‘They didn't see it coming’: Podcaster Joe Rogan sees Bitcoin as a viable form of currency

Published at: May 4, 2022

Popular podcaster Joe Rogan just gets Bitcoin (BTC). In his most recent podcast with Khalil Rountree, a renowned mixed martial (MMA) fighter, Rogan explained that BTC is something that the “government didn’t see coming.”

“I think of Bitcoin the same way I think of the early internet. They [the government] didn’t see it coming and now it’s a viable form of currency–you can actually buy things with it.”

Rogan explained that there will be a time when “some government” will implement a “centralized currency that they can control,” with the intention to “limit what you spend your money on.” Bitcoin is outside of government control, as it is a decentralized and permissionless payment network. 

Rogan is a vocal Bitcoin supporter, having first spoken about the world’s largest cryptocurrency in 2014. Rogan explained to Andreas Antonopoulos in 2016 that he was “all in” on team Bitcoin when the price was under $1,000.

While 2021 was the year that popular celebrities clamored for crypto, Joe Rogan’s conviction for Bitcoin ossified and evolved.

Rogan has ventured deeper down the Bitcoin rabbit hole: In only January this year, Rogan had hope for Bitcoin but explained it could still “fall apart.” In yesterday’s MMA podcast, Rogan’s conviction shined. 

The Joe Rogan Experience is Spotify’s most popular show, reportedly reaching over 11 million listeners per episode. Anthony Pompliano claims that he show is bigger than Fox News and CNN combined. 

His MMA podcast is part of the “experience,” and Khalil Rountree has been a previous guest. In the YouTube excerpt with focuses on Bitcoin, Khalil Rountree shares his “Bitcoin awakening,” discussing how his family never had “generational wealth” before BTC.

Rountree is an American mixed martial artist who currently competes in the light heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. While admitting he’s not a tech or finance guy, he is “excited” about the technology, and attended Bitcoin Miami 2022.

Rountree cited the North Korean defector china Yeonmi Park, a speaker at Bitcoin Miami 2022 who escaped the regime thanks to Bitcoin and its freedom properties.

YouTube comments on the episode are hopeful that Jack Mallers, the CEO of Strike, will be featured soon, or failing that, another Bitcoin-maxi, Jack Dorsey, the former CEO of Twitter.

Related: Crypto Stories: Ethan Lou shares experience of crypto conference in North Korea

For one Bitcoiner on Twitter, Michael Saylor appearing on the JRE would create the same hype as a spot exchange-traded fund (ETF):

Exactly right - @saylor going on the @joerogan podcast is the next big catalyst for increased awareness and adoption of #Bitcoin as the most sound money in the world. Or the SEC allowing $GBTC to convert to a spot ETF. @GaryGensler @BarrySilbert @Sonnenshein

— Dr. Ben Kim (@Ben_Kim) May 3, 2022

The “Bitcoin awakening” video has already been viewed over 100,00 times, while Joe Rogan is still at the top of the Spotify United States podcast charts. 

Tags
Adoption
Bitcoin
Business
Digital Currency
Government
Us Government
Interview
North Korea
Andreas Antonopoulos
Joe Rogan
Andreas Antonopuolos
Related Posts
Valkyrie Investments‘ Leah Wald on Bitcoin ETFs and the future of digital assets
Cointelegraph sat down with Leah Wald, CEO of digital asset investment firm Valkyrie Investments, to learn more about the importance of a Bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded fund (ETF) and the future of digital assets. For context, Valkyrie Investments was launched in 2021 and is one of the only asset managers to have three Bitcoin-adjacent ETFs trading on the Nasdaq. Valkyrie launched a Bitcoin Strategy ETF in October 2021, which offered indirect exposure to BTC with cash-settled futures contracts following a United States Securities and Exchange (SEC) approval for a similar ETF from ProShares. Valkyrie also has a balance sheet opportunities ETF …
Adoption / March 11, 2022
President Bukele predicts Bitcoin $100k rally, further legal adoption and more
Last year, El Salvador became the first country to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender under Bukele’s presidency as a countermeasure to the growing inflation in the country. Since legalization, the president acquired 1,370 BTC for the country’s reserve and reinvested its unrealized gains into new infrastructure projects including a hospital and a school. President Bukele predicted that two more countries will join El Salvador to adopt Bitcoin as a legal tender in 2022. In the same year, he expects a bull run that will take BTC price to a new all-time high of $100,000. On Jan 2, El Salvador President …
Adoption / Jan. 2, 2022
Consensus 2022: Web3, unpacking regulations, and optimism for crypto’s future
“Everything is bigger in Texas” proved to be true during Consensus 2022. The crypto conference took place June 9–12 in Austin, Texas, this year, attracting over 20,000 people from across the globe, despite the 100-degree plus weather. According to the event sponsors, Consensus 2018, which was held at the Hilton Hotel in New York, had previously drawn in almost 9,000 attendees. Caitlin Long, CEO of Custodia — the Wyoming-based digital asset bank — told Cointelegraph that the event this year speaks volumes. “New York has sent a lot of this industry fleeing to places like Austin, Wyoming and Miami. It …
Adoption / June 14, 2022
Tucker Carlson outlines wild theory to explain Bitcoin price rise: 'Maximum tin foil'
Controversial Fox news television host Tucker Carlson has proposed a curious conspiracy theory that seeks to link airline delays in the United States and Canada with a surge in the Bitcoin price. He suggested the computer outage behind the widespread delays may have been caused by ransomware and theorized the US Government may have bought a large amount of Bitcoin to pay the ransom. However he did not provide any evidence for his claims. Speaking on his “Tucker Carlson Tonight” segment of Fox News on Jan. 17, Carlson argued that the Bitcoin (BTC) price increased 20%+ soon after the U.S. …
Adoption / Jan. 18, 2023
Fiat is in 'jeopardy' but Bitcoin, stablecoins aren't the answer either: Ray Dalio
Billionaire investor Ray Dalio has described fiat currency as being in serious “jeopardy” as an effective store of wealth but doesn’t believe Bitcoin (BTC) and stablecoins will be the solution either. Dalio, the founder of hedge fund firm Bridgewater Associates explained on CNBC Squawk Box on Feb. 2 that the mass money printing of the United States ollar and other reserve currencies has him questioning whether they are forms of “effective money.” “We are in a world in which money as we know it is in jeopardy. We are printing too much, and it's not just the United States, it …
Adoption / Feb. 3, 2023