🎙️Communism & Czech Bitcoin Startups

Matej Zak, CEO of Trezor, on a new episode of “You’re The Voice” podcast:

"There's definitely a push towards a more controlled, a more censored way of living, especially in Western democracies. And you coming from a country that have gone through communism and a lot of hardship. How do you see what's happening in the Western world? Where do you think this is going? This trend towards more authoritarian regimes?

I think, there are a lot of #Bitcoin  related businesses in Czech Republic, interestingly. You know, @BTCPrague considered one of the biggest Bitcoin conferences in the world now. There's us, there is @BraiinsMining, there are basically businesses that are doing very well in Bitcoin and we're thinking why that is, right? Like how's that possible? Like a small nation in the middle of nowhere.

We think it's probably the communism, because there was a dictatorship almost in certain years. It was definitely super strong oppression from the regime. And the human rights were not given to the people, even like my grandparents and so we all know it.

I would say the (Trezor) founders are one of the first generations that came into the world where they can operate freely, they can start businesses and they can do some good and I think it's just this kind of mentality to Not play along with the system, right?

So I think that's why these companies started to do quite well here because there was a lot of people that were like "F the system" right like in a certain way and and I don't mean in in some bad way or illegal way, but just like why play with rules that don't make sense, like which the rules that restrict my human rights, basically, so I think it's just a kind of interesting phenomenon and yeah, we just hope that there will be more companies, businesses, entrepreneurs, startups, that would do exactly that as well, that will create products and services and innovate on Bitcoin, that more people will basically live with it and will follow its kind of mission and philosophy.

And I don't think the governments, I don't know, I'm not an expert on a topic, but just seeing the history, I don't think the government will do anything else different in the future. It will always be the same. They'll always try to push against those things because they want to be in control. But I think there's always an opportunity for companies such as Trezor to build products and services that can push a little, push back, let's say.

Push back and create a new reality. What you guys are doing is helping, I call it creating the orange path."

Time to get spiffy rich with my new BitAxe Supra. Just kidding, knew I was gonna mine at a loss but the gloriousness of the occasional LN payouts is worth losing a few cents.