Matthew Kratter: Bitcoin Core is Compromised - Here's Why

— Bitcoin Core's alleged compromise through developer turnover, funding mechanisms, and cultural drift from cypherpunk ethos toward corporate interests and younger devs lacking Bitcoin holdings or conviction.

— UTXO set bloat from ordinals and inscriptions (4GB → 12GB) degrading node-running accessibility; Bitcoin Core's refusal to merge Luke Dashjr's spam-fighting PR despite publicly opposing such data historically.

— Uncapping of OP_RETURN from 80 to 100,000 bytes in 2025 to accommodate Citria (described as a Bitcoin-Ethereum bridge startup); contradictory justifications for blocking UTXO bloat fixes while enabling it for corporate needs.

— Bitcoin Knots adoption reaching 20% of the network as an alternative implementation with stricter mempool filters and configuration flexibility; emphasis on node runners as the true security layer of Bitcoin.

— BIP-110: a temporary soft fork set to activate August 7 that reverts OP_RETURN to 80 bytes, closes CSAM and other attack surfaces, and prevents consensus changes without community (node runner) consent.

— Critique of Michael Saylor's shift toward Ethereum DeFi promotion and Bitcoin treasury companies that centralize coins at custodians rather than encouraging self-custody and node-running adoption.

— Run Bitcoin Knots instead of Bitcoin Core to enforce stricter spam filters; node runners are Bitcoin's immune system and custodians of the 21-million cap. Visit [https://bitcoinknots.org](https://bitcoinknots.org) to learn more or use a Start9 server.

— Prepare for BIP-110 activation on August 7; if you run a node or mine, signal support now. Check [https://bip110.org](https://bip110.org) for details and timeline; this soft fork will be enforced by the node-running community regardless of miner compliance.

— Avoid Bitcoin treasury company stock (MicroStrategy, etc.) as an onboarding vehicle; instead, earn Bitcoin through productive work and self-custody it directly. Centralized custodian holdings are historical attack vectors (see 1933 gold seizure analogy).