TFTC: A Bitcoin Podcast
#200: Ansel Linder
- Ansel Linder's role as an early Bitcoin voice during the 2015–2016 bear market and scaling debates, and his influence on early Bitcoin education and maximalism.
- The distinction between inflation and deflation: Ansel argues that true inflation is credit expansion, not monetary base growth, and that QE is deflationary because it removes liquid securities from circulation without expanding credit.
- Why altcoins and DeFi are inherently ponzi-like schemes that obscure rather than innovate, with no competitive moat against cloning or centralization.
- The Fed's policy constraints: zero interest rates prevent credit expansion and bank lending, creating deflationary conditions despite balance sheet expansion; Japan's 30-year experience offers a model for potential US "Japanification."
- Stock-to-flow as a useful (though imperfect) framework for understanding Bitcoin's price cycles tied to the halving subsidy schedule.
- Bitcoin's critical role in a deflationary environment as the only asset class offering real returns while fiat and equities stagnate; long-term adoption by corporations and retail will accelerate before government crackdowns intensify.