Joe Rogan: Bitcoin Is Now a Viable Currency and the Government Is Freaking Out
Joe Rogan, the host of The Joe Rogan Experience, likens bitcoin to the early internet. Noting that now the cryptocurrency is “a viable form of currency” that “You can actually buy things with,” he said, “the government is freaking out.”
Joe Rogan, Bitcoin and the Government
Renowned podcaster Joe Rogan, host of The Joe Rogan Experience, talked about bitcoin on his show, published on Tuesday. The show features an interview with UFC light heavyweight fighter Khalil Rountree Jr.
The Joe Rogan Experience is one of the world’s most popular podcasts with a back catalog of more than 1,800 episodes — each receiving millions of views regularly. In February, The New York Times reported that Spotify paid over $200 million for Rogan’s podcast, which is now exclusively available on the platform.
“I think of bitcoin the same way I think of the early internet,” Rogan told Rountree. Noting that the government “didn’t see it coming”, he said:
Now it’s a viable form of currency. You can actually buy things with it. I think the government is freaking out.
He then shared what he expects from the government, noting that they tried to censor the internet under the Obama administration. However, “it fell apart because people were furious and outraged, and they thought the political repercussions weren’t worth it…so they backed off,” Rogan said.
The popular podcaster believes that there will be a time when the government will introduce a centralized digital currency, similar to what China is doing. He stressed:
They will try to set up a digital currency – a centralized digital currency that they can control.
Rogan explained that what’s scary about the government’s centralized digital currency is that they can look at you and your behavior online and decide what you can and cannot spend your money on. For example, the government could allow someone to spend money on food but not travel, he warned.
In January, Rogan said he “had a lot of hope” for cryptocurrencies, especially bitcoin. However, he admitted at the time that he didn’t quite understand it.
He opined at the time: “What we’re seeing right now is, it’s either going to fall apart completely or we’re going to use this as an opportunity to right the ship and come up with a better way to live our lives.”
