Tadge Dryja on the Limitations of the Lightning Network

Interview location: Skype
Interview date: Thursday 25th April, 2019
University: MIT Digital Currency Initiative
Role: Research Scientist

The simple promise of the Lightning Network is that it solves the scaling issues inherent with one-megabyte blocks in Bitcoin, offering users near instant and low-cost payments. Now the Lightning Network is in beta, actively being used and stress tested, questions are being asked about its limitations.

Proponents for on-chain scaling have been harsh critics of Lightning, questioning everything from the time it has taken to develop to whether it does solve high fees. Proponents of Lightning often defend it, claiming it is early, and many exciting things are being developed to address these early issues.

What is clear is that the Lightning Network has much to prove, and there are risks it will not solve all the issues with scaling and potentially becomes a tool for the Bitcoin rich.

Tadge Dryja co-authored the Lightning Network whitepaper with Joseph Poon and worked on the initial implementation. In this interview, we discuss the limitations of the Lightning, why Bitcoin might not be for everyone, alternative scaling ideas, the fee network and inflation.

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Connect with Dan:
- On Twitter @tdryja
- On LinkedIn
- On Medium
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- On GitHub
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- At MIT

Tadge’s work:
- The Bitcoin Lightning Network:Scalable Off-Chain Instant Payments
- Discreet Log Contracts Whitepaper
- Introducing Lit — Lightweight Lightning Network Software
- uTreeXO - This Scaling Tech Could Let You Sync Bitcoin Straight From Your Phone

Tadge interviews:
- Nelly Mensah Interviews Tadge Dryja, Research Scientist - MIT DCI
- SFCDEVS: Tadge Dryja presents Discreet Log Contracts: Privacy-preserving smart contracts on Bitcoin
- Epicenter - Scalability and the Lightning Network

Mentioned in the interview:
- Joseph Poon
- Christian Decker whitepaper
- Pieter Wuille: Segregated witness and its impact on scalability

Other relevant WBD podcasts:
- WBD099: Dan Robinson on Why HTLCs are Harmful
- WBD098: Peter Rizun's Lightning Critique: FUD or Fair?
- WBD097: Peter Van Valkenburg on Lightning & The Law
- WBD095: Sergej Kotliar From Bitrefill on Using Lightning in Retail
- WBD094: Nic Carter & Pierre Rochard on the Economics of The Lightning Network
- WBD093: Jack Mallers on Lightning Design and UX
- WBD092: Christian Decker - An Introduction to The Lightning Network
- WBD074: Matt Corallo on How Bitcoin Works
- WBD068: Peter Todd on the Essence of Bitcoin
- WBD018: Bitcoin Scaling and Lightning Network with Jameson Lopp

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