Where the panel landed
The panel agreed that price matters, even if specific targets remain fragile. Blake Anderson treated the Wedbush $400 call as directionally reasonable but too specific, while Theo Goodman emphasized that price and perception reinforce one another and noted exchange disruptions and derivatives volatility. On charity, both Theo and Blake favored the Ross Ulbricht appeal if forced to choose, while Thomas insisted both BitGive and Free Ross deserved support. On Uber and merchant adoption, the panel agreed Bitcoin made practical sense for global payments, but Thomas pushed hardest for a spending-first strategy rather than waiting for merchants alone.
What they were watching
The panel discussed Bitcoin climbing to $290 before retreating, with Theo noting Bitfinex around $288 and OKCoin quarterly contracts spiking toward roughly $350 during a denial-of-service attack. Wedbush's rejected $400 price target for 2016 framed the discussion, but Blake treated specific targets as less useful than the macro path into the next block halving. Directionally, the consensus was constructive, with volatility back and the market again responding to crisis perception, infrastructure, and speculation.
Wedbush And The Price Target
The panel discussed Wedbush rejecting a $400 Bitcoin price by 2016 as Bitcoin traded near the high $200s. Blake said long-term infrastructure made upward movement plausible but exact targets were mostly futile, while Theo noted that Bitcoin-linked investment products were making price exposure easier.
Price, Perception, And Volatility
The exit question asked whether Bitcoin's price was relevant. Blake said price is not the whole story but still shows the interaction between code, culture, and human behavior, while Theo said price is clearly relevant because perception is everything.
BitGive And Free Ross Auctions
Two charity auctions were discussed: BitGive's anniversary auction and the Crypto Show's Free Ross auction. Theo and Blake both leaned toward supporting the Ross appeal if forced to choose, but the panel emphasized that both causes were legitimate and should not really be placed in opposition.
Uber Says No To Bitcoin
The panel discussed Uber denying rumors that it would accept Bitcoin. Blake suggested Uber might be avoiding extra regulatory attention while already facing pressure from taxi jurisdictions, while Theo thought Bitcoin made business sense and that the rumor itself should force the company to reconsider.
Uber Versus Lyft
The exit question compared Uber's professional style with Lyft's informal model. Blake favored Uber based on his San Francisco experience and admitted Lyft's pink mustaches put him off, while Theo said he had not used either but liked Uber's willingness to defy hostile rules in Germany.
Merchant Adoption Is Not Enough
Thomas argued that merchant-first adoption had solved only half the problem by producing merchants without enough Bitcoin customers. He said companies should have sent real Bitcoin spenders into the shops they onboarded, and that users now needed to spend their way toward adoption.
Purse And Spending Bitcoin
The panel's spending discussion centered on Purse.io as an example of immediate Bitcoin utility through Amazon discounts. Thomas framed it as a low-risk way to use Bitcoin rather than hold it, while Blake compared repeated buying and spending to a quasar pushing energy through the network.
Litecoin Volatility And Global Markets
An audience question brought up Litecoin's rapid move from around $1.50 to above $6 before falling near $5. Blake tied halvings to real supply-and-demand effects but rejected Litecoin as a Bitcoin replacement, while Theo connected the volatility to leverage, forced liquidations, and broader anxiety around China and Greece.
the price of Bitcoin is never interesting, I think it is not true.— Blake Anderson
perception is everything and price has a lot to do with perception.— Theo Goodman
Which unless your company plans on going out of business in less than three years, you'd better be considering it.— Thomas Hunt
If you don't do it, someone else will.— Theo Goodman
What if we just start spending it?— Thomas Hunt
we've been walking in the desert for too long— Thomas Hunt
Story of the Week
Price Returns, But Spending Becomes The Point
The episode opened with Bitcoin's move toward $290 and the revived question of whether price was a signal or a distraction. Blake and Theo both rejected the idea that price is irrelevant, because it shapes perception and reveals how the network is interacting with people, markets, and crisis narratives. But the episode's deeper turn came when Thomas argued that merchant-first adoption had left too many merchants waiting for customers who never arrived. The show landed on spending as the missing civic act: not holding, not merely predicting, but using Bitcoin where it already works.
What if we just start spending it?— Thomas Hunt