“I supported it [BCH] before Roger” – explains Corbin Fraser about 12 minutes into the interview, in an attempt to debunk the myth that Roger Ver might have created Bitcoin Cash. But the block size wars, sometimes referred to as the Scaling Wars, was an unfortunate event that took place between brothers who couldn’t agree on the way to go forward.

People who would previously sit at the same table, discussing utopian ideas about the future of the Bitcoin project in the back of some bingo ballroom, now found themselves fighting – and the clash was so chaotic that on one point Bitcoin.com, the @Bitcoin account on Twitter, and r/BTC on Reddit were all supporting the BCH fork.

Indeed, this process of allowing the market to choose the “real Bitcoin” is cypherpunk and in the spirit of decentralized open source software. But it also left casualties on both sides, which manifested socially and financially. For a few years, old friends could no longer talk to each other. History was rewritten to erase or diminish the merits of people on the other camp, while boosting the deeds of new names that emerged. And the truth was suppressed in the name of wartime propaganda.

About eight years later, the situation is much more clearer. Analyses on past events can be made with greater wisdom and a much clearer head. Former rivalries are no longer significant, as Bitcoin has entered a new era in which the enemies are much more fierce and resourceful than “small blockers” and “big blockers”.

Under these circumstances, Bitcoin.com has stopped pushing BCH as “the real Bitcoin” and the distinction between the two networks is much clearer. Corbin Fraser, who has been appointed CEO of Bitcoin.com in March of 2024, spearheads this new pragmatic approach which prioritizes market realism over any dogma. Today, the website is much more impartial and diverse in the topic it presents in the news section. The news are broader, the perspectives concern multiple parts of the world, and the journalists have more autonomy to pursue stories from the broad world of cryptocurrencies.

Such is the vision of Corbin Fraser, the new CEO of Bitcoin.com who admittedly adopted BCH months before Roger Ver got on board. Under these circumstances, I’ve really wanted to get Corbin on the show in order to reminisce on events from the past, rebuild bridges that were irrationally burned, and try to bring back the old Bitcoin spirit that we need today more than ever. However, don’t let the moments of reflection mislead you that this might be a nostalgic conversation – Corbin Fraser and I are both optimistic about the future and feel varying degrees of optimism towards new breakthroughs in the world of computer science, cryptography, and free open source software!

Listen to Corbin Fraser on YouTube, Twitter/X, Spotify, Apple Podcasts & More!

This episode is sponsored by LayerTwo Labs, Bitcoin.com News, Citrea, Sideshift, NoOnes.com, and Hodling.ch

Time stamps of my interview with Corbin Fraser:

Introducing Corbin Fraser (00:00:50)

Bitcoin.com’s Evolution (00:01:52)

Support for Multiple Cryptocurrencies (00:03:05)

Challenges of Tribalism in Crypto (00:06:51)

Origins of Bitcoin Cash (00:09:07)

The Scaling Wars (00:12:14)

Misconceptions About BCH Leadership (00:15:23)

The Meme Warfare (00:18:31)

Promoting Token Swaps (00:20:09)

Bitcoin.com News and Geopolitics (00:21:16)

Respect for Peter Schiff (00:22:01)

Occupy Wall Street Insights (00:22:12)

Bitcoin Cash vs Bitcoin Debate (00:24:25)

Vitalik’s Perspective on Forks (00:25:04)

Nomenclature and Propaganda (00:26:17)

Cola Wars Analogy (00:28:31)

Future of Bitcoin Block Size (00:29:56)

Lightning Network Adoption Challenges (00:30:04)

Alternative Layer 2 Solutions (00:31:27)

Lightning Network’s Technical Limits (00:32:33)

Bitcoin SV and Centralization Concerns (00:33:42)

Impact of Community Divisions (00:34:44)

Chaos of Forks in 2017 (00:36:58)

Bitcoin.com’s Business Approach (00:40:04)

