’d — where we explore money’s history, crypto’s future, and Web3’s role in advancing freedom and digital sovereignty.

Today's guest is Jason Leibowitz (@LeboBTC), head of business development at Meanwhile. Jason is a Wall Street veteran who has been in the trenches since 2013, moving from the trading floors of TradFi and leading blockchain strategy at Credit Suisse before helping build the first-ever life insurance company denominated entirely in Bitcoin. In this episode, we move past the price action and get into the real financial infrastructure. We discuss why "being your own bank" is actually terrifying for most people, the nightmare of inheritance planning, and how a Bitcoin-denominated life insurance policy acts as a sovereign tax wrapper for your stack. Jason breaks down the math on how you can borrow against your Bitcoin at a stepped-up cost basis, essentially spending your wealth without ever selling your original sats or handing a cut to the IRS. This is the conversation you need if you're thinking about 70 to 100 years of generational wealth.

Michelle Weekley spent years inside the Foreign Direct Investment world - touring China's ghost cities, watching data get fabricated to suit government narratives, and witnessing how the global elite operate behind closed doors. Then she escaped. Using Bitcoin. Now she's a global corruption whistleblower and Director of Product at ByteFederal, fighting on the front lines against Chokepoint 2.0 and the war on cash. In this episode of CypherPunk'd, Michelle holds absolutely nothing back: "There is no accountability in this fiat empire - everything is in ruin" Why DC intelligence operatives refuse to have children ("too much leverage") How politicians get corrupted, then elevated, then controlled The truth about Google, Dr. Robert Epstein, and what happened to his wife Chokepoint 2.0: How close we came to losing Bitcoin in America Fiat fraud in Minnesota, Maine, and the Somali money pipeline Why she wants Trump to "be half as ferocious as they claim he is" The case for US balkanization and abolishing the federal income tax Her take on Michael Saylor, the suits era, and what comes next This is the conversation where we coined the term "fiat fraud." 🔔 Subscribe: @cypherpunkd_ 🎙️ Follow Michelle: @MichelleWeekley 🐦 Follow Matty Ice: @mattyicesensei 💼 ByteFederal: @ByteFederal — TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 - The Death of Fiat Currencies 08:15 - Why Americans Don't Understand Bitcoin 14:30 - "Everything Is In Ruin" 22:45 - Fiat Fraud: Minnesota, Maine & The Somali Pipeline 31:20 - Fire Pam Bondi 38:40 - The Samurai Wallet Situation & SDNY 47:15 - "There Is No Line They Won't Cross" 55:30 - Dr. Robert Epstein & Google's Power 1:04:20 - How Politicians Get Controlled 1:12:45 - Fiat Culture Weakens Men 1:19:30 - The Case for Balkanization 1:28:00 - What Comes Next for Bitcoin Bitcoin #Corruption #Whistleblower #FiatFraud #CypherPunkd #MichelleWeekley #ByteFederal #DOGE #WEF #Trump #PamBondi

Is Bitcoin under a coordinated internal attack? In this explosive episode of Cypherpunk’d, host Matty Ice sits down with legendary Bitcoin Core developer and Ocean CTO Luke Dashjr to discuss the "Node War" of 2026. Luke reveals why he believes Bitcoin Core v30 is a "malicious attack" on the protocol, facilitating the storage of "illegal data" and "spam" that threatens the network's decentralization. We dive deep into the plummeting full node counts—dropping from 200k in 2017 to just 100k today—and why Luke gives Bitcoin a single-digit probability of success if users don't start enforcing the rules. In this episode, we cover: The "Bad Actors" controlling the Bitcoin GitHub. Why "Spam" is a breach of consent, not just data. The reality of the Jeffrey Epstein and MIT Media Lab funding speculation. Ocean Mining: Returning block construction to individual miners. Why the next few years will be "dark" if Bitcoin fails as peer-to-peer cash. Don't just trust, verify. Run your own node. Bitcoin #Cypherpunk #LukeDashjr #CryptoNews #BitcoinMining #Blockchain

