🎙️ My guest today is Marty Bent, a writer, investor, and one of the most influential voices in the Bitcoin media ecosystem. As the founder of the popular podcast and newsletter TFTC (Truth for the Commoner) and managing partner at Ten31, a venture firm investing exclusively in Bitcoin infrastructure, Marty has helped shape the conversation around Bitcoin’s future for nearly a decade. In this episode, Marty walks us through his journey from unemployed blogger to leading Bitcoin commentator and how he's leveraging AI to scale his media output across platforms. We explore the impact of open protocols like Nostr, the potential of podcasting 2.0, and the need for content authentication in the age of deepfakes. Marty also shares how Bitcoin is solving real-world energy problems, from stranded power to nuclear buildouts, and why self-custody and decentralization remain essential to Bitcoin’s resilience.
► This episode is part of the "Bitcoin Vegas 2025 Special" in collaboration with Ben Samocha, Founder of Israel’s CryptoJungle and Crypto Talks podcast.
This episode is also on Twitter, Spotify, Fountain, Rumble and more.
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We talked about:
00:00 Coming Up...
01:10 Welcome from Bitcoin Vegas
01:58 Introducing Marty Bent
03:19 Vegas, gambling, and societal decay
04:50 The origins of TFTC and Marty's media journey
09:00 Using AI to grow and streamline content
14:22 Onboarding newcomers through relatable content
15:56 Open-source media, Podcasting 2.0, and Nostr
20:36 Content authenticity in the AI age
25:05 Most influential podcast guests for Marty
30:08 Why Ten31 invests only in Bitcoin infrastructure
35:24 Bitcoin mining, climate realism, and energy use
43:53 Biggest threats to Bitcoin: apathy and custody risks
49:15 What trends will accelerate Bitcoin adoption
54:29 Bitcoin gifting stories and early advocacy
56:17 What gives Marty hope
My takeaways from this episode:
Marty shares how TFTC began as a personal newsletter in 2017, sparked by an influx of Bitcoin questions from friends and family
He explains how the podcast grew from a scripted first episode to one of the longest-running shows in the space, interviewing developers, thinkers, and entrepreneurs
Marty breaks down how he uses AI tools like Claude and transcription services to automate content creation and cross-channel distribution
He emphasizes the importance of repurposing content across newsletters, podcasts, and YouTube to reach different audience segments
The discussion covers Podcasting 2.0 and how value-for-value models using Lightning enable direct monetization and listener engagement
Marty highlights the small but growing adoption of Podcasting 2.0 apps like Fountain and the importance of building on open protocols
He explains why decentralization and private key-signed content will be critical in an era of AI-generated deepfakes and misinformation
We explore how Bitcoin mining enables energy monetization, acting as a buyer of last resort for stranded and underutilized power sources
Marty defends Bitcoin’s environmental benefits and warns against ESG narratives used as tools of control rather than real sustainability concerns
He shares Ten31’s investment thesis: supporting Bitcoin-only infrastructure companies that make the network more accessible, secure, and usable
The conversation touches on threats to Bitcoin like apathy, centralization, and regulatory pressure, and why user-run nodes and custody remain vital
Marty ends with a message of hope, inspired by the global grassroots movement building around Bitcoin and the next generation’s curiosity and drive
Watch/Listen on Spotify:
Watch/Listen on Youtube:
Follow Marty Bent & Ben Samocha:
Marty's Twitter | TFTC Twitter | TFTC Website | Ten31’s Website
Ben's Twitter | Ben's LinkedIn | Ben’s Website
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