The Bitcoin Frontier

• The moral case for orange pilling with Tad Smith

  What if orange-pilling isn’t persuasion—but marketing, ethics, and timing? In this episode, we sit down with Tad Smith—partner at One Roundtable Partners, former CEO of Madison Square Garden and Sotheby’s, and one of bitcoin’s most articulate educators—to explore the moral case for orange-pilling, and why it’s not a right but a responsibility. Tad shares hard-won lessons from orange-pilling family members across generations and wealth brackets, and explains why alignment—not argument—is the key. We break down how different cohorts—from boomers to creatives—encounter bitcoin, and why effective orange-pilling starts with listening, not preaching. From bitcoin vs. college and homeownership, to AI’s threat to knowledge workers, Tad lays out how bitcoin becomes not speculation, but protection—not rebellion, but insurance—not utopia, but sovereignty. SUPPORT THE PODCAST:→ Subscribe→ Leave a review→ Share the show with your friends and family→ Send us an email [email protected]→ Learn more about Unchained: https://unchained.com/?utm_source=you...→ Book a free call with a bitcoin expert: https://unchained.com/consultation?ut...TIMESTAMPS:0:00 – Intro1:10 – The moral case for orange-pilling5:47 – Why persuasion fails and alignment works10:08 – Mistakes made orange-pilling family and friends15:02 – You need an invitation to orange-pill18:48 – Cohort-based messaging: it’s not religion, it’s marketing23:27 – Orange-pilling high-net-worth individuals28:12 – Retirees, boomers, and fear of complexity31:40 – Tech-savvy, libertarian, and progressive angles35:20 – Why creatives matter: expression, ownership, and ordinals38:47 – College vs bitcoin: a post-AI investment dilemma44:02 – Should you buy a house or stack more bitcoin?49:55 – Narrative shapes price: the Marian Antoinette necklace lesson53:10 – What bitcoin really is: protection, insurance, sovereignty57:35 – How to orange-pill with respect and precisionWHERE TO FOLLOW US:→ Unchained X:   / unchained  → Unchained Linkedin:   / unchainedcom  → Unchained Newsletter: https://unchained.com/newsletter  

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• Bitcoin is pristine collateral—with Jon Melton

  What if the future of credit markets is built on bitcoin? In this episode, we sit down with Jon Melton, Head of Lending at Unchained and a veteran of Morgan Stanley, Silvergate, and Xapo. Jon shares his journey from Wall Street to building a bitcoin-backed credit business, helping institutions safely borrow dollars against their bitcoin without losing control. We explore why bitcoin is pristine collateral, how interest rates in this market may evolve, and why re-hypothecation risk matters. Jon explains how collaborative custody transforms the borrowing experience and outlines the future of institutional credit on a bitcoin standard. We also discuss why the regulatory tide in America has turned—and what that unlocks for bitcoin’s next wave.SUPPORT THE PODCAST:→ Subscribe→ Leave a review→ Share the show with your friends and family→ Send us an email [email protected]→ Learn more about Unchained: https://unchained.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=TBF-podcast-description→ Book a free call with a bitcoin expert: https://unchained.com/consultation?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=TBF-podcast-description→ Read Joe Burnett’s new report, Repricing the Economy in Bitcoin: https://www.unchained.com/go/repricing-the-economy-in-bitcoin?utm_campaign=strivereport&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=tbf&utm_content=youtubeTIMESTAMPS:0:00 - Intro4:45 - Conviction through doing the work10:07 - Managing $1.5b in bitcoin loans with zero losses16:08 - What Wall Street still doesn’t understand about bitcoin20:11 - Why bitcoin embodies American values26:27 - How interest rates might evolve in bitcoin lending30:12 - Why Unchained never rehypothecates your bitcoin36:22 - How big will bitcoin lending get in 10 years41:10 - What unlocks the next wave of bitcoin credit markets46:25 - The biggest risk to bitcoinWHERE TO FOLLOW US:→ Unchained X: https://twitter.com/unchained→ Unchained Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/unchainedcom → Unchained Newsletter: https://unchained.com/newsletter → Joe Burnett’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/IIICapital→ Jose Burgos (Director of Media Production) on Twitter: https://x.com/DeFBeD→ Jon Melton’s Twitter: https://x.com/jmelton21mm

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• MBA grads still don’t get bitcoin, here’s why with Anil Patel

  What if you were introduced to digital scarcity before bitcoin even existed? In this episode, we sit down with Anil Patel, author of The Bitcoin Handbook and creator of widely shared bitcoin graphics featured in Michael Saylor keynotes. Anil shares how selling concert tickets sparked his early understanding of scarcity, and how that insight shaped his approach to bitcoin. We discuss his take on bitcoin’s future as a store of value, treasury asset, and sovereign protection tool, and why he believes bitcoin’s price will rise forever. Anil unpacks his journey from pitching bitcoin to MBA classmates in 2013 to now building educational content that simplifies complex ideas. We explore the rise of bitcoin treasury companies, how centralized platforms differ from bitcoin’s ethos, and the enduring value of reading and low time preference in a distracted world.SUPPORT THE PODCAST:→ Subscribe→ Leave a review→ Share the show with your friends and family→ Send us an email [email protected]→ Learn more about Unchained: https://unchained.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=TBF-podcast-description→ Book a free call with a bitcoin expert: https://unchained.com/consultation?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=TBF-podcast-description→ Read Joe Burnett’s new report, Repricing the Economy in Bitcoin: https://www.unchained.com/go/repricing-the-economy-in-bitcoin?utm_campaign=strivereport&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=tbf&utm_content=youtubeTIMESTAMPS:0:00 - Intro  1:09 - Anil’s early digital scarcity insight from concert ticketing  5:12 - Why bitcoin will go up forever, according to Anil  12:07 - Building a personal and family bitcoin reserve  14:18 - Bitcoin treasury companies vacuuming up supply  16:17 - Pitching bitcoin to his MBA class in 2013  23:32 - Evolving bitcoin education and content creation  29:22 - Why early bitcoiners understood digital scarcity  32:16 - Sovereignty vs number go up—why both matter  40:16 - Mental models and heuristics to cut through noise  43:08 - Innovation is accelerating—so is bitcoin’s upside WHERE TO FOLLOW US:→ Unchained X: https://twitter.com/unchained→ Unchained Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/unchainedcom → Unchained Newsletter: https://unchained.com/newsletter → Joe Burnett’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/IIICapital→ Jose Burgos (Director of Media Production) on Twitter: https://x.com/DeFBeD→ Anil Patel’s Twitter: https://x.com/anilsaidso

