Blockchain Bubble or Revolution: The Future of Bitcoin, Blockchains, and Cryptocurrencies

Ezra: Bitcoin is an energy disaster. If Bitcoin were a startup and you go to their board meeting, they would probably say we have to work on this energy problem. But given it's decentralized nature, nobody is giong to change it. It makes me wonder if there are downsides to smart contracts being hard to alter.

However, in a digital context scarcity must be constructed- there is nothing that demands the next block in the blockchain be harder to make than the last. If anything, the opposite should be true- computers grow ever more efficient and powerful. This means any scarcity is artificial, a process that demands ever more energy, ever more resources los... See more

I believe strongly that it would be a huge mistake to shut down a fundamental innovation that has the potential to decentralize power because we are temporarily concerned about its electricity consumption. Instead, we need to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies, pass a carbon tax, and decarbonize our grid aggressively (as an aside, I believe that will ... See more

Katie: Sometimes the middleman can be important. Let's address the environmental disaster: there re blockchains that are carbon negative. Many have adapted proof of stake. The problem of electricity usage is in proof of work consensus mechanisms. Right now 76% of Bitcoin miners are incorporating renewables into their mix. I have confidence in the B... See more