Guest
Peter McCormack
I Built a $1 Million System in 11 Days With No Coding with Peter McCormack
- Peter McCormack built a complete podcast management system with Claude in 11 days—work that would have taken a 14-person team over a year and cost ~£1 million, with no prior coding experience. - The system automates episode tracking, guest management, sponsor workflows, task assignment, and email distribution, reducing his MailChimp workflow from one hour to one minute per send. - McCormack created "AI departments" (editorial, production, marketing, commercial) with 56 virtual employees that hold weekly meetings, grade recommendations against podcast goals, and surface actionable growth ideas. - Prompting and "skills" (domain-expert frameworks stored as markdown instructions) are the core lever: asking Claude to adopt the expertise of world-class practitioners before solving problems dramatically improves output quality. - McCormack views this moment as a **printing-press event for software**—individuals can now build custom, complex applications at near-zero cost, threatening aggregators (hotels.com, Squarespace) while decentralizing software capability. - There is a short window to "state your claim" in AI-augmented workflows before established winners emerge; learning the tools takes days, not weeks.
Can Bitcoin Save The West? | American HODL & Peter McCormack
- Political division & authoritarianism: Discussion of escalating left-right polarization in UK/US politics, whether freedom-based solutions are achievable, and the role of potential authoritarian leaders (e.g., Rupert Lowe, El Salvador's Bukele) in fixing governance. - UK national decline: Examination of Britain's economic deterioration (poorer than Mississippi), loss of cultural cohesion, shift from high-trust to low-trust society, and decay of public spaces and institutions. - Freedom vs. practical governance: Tension between maximizing individual freedom and the need for state functions; debate over whether authoritarianism is inevitable or avoidable during transitions. - AI disruption & economic displacement: Realistic assessment that AI will displace jobs over 10-20 years; emphasis on individuals becoming "unsackable" through AI expertise and asset acquisition rather than awaiting government solutions. - Bitcoin as alternative system: Bitcoin presented as the only viable long-term hedge against state monetary debasement and political instability, though adoption remains slow. - Cultural preservation: Discussion of what constitutes British identity (pubs, queuing, civility, Christian values) and how multiculturalism and state overreach are eroding it.
Only Bitcoin Can Stop Government Corruption | Peter McCormack
- Peter McCormack explains why he left the "What Bitcoin Did" podcast and local Bedford activism to focus on building a national political movement around "I No Longer Consent," demanding codified constitutional constraints on government power. - Government decay across the UK spans education (teachers buying supplies), NHS collapse, and business closure, driven by decade-long multi-party debt accumulation and inflationary monetary policy rather than a single party's ideology. - Employment law, taxation, energy costs, and regulatory burden have destroyed the middle class and small business viability, leaving only large corporations and low-wage workers in a hollowed-out economy. - Asset inflation (house prices up 1,500% vs. wages up 500% in 30 years) is the hidden tax that enriches elites while wage earners fall behind; neither left nor right addresses the root monetary cause. - Immigration is now a cross-party debate; McCormack argues the issue is not identity or ethnicity but democratic accountability—the public deserves a vote on policy, and government must be constrained to execute its mandate without unelected quangos overriding it. - Constraints on power through codified constitution and bill of rights are the only durable solution; Bitcoin plays a role in starving the fiat debt system but must not dominate messaging if building broad political consensus is the goal.
Saving Bedford with Bitcoin | Peter McCormack
- Peter McCormack's five-and-a-half-year libel lawsuit with Craig Wright ended with a one-pound judgment and recovery of 85% of his legal fees, avoiding bankruptcy and asset liquidation. - The UK libel system enabled Wright to weaponize courts; Peter proved Wright lied under oath about conference disinvitations through direct investigation. - Peter left hosting What Bitcoin Did after becoming "cooked" on both the show and Bitcoin as a topic, despite building it into a major platform. - Running businesses in Bedford—a coffee shop and other ventures—exposed Peter to government policy failures and transformed him from statist to practical libertarian. - Peter launched a private security pilot in Bedford town centre to address visible street crime, homelessness, and drug use; it received mixed reactions but positive early feedback from residents and businesses. - Government inefficiency (VAT policy, employment law, minimum wage, compliance costs) makes entrepreneurship harder; libertarianism, to Peter, means defending natural rights and property rather than pursuing anarcho-capitalism.
#1367 Peter McCormack | This Football Team Is All-In On Bitcoin
- Peter McCormack bought Real Bedford, a 10th-tier English football club, with plans to reach the Premier League by deploying a 4.5 million dollar Bitcoin treasury from the Winklevoss twins as long-term capital. - The "Bitcoin team" strategy proved to be a cheat code, attracting sponsors like Gemini, Luxor, and Ledger, and generating over £200,000 in merchandise sales in two years. - Real Bedford has achieved three consecutive promotions (10th to 9th to 8th tier) in men's football, while the women's team won a treble (three trophies) in their first year under McCormack's ownership. - McCormack is deploying a "chess board" strategy involving a women's team, youth investment, a hardship fund, a bar, a café, a netball partnership, and a community fund to build loyalty and economic growth in Bedford. - The club faces challenges including unpredictable match outcomes, infrastructure limitations, the need for a new stadium, and opposition from the local mayor over ground leases and women's participation. - McCormack plans to hold Bitcoin long-term and use lending/collateral arrangements to fund operations without selling, betting on Bitcoin's appreciation to compound the treasury over decades.