In this episode of Cypherpunkd, we sit down with Natalie Brunell — Emmy-winning investigative journalist, host of Coin Stories, and author of Bitcoin Is for Everyone — to unpack how the 2008 financial crisis reshaped her family, her career, and her worldview. Natalie shares her deeply personal story of watching her parents lose their home during the Great Financial Crisis, the disillusionment that followed, and how that experience fueled her work as an investigative journalist uncovering corruption and holding power accountable. We dive into media censorship, why trust in journalism has collapsed, how unelected financial elites shape the system, and why so many people feel left behind today. Most importantly, Natalie explains how discovering Bitcoin helped restore her sense of agency, responsibility, and hope — and why she believes sound money is essential for a fairer future. This is a conversation about money, power, truth, and what it means to rebuild hope in a broken system. Topics covered: The 2008 financial crash & mass foreclosures Media censorship and journalism under pressure Central banking, bailouts, and moral hazard Why the American Dream feels broken Bitcoin as a tool for accountability and hope 📕 Bitcoin Is for Everyone 🎙️ Coin Stories Podcast

Is Bitcoin the ultimate "hyper-lubricant" for a world currently defined by violence? In this penultimate episode of our deep dive into "Everything Divided By 21 Million," we sit down with Knut Svanholm to explore Chapter 11: Transition. We move past the technical and into the philosophical, discussing how Bitcoin acts as a refinery that separates virtuous individuals from the "sludge" of legacy systems. Knut shares the powerful, real-world impact of his work—including a story of a Venezuelan refugee who carried his entire life's wealth across a border using only 12 words memorized in his head. We also tackle the "Fourth Turning," why the Fed is more like a World of Warcraft developer than a bank, and why government failure is actually "poetic justice" for rapid Bitcoin adoption. In this episode, we discuss: The Physics of Ownership: Why knowing is owning in a Bitcoin world. Monetary Poetic Justice: Why the worst-managed governments are the fastest to adopt sound money. Sepola’s Laws of Stupidity: How "stupid people" enable psychopaths through the current democratic system. The End of Cycles: Does Bitcoin break the "Fourth Turning" loop of history? Math vs. Violence: Why a faster transition is actually more peaceful than a slow one. Subscribe to Cypherpunk’d for the final summary episode next week!

Is Bitcoin the ultimate "hyper-lubricant" for a world currently defined by violence? In this penultimate episode of our deep dive into "Everything Divided By 21 Million," we sit down with Knut Svanholm to explore Chapter 11: Transition. We move past the technical and into the philosophical, discussing how Bitcoin acts as a refinery that separates virtuous individuals from the "sludge" of legacy systems. Knut shares the powerful, real-world impact of his work—including a story of a Venezuelan refugee who carried his entire life's wealth across a border using only 12 words memorized in his head. We also tackle the "Fourth Turning," why the Fed is more like a World of Warcraft developer than a bank, and why government failure is actually "poetic justice" for rapid Bitcoin adoption. In this episode, we discuss: The Physics of Ownership: Why knowing is owning in a Bitcoin world. Monetary Poetic Justice: Why the worst-managed governments are the fastest to adopt sound money. Sepola’s Laws of Stupidity: How "stupid people" enable psychopaths through the current democratic system. The End of Cycles: Does Bitcoin break the "Fourth Turning" loop of history? Math vs. Violence: Why a faster transition is actually more peaceful than a slow one. Subscribe to Cypherpunk’d for the final summary episode next week!

In Episode 10 of our Everything Divided by 21 Million series, I sit down with Knut Svanholm to talk about Bitcoin adoption—and why he says “Bitcoin is not for everyone. It’s for anyone.” We get into what that distinction really means, the responsibility of taking control of your keys, why proper on-chain Bitcoin will probably be for the few, and how scaling pushes adoption into layers (second layer + custodial vs. true self-sovereignty). Knut also lays out the big macro view: the “snowball effect,” fiat hyperinflation in Bitcoin terms, and why he believes a crash is inevitable—with Bitcoin as the lifeboat. We also touch on S-curve vs J-curve adoption, scarcity (96% mined), network effects (Metcalfe’s Law), and what individuals can do to move adoption forward by leading through example. Guest: Knut Svanholm — author of Everything Divided by 21 Million Series: Episode 10 (Adoption) Subscribe for Episode 11.