Daniel Fogg I Survival of the Fittest: Rootstock & Bitcoin L2s I Rootstock I Pragma San Fran 2024

Thu, Oct 2, 2025, 12:00 AM

Explore Bitcoin Layer 2 (L2) technology and Rootstock (RSK) with Daniel Fogg, CEO of Rootstock Labs. This talk covers Rootstock's unique approach as the first and most secure Bitcoin L2, leveraging Bitcoin's Proof-of-Work security with Ethereum’s programmability. Learn about merge mining, decentralized finance (DeFi) on Bitcoin, advanced bridging methods like PowPeg and BitVM-X, and the competitive landscape of Bitcoin sidechains. Gain insights into Rootstock’s thriving DeFi ecosystem, robust developer tools, and future roadmap for scaling Bitcoin securely. 00:00 Intro: Bitcoin L2s and Rootstock Overview 00:52 Rootstock Labs' Mission and Bitcoin Pragmatism 01:46 Charles Darwin's Principles Applied to Crypto and VC 02:14 Massive Opportunity in Bitcoin DeFi Market 02:43 Introducing Rootstock: Bitcoin Security + Ethereum's EVM 03:45 Merge Mining and the Origins of Bitcoin Sidechains 04:15 Launch of Rootstock: From Argentina to Global Impact 04:44 Challenges of Bootstrapping a Blockchain Ecosystem 05:11 Three Pillars: Cryptographic, Economic, Monetary Alignment 06:11 Gartner Hype Cycles: Evolution of Blockchain Adoption 07:37 Bitcoin L2 Boom: Rollups, BitVM, and Market Trends 08:37 Rootstock's Growth and Network Adoption Metrics 09:04 How Rootstock Works: Merge Mining & Secure Bridges 09:53 BitVM-X: Advanced Bitcoin Bridging Solution Explained 10:21 Rootstock’s Ecosystem: DeFi Protocols and Developer Tools 11:26 Comparing Bitcoin L2s: Rootstock vs. Lightning vs. Liquid 12:50 Security and Risks of Newer Bitcoin Sidechains 13:19 Proof-of-Work Security: Why Rootstock Stands Out 14:46 Bitcoin Economic Alignment via Merge Mining 15:18 PowPeg: Most Secure Bitcoin Bridge in Production 15:46 Defense-in-Depth Security Model of Rootstock 16:21 BitVM-X: Future-Proofing Bitcoin with Optimistic Rollups 16:53 Why Rootstock Chose EVM for Scalability 17:22 Rootstock: Defi on Bitcoin with Ethereum Protocols 18:23 Solving Builder Incentive Problems: RIF Ecosystem DAO 19:28 The Future Vision: Decentralized Rootstock and Beyond 19:57 Closing Remarks: Simplest Way to Program with Bitcoin _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🇺🇸 *Pragma San Francisco* Pragma San Francisco 2024 was a special gathering of founders and builders that took place October 16th and 17th at The Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco, CA. Pragma San Francisco 2024 was an opportunity discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. Watch the full Pragma San Francisco playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXzKMXK2aHh4LcwDpGf_itZrAu7XRNb07&si=3x3y9J3avgNTITUe ETHGlobal's Pragma series takes place in cities around the world, and is designed to be a different kind of event. Pragma is a one-stage conference with founders-only on stage, bringing together a small group of curated attendees and speakers to discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ *Follow Daniel Fogg* X: https://x.com/danielfogg ✅ *Follow Rootstock* X: https://x.com/rootstock_io ✅ *Follow ETHGlobal* X: https://x.com/ETHGlobal​ Warpcast: https://warpcast.com/ethglobal Website: https://ethglobal.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ETHGlobal _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _Are you interested in Ethereum development and entrepreneurship?_ 👉 Sign up for the next ETHGlobal event: https://ethglobal.com/events 🎁 Get exclusive access and perks with ETHGlobal Plus! https://ethglobal.com/plus 📣 Want us to throw an event in your city? Tell us where! https://ethglobal.com/city _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _