
S16E44 - S16 E44: Abdel on ZK STARKs & Bitcoin Maximalism
Published: September 17, 2025
Duration: 3:18:37
Abdel is a Starkware engineer who, over the last 7 years, went from building EIP 1559 on Ethereum to becoming a Bitcoin maximalist who wants ZK STARKs to happen. In this episode, we talk about his journey & some of Bitcoin's cultural issues.
Time stamps:
00:00:59 - Sponsors: Sideshift, Citrea, Bitcoin.com News, LayerTwo Labs, NoOnes.com
00:01:38 - Abdel's unique journey: From Ethereum core dev at ConsenSys to Bitcoin maximalism
00:02:17 - Early Bitcoin curiosity (2011-2012) vs Ethereum's "world computer" appeal
00:03:51 - Fintech background: Working for banks before fighting them
00:04:31 - Always a Bitcoin + Ethereum maxi: Building unstoppable systems
00:06:07 - North Star vs "Nostr": Unstoppable...