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• DOGE couldn’t fix the dollar with Sam Callahan

  What if bitcoin treasury companies become the most powerful corporations of the next decade? In this episode, we’re joined by Sam Callahan to explore how lightning adoption, corporate strategy, and macro uncertainty are reshaping the global economy. Sam explains why companies like Strategy are pioneering a new capital structure based on bitcoin, how BTC-native yield on the Lightning Network could disrupt traditional finance, and why institutions are finally waking up to sound money. We cover everything from regulatory arbitrage and ETF flows to lightning yield flywheels, safe haven behavior, and the future of corporate balance sheets. Sam also breaks down how tether and stablecoin adoption could drive a new phase of economic activity on lightning—and what it means for investors looking to outperform.SUPPORT THE PODCAST:→ Subscribe→ Leave a review→ Share the show with your friends and family→ Send us an email [email protected]→ Learn more about Unchained: https://unchained.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=TBF-podcast-description→ Book a free call with a bitcoin expert: https://unchained.com/consultation?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=TBF-podcast-description→ Read Joe Burnett’s new report, Repricing the Economy in Bitcoin: https://www.unchained.com/go/repricing-the-economy-in-bitcoin?utm_campaign=strivereport&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=tbf&utm_content=youtubeTIMESTAMPS:0:00 - Intro  1:21 - How bitcoin treasury companies are revolutionizing finance  5:20 - Bitcoin treasury companies vs real estate leverage  10:01 - Why this cycle could mimic 2017’s parabolic run  12:46 - Why bitcoin adoption is at a major inflection point  16:36 - Who’s next to buy bitcoin: corporates or governments?  22:31 - If bitcoin hits 50% of gold, price hits $1 million  28:06 - Bitcoin is starting to show safe haven behavior  34:39 - How lightning and tether could explode BTC-native yield  46:16 - Spend fiat or spend and replace bitcoin?52:30 - Why DOGE can’t stop the era of fiscal dominanceWHERE TO FOLLOW US:→ Unchained X: https://twitter.com/unchained→ Unchained Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/unchainedcom → Unchained Newsletter: https://unchained.com/newsletter → Joe Burnett’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/IIICapital→ Jose Burgos (Director of Media Production) on Twitter: https://x.com/DeFBeD→ Sam Callahan’s Twitter: https://x.com/samcallah

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• Is bitcoin’s wealth creation era over or just beginning? with Trace Mayer

  Bitcoin’s volatility is falling—and Trace Mayer thinks that may signal the end of its wealth creation era. In this episode, we sit down with early bitcoin investor and proof of keys holiday founder Trace Mayer to unpack where we are in bitcoin’s lifecycle and what comes next. Trace breaks down his recent debate with Peter Schiff, explaining why subjective value theory and entrepreneurship are at the heart of bitcoin’s superiority over gold. We explore bitcoin’s declining volatility, why Strategy’s strategy may be riskier than it looks, and how bitcoin financialization is accelerating faster than expected. Trace also shares why proof of reserves matters, the long-term risk of custodial centralization, and how legal frameworks might evolve to protect against contentious forks.SUPPORT THE PODCAST:→ Subscribe→ Leave a review→ Share the show with your friends and family→ Send us an email [email protected]→ Learn more about Unchained: https://unchained.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=TBF-podcast-description→ Book a free call with a bitcoin expert: https://unchained.com/consultation?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=TBF-podcast-description→ Read Joe Burnett’s new report, Repricing the Economy in Bitcoin: https://www.unchained.com/go/repricing-the-economy-in-bitcoin?utm_campaign=strivereport&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=tbf&utm_content=youtubeTIMESTAMPS:0:00 - Intro1:24 - Debating Peter Schiff on sound money and bitcoin5:44 - Why Satoshi was a monetary entrepreneur10:07 - Bitcoin vs gold: scarcity, portability, and use cases20:36 - The light side vs dark side of investing with bitcoin23:18 - Saylor’s strategy: capital gains vs cash flow28:01 - Bitcoin volatility is declining—is the wealth creation phase over?33:45 - The financialization of bitcoin is accelerating40:01 - Global instability, geopolitics, and bitcoin49:46 - Capital controls: bitcoin’s roleWHERE TO FOLLOW US:→ Unchained X: https://twitter.com/unchained→ Unchained Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/unchainedcom → Unchained Newsletter: https://unchained.com/newsletter → Joe Burnett’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/IIICapital→ Jose Burgos (Director of Media Production) on Twitter: https://x.com/DeFBeD→ Trace Mayer’s Twitter: https://x.com/TraceMayer

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