In a recent interview, Jack Dorsey and Luke Dashjr shared their insights on the current state and future trajectory of Bitcoin.

The interview also shed light on Ocean Mining’s innovative efforts to combat the centralization of mining pools.

Bitcoin’s Journey and Future

When asked about their general impression of Bitcoin’s journey so far, Dashjr remarked that Bitcoin has evolved from a “toy project” to a serious endeavor in recent years. Dorsey echoed this sentiment, stating that Bitcoin has become more resilient and beautiful in its workings and testing. He praised the community’s ability to identify and rectify new threats deliberately and thoughtfully.

Dorsey expressed his ambitious vision for Bitcoin’s impact on humanity. He believes BTC can potentially contribute to “world peace” and “energy abundance.”  The conversation then shifted to the current state of the Bitcoin mining landscape. Dashjr described the situation as “pretty terrible,” explaining that there are essentially 11 entities that decide what goes on the blockchain.

Mining pools, which operate like banks, risk censorship due to regulatory oversight. When asked if this was a cause for concern, Dashjr responded affirmatively. Dorsey added that the incentives in the system tend to favor centralization, making it challenging to decentralize these entities and remove single points of failure.

Ocean Mining’s Solution to Centralization

According to Dorsey, Ocean presents a solution to this potential point of failure. He emphasized the continuous struggle against centralization, identifying the incentive structure that tilts toward centralized control. Ocean Mining seeks to re-decentralize the mining process, allowing individual miners to create their blocks instead of relying on a handful of pools. This aligns with the long-standing goal of using stratum v2 to solve these problems.

Dashjr further explained that Ocean’s approach involves making the mining process more transparent, non-custodial, and with zero fees, ensuring miners can actively participate in the decision-making process.

Dorsey also shared insights into Bitcoin mining’s potential in Africa and the developing world. He highlighted initiatives like Gridless, which harnesses natural energy sources to power mining operations and provides electricity to villages.

He also addressed misconceptions about mining, highlighting the importance of creating blocks, and defended Bitcoin’s energy use, emphasizing its societal value. The interview concluded with Dashjr stressing the importance of users running full nodes for security. Dorsey emphasized the need for more use cases, especially in remittances and as a store of value.