About this episode
Bitcoin is becoming the foundation of a new financial and technological order. In this episode, Christian Catalini shares why open networks must win over corporate blockchains, how the Lightning Network and Spark are unlocking true global payments, and what lessons he learned building Libra inside Facebook. We explore the limits of stablecoins, the risks of leverage, and why proof of work may be humanity’s greatest defense in a world racing toward automation.Timestamps:00:00 - Welcome and guest intro00:20 - The MIT bitcoin experiment02:09 - Why Christian is a bitcoin pragmatist02:30 - Linux analogy for bitcoin04:11 - Making Lightning Network enterprise grade05:37 - Before Lightspark: MIT professor to fintech researcher08:12 - Inside Project Libra10:04 - Building on permissionless open networks11:10 - When block subsidies fall to zero15:06 - How AI reshapes work and value17:31 - Why AI agents should not hold wallets18:40 - Micropayments for agents with Lightning20:29 - Are we plateauing or accelerating in AI22:49 - Redefining capitalism for the AI era24:18 - The real AI risk: unknown preferences26:51 - bitcoin and money in an automated world28:24 - Proof of work as time and energy31:32 - Is AI bigger than bitcoin32:27 - The current state of the Lightning Network44:24 - Thoughts on Saylor’s preferred equity47:40 - Closing call to builders to choose open networks
