From Footballer to Bitcoiner with Conor Okus

 
 

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“I don’t think Lightning was ever the scaling solution be-all and end-all; but, represents one of many scaling solutions that we’re going to have to do anyway.”
— Conor Okus

SHOW DESCRIPTION

Conor Okus is Product Manager at Spiral. In this interview, we discuss his journey from being a footballer to becoming a Bitcoiner, Real Bedford and the alignment of Bitcoin with a grassroots football club, his current role at Spiral managing the grant programme for developers, and his view on the benefits of open source development of Bitcoin.

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Bitcoin has been making waves in various industries, and sports is no exception. Conor Okus is a footballer [a.k.a. Soccer player!] who found Bitcoin. Peter is a Bitcoiner who came back to football. They met in the middle when Conor provided Pete with advice and support in establishing Real Bedford.

Real Bedford is using Bitcoin in various ways, such as a treasury reserve asset and for educational efforts. They plan to incorporate it into football games by tipping players with QR codes. The grassroots movement of Bitcoin aligns with Real Bedford's grassroots approach to football, making it a perfect fit.

Conor and Pete discuss a new wave of football and sports teams based on ideas that resonate with dispersed communities, and the challenges of setting up a new football club. They also talk about the downside of vested interests looking to exploit sport and fan bases for selfish means.

Now Conor lives and works in the US as part of the Spiral team, managing an invaluable grant programme for developers. Conor then shares his experience and expertise in supporting open-source Bitcoin development, scaling Bitcoin transactions through lightning, the importance of the user experience in Bitcoin, and fostering an innovative open-source design community.

TIMESTAMPS

00:02:29: Introductions
00:03:44: Real Bedford
00:27:46: From footballer to bitcoiner
00:35:44: Working at Spiral, and funding opportunities
00:46:37: Scaling Lightning
00:50:14: Fedimint
00:54:11: Bitcoin design and UX
00:59:12: Football bets
01:02:04: The Bitcoin Conference
01:04:36: Final comments

 

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SHOW NOTES

Connect with Conor:

Mentioned in the interview:

Other Relevant WBD Podcasts:

PodcastPeter McCormack