In episode 123 we go over how we started in the metaverse and how the bear cycle has impacted the nascent space. We do an overview of where we are in the Bitcoin cycle and the results of the macro-economic conditions. We’re in an unprecedented state in the life of Bitcoin. The network has not seen a recession and we’re potentially starring straight at a depression. As a result, we hash out the Bitcoin vs Gold debate and how Satoshi’s idea changed humanity. In the early stages of the metaverse we find parallels with construction of the internet.

We revisit the old days of our podcast and how when we first started talking about the metaverse, almost nobody else was interested. We regularly had to question our sanity as the rest of the crypto market was focused on DeFi and NFTs. Now since Mark Zuckerberg has pivoted Facebook to the newly rebranded Meta, everyone is interested in the metaverse and why it will be important. We go into Decentraland and explore Metaverse Art Week and see some really cool displays. We then explore the paths to how humanity got to the point of creating these virtual environments to escape the real world. How will AI intersect with the metaverse and what will that do to the economy? Then we talk about the overall market maturing and turning into many independent sectors that have boom and bust cycles. Will DeFi be next?

In today’s chat we discuss on Mark Cuban’s disgust on people buying digital land. Then we go over Tornado Cash sanctions and the wider implications on crypto. Did you know that USDC and USDT could be frozen? The United States can arbitrarily sanction anything in crypto which means all of crypto is at risk. In this scenario, all innovation will move outside of the US jurisdiction and leave the United States behind in a legacy financial system that the rest of the world will not participate in. Which is the best stable coin to hedge against this possibility?

Vitalik Buterin sparks our debate on the merits of stock to flow and how it applies to Bitcoin. Is Vitalik right that stock to flow is a model that doesn’t apply to Bitcoin anymore or at all? The macro economics situation is another factor that is contributing to the value depression of Bitcoin in the last few weeks. The federal reserve has run out of options to get us out of the highest inflation since the 1980s. We discuss the ramifications of our current fiat monetary system.

With our first post since June 2021, we discuss Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard and what it means for the metaverse. Predictions for where Bitcoin is headed is made. We also go into the intricacies of building in the metaverse. Is Bill Gates part of an ultra secret club to take over the world?