Willem Schroé is a cryptographer and hardcore Bitcoiner who's on the verge of making bitcoin a currency capable of fueling transactions via the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) through the use of spiderchains.

Put another way, Willem's company Botanix is building a Layer 2 on Bitcoin on which bitcoin (BTC) will be used instead of ether (ETH) when transacting on the dApps, DEXes, etc. that currently exist on Ethereum.

And the best part is, no changes will need to be made to the base layer of Bitcoin in order for this new functionality to exist.

Check out the Botanix white paper here: https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1014909/x/8d64a913a6/botanix-protocol-whitepaper.pdf

Check out Bitcoin Magazine's write up on the Botanix protocol here: https://bitcoinmagazine.com/technical/spiderchains-a-proof-of-stake-second-layer

 

Follow Willem and Botanix on social media:

X (Twitter): @willemschroe and @botanixlabs

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/willemschroe/ and https://www.linkedin.com/company/botanix-labs/

 

Timestamps:

0:00 Cold open 

0:26 Intro music

0:41 Introduction

7:43 The challenge of explaining Bitcoin to people

10:15 Willem and his company, Botanix, are bringing the EVM to Bitcoin?

15:51 What is the blockchain trilemma?

18:52 Using Ethereum dApps with bitcoin

25:21 Will there be pushback against Botanix?

26:54 Botanix is launching whether you like it or not

28:10 The EVM + sound money (bitcoin)

29:34 When does Botanix go live?

32:00 Botanix and BitVM

36:57 Will Ethereum developers move to Botanix?

41:21 What are the security threats for Botanix?

44:31 2 features unique to Botanix

55:09 Why aren't more people paying attention to Botanix?

56:03 How business school helped Willem

1:00:04 Loving Bitcoin, but not letting tribalism blind you

1:01:56 Are there issues with pegging?

1:05:18 How does Vitalik Buterin respond to Botanix?

1:06:28 Will Ethereum have any staying power?

1:08:53 Does bitcoin replace the US dollar as the global reserve currency?

1:12:54 Where to find Willem and Botanix

1:14:28 Outro

 

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