Talk of cryptocurrency is everywhere just now, after reinstalled President Trump’s recent pronouncements on the subject – including launching his own meme coin, which has soared in value.
That’s great news People Just Do Something, because it gives the podcast a rare aura of being bang on the news agenda, as we sit down this week with Joshua Dávila, the Blockchain Socialist.
He’s the author of Blockchain Radicals, How Capitalism Ruined Crypto And How We Can Fix It, and a co-founder of the Breadchain Cooperative, “a cooperative of blockchain projects working to advance a progressive vision for the technology and its effect on society”.
For the uninitiated Josh helpfully breaks down some of the basics – how do these currencies work? Where did they come from? And what are their relationship to ‘real money’?
But we also get deep into the political context – why does the libertarian right love crypto, and why is it seen as their tool? Why have Trump and Musk spent so much time talking about it? What is the significance of the president pardoning Ross Ulbricht, the founder of “Amazon for drugs”, the Silk Road online marketplace (which is, as Isaac points out, “where lots of people started their crypto journey”)? And how can blockchain technologies be used for more positive social purposes – or even authentically left-wing ones?
Whether you’re ‘crypto-naive’ like Priyanka, or a dark web veteran like Isaac, there’s something for everyone in this week’s episode. The only burning question remaining – and Joshua Dávila has some interesting thoughts on this one too – is, how long will it take our hosts to get the Cable onto the blockchain?
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Investigative journalism strengthens democracy – it’s a necessity, not a luxury.
The Cable is Bristol’s independent, investigative newsroom. Owned and steered by more than 2,600 members, we produce award-winning journalism that digs deep into what’s happening in Bristol.
We are on a mission to become sustainable – will you help us get there?
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