#911 Peter McCormack On How Far Bitcoin Has Come In The Last Decade
- The Bitcoin Conference 2022 drew 25,000–30,000 attendees, signaling mainstream adoption with celebrity guests like Aaron Rodgers, Serena Williams, and Jordan Peterson in attendance. - Eric Adams was criticized as a major disappointment in politics and Bitcoin, having campaigned as pro-Bitcoin then attacked Bitcoin mining once in office. - Toxic maximalism in Bitcoin is becoming less effective; nuanced, educational discourse from figures like Michael Saylor is more influential than abusive online behavior. - A broader "toxic libertarianism" is emerging in Bitcoin, conflating Bitcoin adoption with anarcho-capitalist ideology, which Peter rejects as impractical. - El Salvador's Bitcoin standard adoption shows mixed results; tourism and GDP growth may be partly base effect from COVID recovery, and negotiations with gangs are morally complex but have reduced violence. - Real Bedford Football Club is adopting a Bitcoin standard strategy, holding Bitcoin as treasury while building global brand and infrastructure over 8–10 years to achieve Premier League status.
#766 Bitcoiner Buys A UK Football Club w/ Peter McCormack
- Peter McCormack purchased Real Bedford FC, a club in the 10th tier of English football, with plans to take it to the Premier League through a Bitcoin standard financial model. - He aims to raise £50 million and hold Bitcoin on the team's balance sheet without touching it for eight seasons, creating a war chest for future promotions. - The team's commercial strategy leverages a global Bitcoin audience rather than relying solely on local revenue, already generating £500,000 in sponsorships in the first week and projected £1.5 million annual revenue. - Merchandise sales (jerseys at £50–60 each, £30–35 for locals) are expected to generate significant revenue; Pompliano committed to purchasing £1,000 worth of jerseys to distribute at his studio. - McCormack rejected crypto speculation tactics (NFTs, fan tokens) and emphasized that Bitcoin adoption is optional for players and staff; the team operates its treasury on a Bitcoin standard but prices merchandise in pounds. - The plan involves systematic promotion over nine seasons (one per year minimum) with a budget 20% higher than competitors at each level, supported by international supporters clubs already forming across multiple countries.
#740 The Ultimate Bitcoin vs. Gold Debate w/ Peter Schiff & Peter McCormack
- Inflation measurement: Schiff argues the CPI methodology is deeply flawed; if measured using 1970s standards, he estimates 2021 inflation was 13–15%, far above the official 6.2% figure. - Federal Reserve policy: Powell's renomination was the "coward's way out"; the Fed must continue printing money to prevent interest rates from rising and destabilizing the bubble economy. - Government spending and moral hazard: Build Back Better programs will cost far more than projected because demand increases when items become free (e.g., preschool tuition will spike; paid family leave will be overused). - Social Security as a Ponzi scheme: The system is an intergenerational transfer already drawing down trust funds; it's unsustainable without continued Fed money printing. - Bitcoin versus gold as store of value: Schiff maintains Bitcoin has no intrinsic value, only price driven by speculation; gold has industrial and jewelry uses, plus centuries of historical precedent. - Bitcoin-backed loans: McCormack argues they are superior collateral to real estate because they are divisible, liquid, and mark-to-market in real time; Schiff counters that mass liquidation during a 50% drawdown creates systemic risk.
353: Peter McCormack on Bitcoin, Podcasting, and The World
- Peter McCormack's Bitcoin strategy shifted to accumulation-only, earning Bitcoin through sponsorships and poker rather than trading; he's grown his stack by 40% in the past year while avoiding shitcoins and leverage. - The Roger Ver interview was conducted respectfully to allow both perspectives on Bitcoin's evolution to be articulated; despite past disagreements, Ver demonstrated intelligence and understanding of opposing arguments, though the market has decidedly favored Bitcoin over Bitcoin Cash. - Podcasting evolution during the pandemic: McCormack saw initial download drops in February–March but recovered through focused content and guest quality; Pompliano pursues a volume strategy with less editing overhead to maximize learning opportunities and audience reach. - The macro environment—including pandemic-triggered QE, inverted yield curves, and repo market stress—was already signaling an economic cycle end in 2019; the halving and money printing coinciding created structural conditions favorable for Bitcoin, gold, and hard assets. - DeFi terminology is being conflated with Ethereum; Bitcoin itself is the most valuable decentralized finance application, though infrastructure investments (Coinbase, Kraken early equity) may outperform holding Bitcoin alone. - Long-term Bitcoin thesis centers on fixed supply, decentralization, and market adoption—not current use cases—positioning it eventually as a global reserve currency potentially worth $80–90 trillion market cap over decades.
Peter McCormack, Host of What Bitcoin Did: Marketing, Memes, and the Adoption of Crypto
- Peter McCormack and Anthony Pompliano discuss their approaches to podcasting, including guest selection, interview style, and the importance of authenticity and hard work. - McCormack emphasizes transparency about finances and metrics, credibility building through in-person interviews, and a long-term brand strategy for What Bitcoin Did. - Pompliano discusses his philosophy of character-driven content on Twitter, drawing parallels to professional wrestling storytelling, and the value of being accessible to audiences via open DMs. - Both hosts explore the role of personal boundaries, journalistic integrity versus conversational intimacy, and how to handle criticism and trolling online. - The conversation covers formative life experiences—McCormack's father's work ethic and single parenting challenges, Pompliano's close relationship with his four brothers and lessons on loyalty. - Dream interview subjects are discussed: McCormack wants Joe Rogan and Nick Szabo; Pompliano desires interviews reflecting historical Bitcoin figures and cultural icons like Axl Rose.