THE Bitcoin Podcast: Bitcoin & NOSTR, Fascism & Communism, Freedom & Fatherhood | Aleks Svetski
Date: October 9, 2025
Host: Walker America
Guest: Aleks Svetski
Main Themes: The evolution of social technology (Bitcoin, Nostr), political polarization, the psychology of freedom and collectivism, and the journey into fatherhood.
Episode Overview
Walker America welcomes returning guest Aleks Svetski for a candid discussion spanning modern social technology (Bitcoin, Nostr), the current state of the state, ideological extremism, and the transformative experience of becoming a father. The conversation fluidly moves from philosophical depth to technical and entrepreneurial insight, with memorable takes on both the societal landscape and the bleeding edge of Bitcoin-powered development.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Fatherhood: Personal Transformation and Time Preference
- Timestamp: 04:46 – 09:55
Aleks announces his recent entry into fatherhood, describing the experience as profoundly transformative:
“It was wild. Like when he first came, I wasn't sure what to make of it... But it's sort of been one of these like hash rate charts... The shift in the focus on oneself to sort of the focus on this little being that entirely depends on you is humbling, man. And it's a really beautiful experience.”
— Aleks Svetski [05:07]
Walker relates, emphasizing how becoming a parent deepens one's concern for future generations:
“That light switch flips on and you're in it. And then you can't possibly go back. You are changed for the better forever... For me, it shifted my time preference so much...”
— Walker [06:26]
Key Insights:
- Parenthood brings experiential clarity to concepts like legacy and time prioritization.
- Both men agree that common clichés about fatherhood prove deeply true in practice.
2. A Turning Point: Political Violence and Ideological Shifts
- Timestamp: 09:58 – 16:30
Walker addresses a societal “vibe shift” and recent high-profile acts of political violence, prompting Aleks to reflect on his own ideological evolution:
“It's a lot has shifted. It's almost like I'm in the middle of this tumultuous storm... My position has become more pragmatic: there is no sort of imaginary state that doesn't include a state... The question should be: how can men and women of exceptional character and virtue be in the driver's seat?”
— Aleks Svetski [14:16]
Both critique the weaknesses of extreme individualism and libertarian thought in real-world dynamics:
“Power... will always exist. Power is more likely to be channeled by those who can organize well... Extreme individualism is something that I... have moved away from...”
— Aleks Svetski [16:00]
Key Insights:
- The issue is not just “left vs. right” but deeper cultural and psychological decay.
- Both stress the necessity of “doing” and not just “saying”—whether by building, speaking, or organizing.
3. Choosing Violence: The State and Its Corruption
- Timestamp: 21:45 – 27:09
Walker argues that states have become “the plunderer” instead of upholding their societal purpose:
“There is nothing inherently evil about, quote, ‘the state’... The state exists to enforce the law, to protect the individual from plunderers. But the state has become the plunderer.”
— Walker [21:45]
They discuss the dangers of abdication of responsibility—both societal and state-driven:
“You may not care about politics, but politics cares about you.”
— Walker [19:00]
Key Insights:
- The state, ideally, should limit personal vengeance and uphold safety, but modern states frequently fail or abuse this mandate.
- Societal instability grows when the state either abdicates its duty or weaponizes its monopoly on violence.
4. Communism, Fascism, and the Pathologies of Extremism
- Timestamp: 27:09 – 32:22
The conversation pivots to historic and contemporary ideological extremes:
“To me, communism... and extreme leftism is a disease and a sickness. The extreme right is usually what happens to sensible people... Fascism is an allergic reaction to extreme communism.”
— Aleks Svetski [27:09]
Walker:
“Communism’s killed like an order of magnitude or more people than fascism... it doesn't matter because it’s killed hundreds of millions of people.”
— Walker [26:50]
Key Insights:
- Both see communism as the initial pathology, with fascism as a violent defensive response.
- They warn against both the left's “volume knob” of violence and the right’s “on-off kill switch.”
5. Bitcoin and Nostr: Contrasts in Protocol and Idea
- Timestamp: 32:22 – 44:18
Aleks reads from an unpublished note, sharply distinguishing the nature of Bitcoin and Nostr:
“Bitcoin is more important than the idea of Bitcoin, but the idea of Nostr is more important than Nostr. With Bitcoin... the implementation matters. But Nostr... it's not the implementation, it's the idea that matters...”
— Aleks Svetski [32:25]
Key Insights:
- Bitcoin’s value is in its implementation (immutability, economic activity, uniqueness).
- Nostr’s value is in its paradigm (identity as a protocol-layer bearer instrument), and could be replaced without true loss so long as the idea persists.
6. Nostr Adoption: Messaging, Community, and Growth Dynamics
- Timestamp: 37:54 – 52:19
Walker and Aleks analyze Nostr’s early lurches and subsequent stagnation against competitors like Bluesky and Rumble:
“The messaging around Nostr was freedom of speech. It attracted bitcoiners... The tailwinds have shifted. Now the perception is that Rumble, Substack, and Twitter are freedom of speech.”