Lightning Network Whitepaper Block Size (00:41:06)

Discussion on AI and Block Size (00:42:39)

Satoshi’s Misjudgments (00:43:46)

Censorship and Community Chaos (00:45:34)

Personal Losses During the Block Size Wars (00:47:08)

Bitcoin Cash’s Price Surge to $3000 (00:47:38)

Miner Hesitation (00:48:30)

Current Features of BCH (00:51:55)

Emergence of Cash Tokens & Failure of SLP (00:56:02)

Building on UTXO (01:00:18)

Ethereum’s Rise Post-Scaling Wars (01:02:10)

SushiSwap & DeFi Summer (01:03:53)

Vampire Liquidity Attack (01:05:08)

Speculation Around Chef Nomi (01:06:27)

Development of Aave & Compound (01:07:30)

Community Dynamics in BCH (01:08:32)

Debate on Development Tax (01:09:43)

Amaury Sechet’s Influence and Community Split (01:10:14)

Forking and Community Fragmentation (01:12:12)

Transition to Ethereum and DeFi (01:14:39)

The Role of Multi-Chain Strategies (01:19:12)

Privacy and Zano (01:20:41)

Operational Security and Privacy in Crypto (01:23:09)

Government Regulation and Crypto Development (01:24:31)

Zano’s Hybrid PoW/PoS Consensus (01:25:56)

Fact-Checking from Bitcoin Cash Podcast (01:27:13)

Bitcoin Cash Upgrade Schedule (01:28:14)

Twitter Spaces Collaboration (01:28:47)

Privacy Solutions in BCH (01:29:29)

Mike Hearn’s Prediction on Forks (01:30:05)

Misleading Media Influence (01:30:57)

Dollar Cost Averaging Strategy (01:31:50)

Self-Custody Solutions (01:32:02)

Ownership of Bitcoin.com (01:33:54)

Roger Ver’s Contributions (01:34:22)

Support for Roger Ver (01:36:25)

Government’s Stance on Crypto (01:38:47)

Reading Roger’s Defense (01:39:59)

Misinterpretations of Roger’s Position (01:41:08)

Evolution of Roger Ver’s Views (01:42:31)

Market Humbling Experiences (01:42:54)

Elon Musk’s Influence (01:43:37)

Current Crypto Market Sentiment (01:45:01)

Celebrity Influence on Crypto (01:46:05)

Kanye West’s Coin Speculation (01:47:01)

Kanye’s Meme Coin Ventures (01:48:05)

The Decline of Meme Coin Interest (01:49:16)

Overvaluation in Crypto Projects (01:50:50)

Block Size Wars Reflection (01:51:48)

State Actors and Bitcoin’s Challenges (01:52:51)

Blockstream’s Business Struggles (01:54:41)

Developer Commitment and Innovation (01:56:34)

Stablecoins vs. Bitcoin Adoption (02:00:05)

Future of Stablecoins and CBDCs (02:01:33)

Block Size Debate and Social Consensus (02:04:08)

George Hotz’s Perspective on Innovation (02:06:48)

Ethereum’s Rapid Development (02:09:07)

Ethereum’s Challenges (02:11:29)

Bitcoin’s Cautious Approach (02:12:05)

Testing Protocols (02:13:15)

User Education on Risks (02:15:35)

Brock Pierce’s Influence (02:16:21)

Community Engagement (02:18:17)

Listing Criteria for New Coin on Bitcoin dot com Wallet (02:20:34)

Integration of Privacy Coins (02:22:58)

Zano’s Potential (02:24:01)

User Confusion with Bitcoin Domains (02:28:21)

BSV Integration Decision (02:30:36)

Balanced News Coverage (02:32:04)

Introduction to New Developments (02:33:07)

Embracing a Broader Crypto Perspective (02:34:05)

Closing Remarks (02:34:46)

Final Thoughts and Future Plans (02:35:03)