Bitcoin: The Financial Singularity with Austin Hill

“The singularity is a point on an exponential curve whereby change starts to happen at exponential rates that you just can’t predict and you can’t understand. If we don’t figure out how to use Bitcoin to lift everyone’s economic ladder up… then the risk factors to the future are just too high.”— Austin HillLocation: New YorkDate: Wednesday 8th DecemberCompany: Former CEO of BlockstreamRole: Entrepreneur, VC & CypherpunkIt is a common refrain that we are living in unprecedented times. Yet, the most inconceivable changes to society are ahead of us. A confluence of exponential forces could see our species either flourish or wither. The changes that these forces will bring are fast approaching.A technological singularity is predicted to occur in a generation: innovations will bring rapid change that is both bewildering and uncontrollable. These technologies will become increasingly cheaper and ubiquitous such that the risk profiles associated with misuse will grow significantly.At the same time, we risk seeing the traditional financial systems shatter as exponential growth in debt finally becomes unsustainable and deflationary pressures finally dominate to destroy traditional credit systems. Bitcoin can’t solve all these problems, but it is a central part of the toolbox of solutions. In the second of two interviews, I talk to Austin Hill, the entrepreneur, cypherpunk & venture capitalist. We discuss the singularity and vulnerable world hypothesis, how technology can strengthen totalitarianism and the role of Bitcoin in harm reduction.This episode’s sponsors:Gemini - Buy Bitcoin instantlyBlockFi - The future of Bitcoin financial servicesSportsbet.io - Online sportsbook & casino that accepts BitcoinCasa - The leading provider of Bitcoin multisig key security.Ledger - State of the art Bitcoin hardware walletCompass Mining - Bitcoin mining & hostingLVL - Bank on BitcoinBCB Group - Global digital financial Services-----WBD447 - Show Notes-----If you enjoy The What Bitcoin Did Podcast you can help support the show by doing the following:Become a Patron and get access to shows early or help contributeMake a tip:Bitcoin: 3FiC6w7eb3dkcaNHMAnj39ANTAkv8Ufi2SQR Codes: BitcoinIf you do send a tip then please email me so that I can say thank youSubscribe on iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher | SoundCloud | YouTube | Deezer | TuneIn | RSS FeedLeave a review on iTunesShare the show and episodes with your friends and familySubscribe to the newsletter on my websiteFollow me on Twitter Personal | Twitter Podcast | Instagram | Medium | YouTubeIf you are interested in sponsoring the show, you can read more about that here or please feel free to drop me an email to discuss options.