Erik Voorhees: The Danger of Gov Bitcoin, ‘Gross’ Politics, and Losing 50,000 BTC to the SEC

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4.8 • 689 Ratings

🗓️ 2 December 2025

⏱️ 61 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Insights into the past, present and future of crypto with Erik Voorhees. Follow the podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Venice.ai founder Erik Voorhees joins "CoinDesk Spotlight" to discuss his prediction of a sovereign bond market collapse and the predominant role of bitcoin in that future. Voorhees explains why he is fundamentally against a U.S. strategic bitcoin reserve, why crypto lobbying is "gross," and his thesis that cryptocurrency was actually built for AI agents. - This content should not be construed or relied upon as investment advice. It is for entertainment and general information purposes. - Break the cycle of exploitation. Break down the barriers to truth. Break into the next generation of privacy. Break Free. Free to scroll without being monetized. Free from censorship. Freedom without fear. We deserve more when it comes to privacy. Experience the next generation of blockchain that is private and inclusive by design. Break free with Midnight, visit midnight.network/break-free - Need liquidity without selling your crypto? Take out a ⁠⁠Figure Crypto-Backed Loan⁠⁠, allowing you to borrow against your BTC, ETH, or SOL with 12-month terms and no prepayment penalties. They have the lowest rates in the industry at 8.91%, allowing you to access instant cash or buy more Bitcoin without triggering a tax event. Unlock your crypto’s potential today at Figure! ⁠⁠https://figuremarkets.co/coindesk⁠ - Timestamps: 01:20 - Voorhees' First Memory of Money Mattering04:00 - Discovering Bitcoin As a Solution to the Financial Crisis06:13 - Could Bitcoin Replace Gold Completely?07:17 - When Will There Be A Complete Financial Collapse?10:47 - The Separation of Money and State13:57 - Why Voorhees is Divided on Governments Holding Bitcoin15:53 - Crypto Industry Engagement with Politicians Is "Gross"19:49 - Voorhees' History with the SEC21:48 - From Satoshi Dice to Prediction Markets24:09 - What Does "Sufficiently Decentralized" Actually Mean?27:35 - Ethereum's Trajectory29:07 - Voorhees Predicts Base Will End Up the Predominant L232:01 - Sci-Fi and Technological Optimism34:06 - Learnings from ShapeShift's DAO Structure38:01 - Venice AI: Separation of Mind and State40:24 - How Do We Avoid a Dystopian Future?43:19 - How Venice AI Differs from ChatGPT and Gemini47:46 - Unprogramming Human Instincts for Privacy50:24 - The VVV Token54:25 - Crypto is Built for AI Machines56:56 - How He Lost 50K BTC Fighting The SEC - This episode was hosted by Jennifer Sanasie. “CoinDesk Spotlight” is produced by Sam Ewen, Jennifer Sanasie, Taylor Fleming and Victor Chen.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Both Bitcoin and Ethereum have achieved a network effect that is close to unassailable.
0:06.9	ETH is still a king.
0:08.0	I don't see it being dethroned.
0:10.1	I think it has had various scaling challenges.
0:14.3	The patchwork of L2s and the UX problems between them sucks.
0:18.7	But I have a suspicion that the base is going to end up becoming the
0:23.8	predominant L2 on top of the predominant L1 of Eath.
0:33.5	Break the cycle of exploitation, break down the barriers to truth, break into the next generation of privacy, break free.
0:39.8	Free to scroll without being monetized, free from censorship, freedom without fear.
0:44.2	We deserve more when it comes to privacy.
0:46.3	Experience the next generation of blockchain that is private and inclusive by design.
0:50.9	Break free with midnight, visit midnight.net.net.net. Network forward slash break dash free. Looking for the best way to unlock your crypto's liquidity, whether you're
0:58.0	funding a major purchase like a down payment on a home, investing in new opportunities, or even
1:02.3	buying more Bitcoin. Figure makes it straightforward and transparent. Take out our crypto-backed
1:07.4	loan in the Figure app today. Eric Voorhees, welcome to CoinDisc Spotlight.
1:12.3	Thanks for having me on, Jen.
1:14.2	I always like to start with this question.
1:16.7	What was the first memory you have of money really mattering?
1:21.6	Oh, I know exactly where I was.
1:26.8	I was in Dubai in the financial crisis of 2008.
1:34.5	So I lived over there for a couple of years.
1:36.8	And when the world fell apart, obviously I started paying attention to these things and discussed what was happening in the
	...

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