A Letter on the Bitcoin Takeover

The Bitcoin Takeover in Austin is next week, and I wanted to provide a little background to its inspiration (and goals). Austin is famously home to SXSW. When I was growing up in Austin, SXSW was a popular music festival, a mainstay of the Live Music Capital of the World. It later expanded to add film and even later added technology. It wasn't long before a once proud music festival that was part of the identity and culture of Austin became dominated by Google, Facebook and Amazon.

In many ways, SXSW has lost its luster. Once defined by indie music and helping unknown artists get their breaks, music (and film) have genuinely become dominated by tech. And not the tech that helps enable indie music and film but big tech. As an Austinite, I'm hopeful that SXSW will someday get back to its music (and film) roots. But as it stands, the technology part (or Interactive) overshadows everything else, and every year, the conference fails to include a dedicated track on the most important technology innovation of the past decade: bitcoin.

Fiat currency is starving the artists, literally and figuratively, and fiat incentives have killed the soul of SXSW across the board: music, film and even technology. Bitcoin alone can fix it, but despite being the most important technology of our lifetime, bitcoin companies don't have big checks to write, which is what drives the incentives and inevitably why bitcoin is always excluded from the SXSW schedule. If you search the word bitcoin at sxsw.com, you won't find anything. That is why we host the Bitcoin Takeover of and during SXSW.

To avoid doubt, the Bitcoin Takeover is not part of SXSW. Bitcoin deserves its due and everyone in Austin for SXSW (or otherwise) deserves a proper technology track. Someday, I imagine that all of SXSW's Interactive will become one big bitcoin conference, but that day is not today. So we take it over. Bitcoin Takeover week is March 11th-15th, right smack in the middle of SXSW, with a main speaker event on Friday March 14th and a series of free educational events leading up (each linked below with info), co-hosted by Bitcoin Commons and Bitcoin Park.

The Bitcoin Takeover has eight unique events across five days. There is something for everyone: those new to bitcoin, avid bitcoiners, entrepreneurs building infrastructure (or interested in it), investors and public policymakers. The main event features 10 entrepreneurs (including 9 founders and 6 CEOs) each building platforms and infrastructure to support the bitcoin network. The speakers span across bitcoin custody, payments, lightning infrastructure, open source, AI, education, energy and mining, and each will be presenting on their vision and what they are building (and why) followed by Q&A.

If you are new to bitcoin, you will be exposed to real businesses building real products and services for real people. Those on the outside reasonably think that crypto is one big grift. This event will give an insight into tangible businesses that are being built to help support the bitcoin network and bitcoin holders. If you're an avid bitcoiner, you will hear about what is on the horizon and get an insight into how these leaders think strategically about bitcoin and their businesses. If you are interested in attending the Bitcoin Takeover Main Event you can use this link to purchase tickets but we also have free educational events leading up.

Each event is focused on bitcoin. We have a bitcoin 101 presentation hosted in collaboration with University of Austin (UATX), a developer hackathon hosted by bitcoin++, a film screening on bitcoin mining & energy, Austin Bitdevs (a technical meetup which occurs monthly), an event on bitcoin vs. central bank digital currencies hosted in collaboration with The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) and Startup Day hosted by PlebLab. The goal is to educate attendees about bitcoin and to genuinely provide forums for everyone. Below are links to each event with additional details.

• March 11th: Bitcoin, Not Blockchain (a bitcoin 101 presentation). Myself and Dhruv Bansal will present on why bitcoin is the true innovation, why crypto/blockchain is all noise, and why everything will be built on bitcoin. This event is hosted at the University of Austin (UATX) and you can sign up with this link. Time: 4:30-7:00pm.

• March 11th: bitcoin++ AI-powered hackathon with one of the most prolific bitcoin technical educators, Lisa Neigut (aka niftynei). This event is at the Bitcoin Commons, 1-5pm. Link to sign up here. Free admission, limited to first 100 sign ups.

• March 11th: Austin Bitcoin Design Club meetup focused on bitcoin product UI/UX design hosted by @SahilC0 at the Bitcoin Commons, 6-8pm. Link to sign up here. Free admission.

• March 12th: The Great Divide: Bitcoin vs. CBDCs, co-hosted with the Human Rights Foundation (HRF). Christian Keroles, Director of Financial Freedom at HRF will give a presentation on the risks of central bank digital currencies, followed by Q&A. Then we'll host a panel with Tuur Demeester, Natalie Smolenski and Charlene Fadirepo on the benefits of a decentralized, open monetary system (bitcoin) and dystopia of centralized, closed systems like CBDCs. This event will be at the Bitcoin Commons, 5-8pm. Fee admission. Link to sign up here.

• March 13th: PlebLab's Startup Day with a full day of speakers focused on founding and building early stage bitcoin startups. This event is hosted at the Bitcoin Commons, 9-5pm followed by a happy hour. Tickets required, which can be purchased with this link.

• March 13th: Austin Bitdevs, a monthly Socratic seminar focused on technical aspects of the bitcoin protocol, will follow PlebLab's Startup Day and Happy Hour. Austin Bitdevs will be from 6:30-9pm. This event is free admission and you can sign up with this link.

• March 14th: Bitcoin Takeover Main Event with a full day of speakers, including nine founders and six CEOs, presenting on the businesses and platforms each is building to help support the bitcoin network, followed by Q&A. The speakers will cover bitcoin custody, mining & energy, open source, education, AI, payments and more. After the speakers, we'll host a live TFTC + What Bitcoin Did with hosts Marty Bent and Danny Knowles. This event is at the Bitcoin Commons. A ticket is required & can be purchased with this link.

• March 15th: Film screening of Alana Mediavilla's Dirty Coin feature-length documentary on bitcoin mining and energy. This is an incredible film that helps demystify bitcoin mining and explain why bitcoin doesn't waste energy but instead, actually helps solve an energy problem. This event is at the Bitcoin Commons, 1-4pm. Free Admission but sign up required with this link.

Fin. Yes, it's an action packed week. This is the most comprehensive schedule of events that we've ever had for Bitcoin Takeover week, thanks in large part to all the contributors in the Austin bitcoin community, the speakers (or creators) committed to each event and the operational support of Unchained and Bitcoin Park. There will be high signal education content for those new and old, technical and non-technical, investor and policymaker, boomer and zoomer.

Bitcoin is the true innovation. It's the most important technological innovation of our lifetime, even more so than the internet. So if you're lost at SXSW or if you're otherwise in Austin (or interested in a last minute trip), come join us. There is a lot of noise in crypto, blockchain and the fiat economy generally. Bitcoin is the light at the end of the tunnel. It represents far more than an investment. Bitcoin is returning a sound money standard to the world, which is a requisite to economic stability and to securing the future of freedom. Come learn at (and participate in) the Bitcoin Takeover week in Austin.

Best, Parker
Head of Business Development, Zaprite
Co-Organizer, Bitcoin Takeover Week.