Decentralized Dialogues

• 12 virtual group sessions. (10 participants max) with a truly great group of people.
• Pre-session readings. like Plato’s Republic, Hobbes’ Leviathan, Crypto Anarchist Manifesto, Security Without Identification.
• No lectures. No spectators. Participation encouraged.

• Because Bitcoin is reshaping how power and governance work—but what does that mean?
• Because building without context or reflection isn’t enough.
• Because your work influences systems and people.
• Because if you don't bring intentionality, who will?

• Curiosity. Show up ready to question and engage.
• Commitment. Read texts ahead of time. Show up to sessions.
• Perspective. Your input is part of the learning.

Lead facilitator: Jesse Posner

Jesse Posner went from arguing cases in court to arguing with cryptographic proofs—because who needs a judge when you’ve got math on your side? A philosophy-trained mergers-and-acquisitions lawyer once deep in high-stakes banking litigation, he ditched the suits for software and never looked back.

Jesse earned a B.A. in Liberal Arts from St. John’s College, renowned for its rigorous Great Books curriculum, which fosters deep engagement with the foundational works of Western thought. This training in logic and philosophy laid the groundwork for his transition into cryptography, where first principles matter more than legal precedent.

At Coinbase, he designed key management systems that secured billions, built threshold signature schemes, and even hacked together privacy tech just for fun. Now, as a Senior Blockchain Engineer at Block, he’s making self-custody actually usable with Bitkey and rewriting the rules of Bitcoin security.

From adaptor signatures to FROST, Jesse's work has earned backing from Brink and the Human Rights Foundation. His mission? Making decentralized tech unstoppable, turning privacy into a guarantee, and proving that cryptographers have more power than lawyers ever did.

Special guest: Troy Cross

Troy Cross is a Professor of Philosophy and Humanities at Reed College, Chief Editor at The Nakamoto Project, Senior Fellow at the Bitcoin Policy Institute, and generally aggro twitter personality. Has done lots of fancy things in the world of academic philosophy, but would much rather talk about the nuanced relationship between US politics and bitcoin. His deep dive into the world of bitcoin mining and the environment has him advising more bitcoin companies than you can name.

He is skilled at asking questions that make you think. At least, that's what his professional certificate says.