The Bad Crypto Podcast

What if your AI assistant could negotiate your next car purchase, trade prediction markets, manage your inbox, and research crypto… while you sleep?
This week we break down the insane rise of ClaudeBot → Moltbot → OpenClaw, the open-source AI agent that rocketed past 200,000 GitHub stars and sparked a massive wave of autonomous agents almost overnight.
But of course, crypto had to crypto.
Along the way, the project triggered a triple rebrand, a $16M scam token spun up by opportunists, and a security mess that unfolded in real time as attackers hunted for poorly-secured instances and exposed keys.
We also get into the bigger picture: as AI agents start doing real work for people (and eventually paying bills, trading, and moving value), crypto becomes the natural payment rail. Permissionless. Programmable. Always on. Which is exciting… and also a whole new playground for scammers.
We cover what happened, why it matters, and what you should do if you’re experimenting with agents: lock it down, separate machines/accounts, protect your keys, and don’t chase random tokens.
Show notes and links: http://badco.in/804
Leave a comment with the best OpenClaw tutorial you’ve found — we’ll dig in.
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Two years ago, quantum computing was a “someday problem.”
Now NVIDIA is lobbying Congress. Ethereum is funding post-quantum research. Coinbase has launched a Quantum Advisory Board.
So the question isn’t theoretical anymore.
What happens to Bitcoin when quantum computers become powerful enough to crack today’s cryptography?
In Episode 803, we sit down with Christopher Steven Smith, CEO and co-founder of Quantus, a quantum-secure Layer 1 blockchain built using NIST-backed post-quantum cryptography.
We cover:
• What quantum computing actually is (without melting your brain)• How qubits differ from classical bits• Why elliptic curve cryptography may be vulnerable• Whether Bitcoin can realistically fork to quantum resistance• The risk to old wallets (including Satoshi’s coins)• Post-quantum signatures like Dilithium• Reversible transactions and whether they break crypto ethos• Whether the “digital gold” narrative was a strategic mistake
Is quantum an overhyped sci-fi scare tactic?
Or is it the next existential threat nobody is pricing in?
This is a sponsored episode. As always, we disclose that upfront. We took the interview because the topic is real, timely, and worth exploring.
Welcome to the future of cryptography.
Or the end of it.
Support the show: https://badcryptopodcast.com
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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
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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.
Support the show: https://badcryptopodcast.com
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