Bitcoin is becoming the foundation of a new financial and technological order. In this episode, Christian Catalini shares why open networks must win over corporate blockchains, how the Lightning Network and Spark are unlocking true global payments, and what lessons he learned building Libra inside Facebook. We explore the limits of stablecoins, the risks of leverage, and why proof of work may be humanity’s greatest defense in a world racing toward automation.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Welcome and guest intro
00:20 - The MIT bitcoin experiment
02:09 - Why Christian is a bitcoin pragmatist
02:30 - Linux analogy for bitcoin
04:11 - Making Lightning Network enterprise grade
05:37 - Before Lightspark: MIT professor to fintech researcher
08:12 - Inside Project Libra
10:04 - Building on permissionless open networks
11:10 - When block subsidies fall to zero
15:06 - How AI reshapes work and value
17:31 - Why AI agents should not hold wallets
18:40 - Micropayments for agents with Lightning
20:29 - Are we plateauing or accelerating in AI
22:49 - Redefining capitalism for the AI era
24:18 - The real AI risk: unknown preferences
26:51 - bitcoin and money in an automated world
28:24 - Proof of work as time and energy
31:32 - Is AI bigger than bitcoin
32:27 - The current state of the Lightning Network
44:24 - Thoughts on Saylor’s preferred equity
47:40 - Closing call to builders to choose open networks