The Bad Crypto Podcast

Everything is fine… weeks where everyone is definitely not fine.
In Episode 802, we dig into the crypto panic, the blood-in-the-streets charts, and the uncomfortable question nobody wants to say out loud:
Did the grown-ups finally show up to crypto… and ruin the party?
We talk institutional adoption (ETFs, custody, control), how the “gatekeepers and suits” might be working the same old playbook, and why crypto feels weirdly toxic right now.
Then we take a hard left into a truly bizarre rabbit hole: new Jeffrey Epstein-related emails, claims floating around about funding Bitcoin Core, and what the Brock Pierce connection might mean (or might not mean). We don’t pretend to have final answers—just the receipts we can point to, the debates happening publicly, and a healthy dose of skepticism.
And because we can’t help ourselves, we also go off-road into AI, Elon, robots, peptides, and… yes… “you spit in a thing, you 💩 in a thing.” You’re welcome.
Educationally unsettling. Extra sarcasm. Always weird.

⏱️ Timestamps
00:16 Panic in the markets + “did institutions ruin crypto?”
02:53 Market snapshot: blood in the streets
06:03 Institutional adoption vs. decentralization
07:53 Epstein files + what people are claiming
09:57 Travis explains the “mastermind” AI experiment
16:33 Brock Pierce emails + what’s known vs. speculation
20:36 AI as leverage: finishing 25 days of work in 6.5 hours
21:53 Elon, xAI/SpaceX talk, and where this all goes
24:18 Robots, health tech, and the future getting weird fast
26:20 “Spit in a thing / 💩 in a thing” (yes, really)
Links & ResourcesLINKS MENTIONED IN THE SHOW:
Epstein Files Drop!
DOJ Documents Reveal Who Really Built Bitcoin
Bruce Fenton Responds
Is Brock Pierce Behind Epsteins $3 Million Coinbase Investment?
SpaceX acquires xAI, plans to launch a massive satellite constellation to power it
Crypto Tax Audit
CoinGecko.com
bitcoinTreasuries.net
Bull Market Peak Signals
Want more of the “mastermind” clips?
Tell us in the comments. If you’re into it, we’ll drop more of those weird little time-travel audio segments in future episodes.
Contact
Email: [email protected]
DISCLAIMER: This content is for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only. Not financial advice. Do your own research and consult a professional before making any financial decisions.
#crypto #bitcoin #ethereum #epstein #blockchain #etf #AI #badcryptopodcast
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Tax season is back, and crypto reporting is getting a lot more… specific. We’re joined by returning guest Clinton Donnelly of CryptoTaxAudit to break down the biggest crypto tax changes affecting U.S. traders this year—what forms are coming, what the IRS will see, and the most common ways people accidentally trigger problems. If you’ve traded on U.S.-based exchanges, this episode is your wake-up call.
In this episode, we cover:
Why crypto taxes are getting more complicated (and more visible)

New 1099-DA reporting: what it is and what exchanges may report

Why “proceeds vs. cost basis” matters (and where confusion hits)

The Form 8949 change: crypto transactions being separated out

The “match the proceeds” issue that can trigger nasty IRS letters

New FIFO requirement by wallet/account (and why it can change your tax bill)

Why audits can drag on for years (and what “audit-proofing” really means)

Practical advice for staying compliant without losing your mind

The 3 big crypto tax changes Clinton highlights:
1099-DA is here (for U.S.-based exchanges)

Crypto gets its own lane on Form 8949 (more visibility for the IRS)

FIFO by wallet/account becomes required (can reshape gains calculations)

Helpful link:
Work with Clinton / CryptoTaxAudit: http://badco.in/tax

Support the show: https://badcryptopodcast.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Eight hundred episodes in, crypto doesn’t feel wild anymore — and that might be the biggest story of all.
In this milestone episode, Joel and Travis kick off 2026 by unpacking a market that refuses to behave like it used to. Bitcoin isn’t mooning, but it isn’t collapsing either. Institutions are quietly vacuuming up supply, ETFs keep stacking, and the once-predictable four-year cycle looks stretched, warped, or possibly broken altogether.
The conversation moves beyond charts into bigger territory: why Bitcoin drawdowns are getting shallower, why gold and silver are exploding alongside crypto, and what an increasingly unstable global economy means for hard assets. Along the way, the guys reflect on how manipulation hasn’t disappeared — it’s just become more sophisticated — and why retail panic matters less when corporations and funds are waiting on every dip.
Episode 800 also zooms out to the future. AI’s acceleration, the coming wealth transfer, the growing divide between those who adapt and those who don’t, and why the next decade may reward understanding what’s possible more than chasing the next tool or token.
No predictions. No moon math. Just perspective earned over nine years, hundreds of cycles, and a market that’s finally starting to act… different.
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2025 was supposed to be the year for crypto.
Instead, it delivered all-time highs… followed by one of the most confusing pullbacks we’ve seen in years. Bitcoin hit new records, then gave them back. Altcoins struggled. Expectations got wrecked. And everyone was left asking the same question:
What the hell just happened?
In Episode 799 of The Bad Crypto Podcast, Joel and Travis close the books on 2025 and look ahead to what 2026 might bring — without pretending they have a crystal ball.
They break down:
Why 2025 felt bullish on paper but disappointing in reality

The massive liquidation event that changed market momentum overnight

Why the four-year cycle may already be broken

How Bitcoin behaved more like a “stablecoin” than a risk asset this year

Why nation-states, ETFs, and institutions are quietly reshaping the market

What macro factors, liquidity, elections, and money printing could mean next

Why zooming out still tells a very different story than staring at short-term charts

The guys debate whether Bitcoin is gearing up for another major leg higher or settling into a new kind of market entirely — one driven less by retail euphoria and more by institutions, governments, and global liquidity.
It’s part recap, part reality check, part cautious optimism… and a reminder that after nine years and nearly 800 episodes, Bad Crypto is still here, still asking the hard questions, and still bullish on the long game.
As the calendar flips to 2026 and Episode 800 looms, this is your moment to reflect, recalibrate, and remember why you got into crypto in the first place.
Out with the old.In with the new.And as always…
Stay bad.
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For years, crypto traders have lived and died by the halving clock. Boom. Bust. Rinse. Repeat.But what if that old rhythm doesn’t work anymore?
In Episode 798 of The Bad Crypto Podcast, Joel and Travis make the case that Bitcoin has officially graduated from “speculative science experiment” to institutional-grade asset class — and that changes everything.
We break down why this cycle looks nothing like the last ones, including:
• Why banks that mocked crypto are now quietly building custody, trading, and ETF pipelines• How public companies, governments, and ETFs are soaking up Bitcoin supply• Why institutional buying is far “stickier” than retail panic selling• How regulation shifts (OCC, FDIC, Fed guidance) removed the biggest barriers between banks and Bitcoin• Why the classic 80% crash may no longer be the default outcome• What January and February could reveal about whether the cycle is truly broken• Why Gen Z asking for crypto for Christmas might be the most bullish signal of all
We also dig into adoption curves, Bitcoin treasuries, ETF inflows, government holdings, and the uncomfortable reality that the market may have changed the rules while many traders are still playing the old game.
If you’re waiting for the “inevitable crash” so you can say “told you so”…you might want to listen first.
Because Bitcoin doesn’t look like it’s leaving.It looks like it’s settling in.
🎧 Episode 798 — from Puerto Rico to Dubai📺 Watch on YouTube🎙️ Listen wherever podcasts live
Stay bad.
Support the show: https://badcryptopodcast.com
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