# S17 E2: Tyler Spalding on Bitcoin Payments, Non-Scammy Altcoins & Bears

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/bitcoin-takeover-podcast-724392/s17-e2-tyler-spalding-on-bitcoin-payments-non-scammy-altcoins-bears
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/bitcoin-takeover-podcast-724392/s17-e2-tyler-spalding-on-bitcoin-payments-non-scammy-altcoins-bears.md
Podcast: [Bitcoin Takeover Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/bitcoin-takeover-podcast-724392)
Published: 2026-01-15T08:54:00+00:00
Episode link: https://bitcoin-takeover.com/audio/?name=2026-01-15_s17_e2_tyler_spalding_on_bitcoin_payments_altcoins_bears.mp3
Audio file: https://bitcoin-takeover.com/audio/media/2026-01-15_s17_e2_tyler_spalding_on_bitcoin_payments_altcoins_bears.mp3
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Duration seconds: 11792

## Resource

Tyler Spalding is a 2011 bitcoiner whose main focus is payments. As the co-founder and former CEO of Flexa, he has a very unique insight on the cryptocurrency industry. This episode was recorded on the road after visiting the Bear Sanctuary in Romania. 00:00:47 – Introduction & Tyler’s Visit to Romania Tyler discusses his trip to Romania, the bear sanctuary, and his passion for supporting bears globally. 00:04:11 – Background: NASA, Payments, and Early Tech Career Tyler shares his background in aerospace engineering, work at NASA, and transition into software and payments. 00:10:09 – Discovering Bitcoin & Early Involvement Tyler recounts learning about Bitcoin in 2011, reading the white paper, and early mining experiences. 00:12:26 – Bitcoin as Payments vs. Store of Value Tyler explains his initial focus on Bitcoin as a payment system and how his views evolved over time. 00:17:26 – Money, Debt, and the Nature of Currency Discussion on the historical relationship between money and debt, and how Bitcoin fits into this context. 00:20:44 – Bitcoin as Commodity, Not Money Tyler argues Bitcoin is more like digital gold than money, and discusses synthetic assets and stablecoins. 00:22:59 – The One Token Dilemma & Use Cases Exploration of Bitcoin’s dual role as payment and store of value, and the resulting community debates. 00:28:46 – Spending Bitcoin: Early Purchases & Experiences Tyler shares stories about spending Bitcoin, including buying Cubs World Series tickets and other goods. 00:35:38 – Freedom of Choice & Critique of Maximalism Tyler advocates for utility maximalism and criticizes toxic Bitcoin maximalism and intolerance toward altcoins. 00:39:25 – Bitcoin’s Usefulness & 21 Million Narrative Debate on what makes Bitcoin useful, the 21 million supply, and the impact…

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