— Aleks Svetski [37:54]
Key Insights:
- Gains from the “censorship resistance” pitch have plateaued; perceptual real estate is now owned by other platforms.
- Technical superiority isn’t enough; what matters is product positioning and social momentum.
7. Social Media vs Social Network: The Shift to Engagement Algorithms
- Timestamp: 44:18 – 52:19
Aleks reflects on the move from community-based social networks to engagement-maximizing social media:
“From the beginning of time, human beings are wired in such a way that we will engage with danger or hysteria... if it bleeds, it leads. Media is the red flashing button... Over the last four or five years, algorithms... have become less about the network you have socially and more about... engagement.”
— Aleks Svetski [44:18]
Key Insights:
- Shift from networks (personal connections) to media (algorithms, virality) has led to perpetual hysteria and fatigue.
- Nostr may enable a return to community-driven networks—if leveraged correctly.
8. Building on Nostr: Satlantis’ Evolution to Event Infrastructure
- Timestamp: 59:40 – 71:55
After initial pivots, Satlantis narrows its focus:
“We are going to make the best global events app. Imagine Eventbrite meets Meetup.com with Bitcoin-native payments and ticketing and a social layer...”
— Aleks Svetski [62:52]
Product Distinctions:
- Native Bitcoin payments (overcomes Stripe barriers).
- Social graph integration—discover who in your network is attending.
- Group chats and privacy features for events.
Notable Moment:
“Getting people to post content on something other than Twitter, TikTok, or Instagram is like pulling teeth out of their mouth... Even if you tell them you can just copy and paste the same content... no one fucking cares.”
— Aleks Svetski [59:40]
9. Mechanics & Strategy: Growth, Algorithms, and Monetization
- Timestamp: 71:55 – 93:05
Growth Focus:
- Start with Bitcoin meetups/events; leverage Bitcoiners’ network effects.
- Partner with conferences for side-event scheduling.
- Build a comprehensive Bitcoin event marketplace via integration of external sources.
Algorithmic Discovery:
- User-selectable interests form a personal “algorithm.”
- Social and interest graphs are both used for event recommendations.
Monetization:
- Low fee ticketing (1–2% vs. 8–10% on Eventbrite/Luma).
- Future: Subscriptions for unlimited event hosting.
10. Vision: Bitcoin & Nostr as “Stack” Components, Generational Change
- Timestamp: 93:05 – 100:29
Aleks shares his “three generations” theory of Bitcoin adoption:
“Generation one... is led by people who have one foot in the old world, one foot in the new. Generation two... don't know of a world before Bitcoin. Generation three... bitcoin is part of the DNA of civilization.”
— Aleks Svetski [93:31]
He frames Satlantis as a “generation two” company—where Bitcoin and Nostr are backend stack components, not front-facing novelties.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “You may not care about politics, but politics cares about you.” — Walker [19:00]
- “Fascism is an allergic reaction to extreme communism.” — Aleks Svetski [27:09]
- “Bitcoin’s not a fucking iPhone. It’s not going to just follow the same adoption curve that every other technology’s followed. Bitcoin is a techno socioeconomic phenomenon. It’s much bigger.” — Aleks Svetski [93:31]
- “Imagine Eventbrite meets Meetup.com with Bitcoin-native payments... and a social layer to it.” — Aleks Svetski [62:52]
- “It becomes infinitely complex... what’s key is that the ingredients now exist for things to feel magical.” — Aleks Svetski [75:04]
Important Timestamps
- 04:46 — Aleks discusses the impact and realizations of fatherhood.
- 14:16 — Shift from libertarian/individualist ideas toward pragmatic collectivism and leadership.
- 21:45 — State as plunderer; crisis of violence and order.
- 27:09 — On ideological extremism and the dynamics between communism and fascism.
- 32:22 — Bitcoin vs. Nostr: protocol vs. idea.
- 52:19 — Nostr’s “push vs. pull” problem for user adoption.
- 62:52 — Satlantis’ pivot to bitcoin-native, global event infrastructure.
- 75:04 — On algorithmic event recommendations and user personalization.
- 93:31 — “Three generations” theory of Bitcoin adoption.
- 100:29 — Envisioning shitcoin conferences learning about Bitcoin utility via Satlantis.
Conclusion
This episode blends philosophical diagnosis of societal malaise with the practical ambition of bitcoin-native social innovation. Through frank talk about the necessity of action, the perils of ideological drift, and the hard tradeoffs in growing open technology, Aleks and Walker paint a picture of a world at a turning point—and of the tools, mindsets, and networks that might carry the next generation forward.
Find Satlantis: satlantis.io
Aleks Svetski on Nostr: @alexsvetski@primal.net
Walker America: walker america@primal.net
Listen for:
- Lessons in pragmatic politics
- FAQ-level insight into Bitcoin/Nostr’s importance
- The filtered wisdom of two dads navigating chaos, code, and culture