WBD Live in Miami - Bitcoin Mining with Troy Cross and Harry Sudock

“It’s really exciting for me to see the transfer from… what the best we could do was plugging in 800 FPGAs to our father-in-law’s warehouse, to today where we’re signing some of the largest energy contracts in America, we’re building the backbone of our electric systems day by day, we’re integrating across core human infrastructure. So, getting to build a business at the intersection of energy and money, it’s the dream of a lifetime.”— Harry SudockTroy Cross is a Professor of Philosopher and Fellow at BPI, and Harry Sudock is Chief Strategy Officer at Griid. This interview was a live recording made at the Bitcoin 2023 Conference in Miami, where we discussed Bitcoin mining: the industry’s rapid evolution, how it’s optimising other markets, and why its relentless search for cheap energy will facilitate human flourishing. - - - - Bitcoin mining has been the subject of much controversy and debate in mainstream media. The infamous New York Times (NYT) article in April still casts a shadow over the industry: the piece characterised Bitcoin mining as an exploitative parasite feeding off cheap energy at the expense of local users and the environment. And yet, Bitcoin mining is the exact opposite. As Troy Cross states in this live interview, when people get to hear the truth about Bitcoin mining's impact on energy systems it “blows their minds!” Harry Sudock adds more colour by explaining how Bitcoin mining is a black hole that sucks in economic utility and spits it out in its most efficient form, making it a revolutionary tool for human flourishing. Both speakers criticize the media for pushing a biased agenda and cherry-picking data to fit a preconceived narrative. They argue that the truth about Bitcoin mining's impact on energy systems is more complex than the media portrays, but, this doesn’t provide the clickbait media outlets are after. The irony is that the NYT’s mission is “to seek the truth and help people understand the world.”However, we are optimistic that the tide will soon turn. With this show, both Harry and Troy have been on What Bitcoin Did now a combined 13 times (lucky for us!), and they continue to blow our minds with their tales of the possible worlds opened up by the race for cheap and abundant energy. The other side just doesn’t have the calibre of persuasive, authentic and enthusiastic voices we have.- - - - This episode’s sponsors:Iris Energy - Bitcoin Mining. Done Sustainably Ledn - Financial services for Bitcoin hodlersBitcasino - The Future of Gaming is hereLedger - State of the art Bitcoin hardware walletWasabi Wallet - Privacy by defaultUnchained - Secure your bitcoin with confidence-----WBD668 - 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.