Avatar
Joël Valenzuela
fb3ac2f4fdf07cf141718243f143598c1c087c5298423e1bf7ccb22e7f92b0c2
Crypto and liberty. Living on crypto since 2015. Free State Project mover, content creator at Digital Cash Network, writer for Human Events .

Many people die regretting things they never did. This is why the freedom to live life as you wish is the most precious gift of all.

Crypto isn't get rich quick tech. It's freedom tech. Never forget it!

Couldn't think of more aligned and level-headed people to cover "tHe EnD oF cRyPtO" than Kallisti and Jeremy. Crypto is dead, digital cash is back!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHPPcaw3Q1Y

As I was discussing on the podcast yesterday, we're back to 2013. We took a decade longer to get to the "now they fight you" stage, but now we're here.

Back to cypherpunk digital cash roots. Let's gooooooooo!

Today at 3pm EST/7pm UTC Kallisti and Jeremy join the Digital Cash Rundown to talk the SEC declaring war on crypto, Selene Wallet and more!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHPPcaw3Q1Y

Bitcoin maxis celebrated the SEC crypto crackdown, now their favorite custodial services Swan Bitcoin (whose CEO blocked me for calling out his DEX FUD) and Strike are having trouble...

🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿

At CryptoCanal's wonderful event ETHDam I had the wonderful pleasure of chatting with lots of people about using crypto in daily life. And, of course, a bonus question at the end. 😁

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWQEkTUEOLc

Hey Zcash people, what are some of your favorite places/ways to spend Zcash? Doing some research for an upcoming video. Post your favorites below! 📢

This guy enlisted my help in protesting the government when they banned his employer (Uber), "integrated Ethereum" into his app to chase VC money, and did multiple ICOs and didn't deliver. Now he pretends to be Bitcoin-only and shills government crackdowns. Typical maxi. 🤦‍♂️

Just like Max Keiser, who launched his own scam coin, begged the Dash treasury for money, and now pretends to be a Bitcoiner while groveling before dictators for favors. Absolutely disgusting.

https://twitter.com/ArcadeCityMayor/status/1666280021995016192

Now that the SEC has officially gone after Coinbase, it's clear that it wants to drive the crypto industry out of the US. 🚫🇺🇸 This is definitely bad, but it has some silver linings as well. Let's go over 5 reasons this is good, and 5 why it's bad. 🧐

BAD #1: Cuts off one of the largest economies

The US is a huge global economy with hundreds of millions of people. Cutting them off from one of the greatest tech and financial innovations hurts them, and hurts the industry as a whole.

BAD #2: Crushes innovation

Lots of innovative projects are US-based, and can get crushed by enforcement. LBRY was one of the best decentralized content protocols out there, but the SEC lawsuit absolutely destroyed them. 😭

BAD #3: Helps a CBDC

Pushing out decentralized crypto makes it easier to implement a central bank digital currency and gain a chilling amount of control over the population. This is even worse in the US, the home of the global reserve currency. 😱

BAD #4: Incentivizes "safe" compliance

To stay out of the SEC's crosshairs, companies will be afraid to innovate by adopting crypto, NFTs, and other cutting-edge innovations. The crypto that does end up coming out of the US won't be exciting or revolutionary!

BAD #5: Other countries may follow suit

The US setting a bad example of regulatory overreach with crypto could cause its allies to take notes, spreading the crackdown far beyond US borders. Domino effect of major countries restricting crypto!

GOOD #1: Reduces US hegemony

Crypto is a killer innovation, and will become the backbone of the global economy. With the dollar, the US already has way too much power. Letting the rest of the world get a head start is actually good for decentralizing the global economy.

GOOD #2: Pushes nullification

Many US states are very unhappy that the Feds are messing with their most productive industries! 😡 Similar to cannabis, states may start contradicting the Feds, nullifying them and weakening the central government's power.

GOOD #3: Pushes DEXes

The DEX world, especially cross-chain like THORCHain/Maya Protocol, needs a big push to both self-decentralize and take market share from the CEX world. This is as good a push in that direction as any!

GOOD #4: Brings back p2p cash

Bitcoin took off as a peer-to-peer electronic cash system. But when crypto became easier to hodl and sell for fiat, many lost their way. Now it'll be easier to get crypto by taking it as payment, and easier to offramp through spending 💵

GOOD #5: Kills centralization

Crypto was supposed to resist state-level actors. Now that we have this threat, it's time to find out who's actually decentralized and who's LARPing. Only the strong survive!😤

Overall this is bad for crypto, but I'm optimistic regardless. I've seen too much innovation over my decade in crypto to believe it's just going to get crushed so easily, when things like filesharing and cannabis didn't. Stay strong crypto people! 💪

Your daily example of how silly speculative markets can be: THORChain's token RUNE dumped today on news that Binance is getting sued by the SEC.

We are still so, so early.

The current US administration is actively trying to drive crypto out of the country. The only hope for the industry here is to operate legally in American states and ignore the US federal government.

It takes courage, but if the cannabis industry could do it, we can do it too.

Earlier this year a plump me had the honor of speaking at Liberty Forum on how and why you should live on crypto. Here's the recorded talk, enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-L-sOSZ750

We have the illusion of freedom: everything is smooth until we step outside the lines. Then we see how the system is designed to control our every move.

Try to live on crypto and protect your online privacy, that will really open your eyes. 😬

Good podcast going over some tough transparency moments.

It was also great to hear some early breakdown of GroveDB and some potential applications (fully-private Google Maps alternative? 👀)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpXYkb7Nc7M

To "soon" or not to "soon". That is NOT the question.

We must "soon". We should just do it accurately and realistically as possible.

Please "soon" responsibly. #IYKYK

When people make absolute statements like "all X are scams", "Y is the only project that Z", in almost all cases they're trying to scam you, whether they have cognitive dissonance about it or not. 🧠

Great privacy discussion with Paul yesterday! I feel like we need a three-hour time window instead of one-hour for these things.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_qfatLAnFM

You don't learn from mistakes if you keep making them. Mistake learning-resistance is one of the biggest red flags in a person, company, or project.