# S17 E4: {ideal} BitVM Optimizations (Robin Linus, Liam Eagen, Ying Tong)

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/bitcoin-takeover-podcast-724392/s17-e4-ideal-bitvm-optimizations-robin-linus-liam-eagen-ying-tong
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/bitcoin-takeover-podcast-724392/s17-e4-ideal-bitvm-optimizations-robin-linus-liam-eagen-ying-tong.md
Podcast: [Bitcoin Takeover Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/bitcoin-takeover-podcast-724392)
Published: 2026-01-24T12:32:00+00:00
Episode link: https://bitcoin-takeover.com/audio/?name=2026-01-24_s17_e4_ideal_bitvm_optimizations_robin_linus_liam_eagen_ying_tong_.mp3
Audio file: https://bitcoin-takeover.com/audio/media/2026-01-24_s17_e4_ideal_bitvm_optimizations_robin_linus_liam_eagen_ying_tong_.mp3
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Duration seconds: 7405

## Resource

Robin Linus, Liam Eagen, Ying Tong Lai are the co-founders of {ideal}: an initiative which recently created Argo: a garble circuits scheme which enabled 2000x efficiency gains for BitVM. The group aims to use cryptography in order to advance privacy and scalability in Bitcoin. Time stamps: 00:01:17 Introducing Liam Eagen, Robin Linus & Ying Tang Lai 00:02:17 Origin of Ideal Group & Naming 00:05:03 Funding, Investors & Bootstrapping 00:06:43 Comparison to Other Teams & Technical Progress 00:09:52 Challenges in Auditing & Implementation 00:12:10 Rapid Progress in BitVM & Garbled Circuits 00:14:37 Defining BitVM & Use Cases 00:19:24 BitVM, Soft Forks, and Bitcoin Upgrades 00:23:03 Ideal Solution for Bitcoin Upgrades 00:25:17 Simplicity, Covenants, and Script Upgrades 00:27:06 Favorite Michael Saylor Analogies & Podcast Ads 00:32:47 Bitcoin Maximalism, ETFs, and Institutionalization 00:37:17 Privacy, Censorship Resistance, and Fungibility 00:40:06 Blockchain Analysis & Privacy Risks 00:41:30 Shielded Client-Side Validation & Privacy Protocols 00:45:57 Zcash, Private Pools, and Inflation Bugs 00:51:45 Soft Forks vs. Embedded Consensus for Privacy 01:01:34 Quantum Computing Threats & Post-Quantum Cryptography 01:17:37 Freezing Satoshi’s Coins & UTXO Expiry 01:23:32 Block Space Demand, Ordinals, and Collectibles 01:25:44 Rollups, Block Space, and Bitcoin Culture 01:33:23 Argo: The New Garbling Scheme 01:38:05 Monero, Privacy Coins, and Community Ethos 01:40:25 Future Vision for Bitcoin 01:42:38 STARKs, SNARKs, and Zero-Knowledge Proofs 01:50:08 Conferences, Community, and Outreach 01:58:11 Ideal Project Status, Mainnet, and Naming 02:00:05 Closing Remarks & How to Follow {ideal}

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