Alex Gladstein: Bitcoin, Authoritarianism, and Human Rights | Lex Fridman Podcast #231

ℹ️ EPISODE INFO

Released

October 16, 2021

Duration

2h 33m

Channel

Lex Fridman Podcast

Watch on YouTube

▶ Open ↗

📝 EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Alex Gladstein is the Chief Strategy Officer at the Human Rights Foundation and the Oslo Freedom Forum. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:

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EPISODE LINKS: Alex's Twitter: https://twitter.com/gladstein The Little Bitcoin Book: https://littlebitcoinbook.com/ Human Rights Foundation: https://hrf.org/ PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ Full episodes playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4 Clips playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOeciFP3CBCIEElOJeitOr41 OUTLINE: 0:00 - Introduction 1:34 - Universal human rights 15:34 - Authoritarianism 25:44 - AIs impact on civil liberties 37:07 - Edward Snowden and government surveillance 40:46 - Money 44:59 - Bitcoin 1:00:46 - Government response to Bitcoin 1:11:17 - The blockchain 1:16:40 - Can Bitcoin fail? 1:19:31 - Bitcoin scams 1:23:16 - Patriotism 1:25:39 - Human Rights Foundation 1:30:13 - Conflict with China 1:33:03 - Corporate accountability 1:48:25 - Garry Kasparov and the HRF 1:53:34 - Journalism, conversations, and truth 2:00:48 - Alex's book recommendations 2:08:54 - Attacks on Bitcoin 2:10:34 - The future of humanity 2:14:55 - Advice for young people 2:26:12 - Meaning of life SOCIAL:

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• Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman

🎤 SPEAKERS

• Lex Fridman

  host

• Alex Gladstein

  guest

🧾 EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Lex Fridman Podcast, featuring Lex Fridman and Alex Gladstein, Alex Gladstein: Bitcoin, Authoritarianism, and Human Rights | Lex Fridman Podcast #231 explores bitcoin as Freedom Tech: Fighting Authoritarianism, Surveillance, and Inflation Worldwide Lex Fridman and Alex Gladstein explore how authoritarianism works in practice, why negative rights like free speech and property rights are foundational, and how over half the world lives without them. Gladstein argues that modern digital surveillance, especially in China, is enabling a new, more efficient form of oppression that democracies are ill‑prepared to confront.

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