Avi Burra is a filmmaker, author, and podcaster based in New York who is known for his work exploring bitcoin culture, philosophy, and freedom themes.
Avi is the author of 24, the first long-form book of fiction on bitcoin, and its sequel – July 18. He is the host the Plebchain Radio podcast – a weekly nostr focused live audio show.
He is an electrical, and financial engineer, and has spent several years working on securitization of esoteric assets, and US healthcare finance.
As an engineer-turned-filmmaker his work focused on the intersection of technology, bitcoin and culture. He also hosts the travel and food show “Finding Home,” which draws inspiration from Anthony Bourdain to explore stories at the intersection of bitcoin, food, and family.
Avi, thanks for taking the time today, let’s start big, where do you see bitcoin in the next 21 years?
I see a slow and inexorable process in which bitcoin becomes a widely accepted medium of exchange. We will likely see fiat hyperinflation in many places, mostly driven by AI productivity gains – these are deflationary, and most central banks will attempt to counteract that with money printing, which will lead to eventual hyperinflation. At that point, bitcoin will become the only logical choice for money.
What are you working on at the moment and why?
I just finished writing the sequel to my first novel (24). This one is called “July 18”. I’m making a travel show called “Finding Home,” where I travel across the world and meet bitcoiners who are beginning new lives in distant lands. The books and travel show are being created to tell hopeful and aspirational stories of the world that is possible when bitcoin becomes ubiquitous. I believe stories are a great way of driving mass adoption.
How do you explain bitcoin to people who don’t know anything about it?
I simply tell them it’s a new form of money that can be used digitally without any central parties in the middle.
Many people have internalized a fiat mindset of poverty and scarcity, which limits their ability to exit the rat race and create a better life. How do you break these mental blockages?
Most people, when pressed, will admit that what they are truly seeking is happiness. The fiat and scarcity mindset comes in when they think of money as a proxy for happiness. The easiest way I’ve found to gently guide people is to use a socratic process – ask them what they truly want and the initial reply is typically, “a new home,” or a “new car,” or “the ability to pay off their debt” – all of which require money. However, when you pursue the line of questioning and ask, “what will you do then?” or “how would that make you feel?” recursively to each of their answers, they will finally arrive at the true answer: they want a sense of meaning, peace, or happiness. For some, it will click at that point: they have been chasing an internal state by using material things (cars, handbags, homes) as proxies – a hollow and unrewarding process when it plays out fully.
Which bitcoin films, videos or other productions have inspired you?
Books like The Bitcoin Standard, and Bitcoin Is Venice, and a few others established an intellectual foundation for me to build my own mental model of the world. I draw inspiration from art, film, and music from a generation or more ago, when the act of creation was not so much a political or sociological statement, but rather an unbridled pursuit of beauty. That is the change I want to be in the world. Bring back the pursuit of beauty and hope to an increasingly ugly and despairing world.
Tell us about your experience with the Lightning Network from the first transaction.
My first lightning transaction was some time in 2020, if I remember correctly. I was using the custodial Blue Wallet to purchase merch from a website that had just started accepting lightning. Since then, I’ve used it with increasing frequency, with the usage taking off in December 2022, when I joined nostr. Now I use lightning several times a day to show my appreciation with zaps for music, podcasts, and even memes.
You’re big on nostr, how do you see social media and the internet evolve from where it’s currently at?
The current state of social media and indeed the broader internet is woeful. Most users are trapped in an attention casino, with their data and eyeballs being harvested without their consent. In return, they are rewarded with ragebait, with the algorithms tracking their every scroll and click, reinforcing the toxic feedback loop of doom scrolling. Nostr is an opportunity to break out of the attention economy cycle, into one based on reputation, web-of-trust, and direct creator-consumer transactions. There is still a long way to go, but I am genuinely optimistic with all the building I am seeing on nostr. I have my own startup – NosFabrica, that is attempting to play a role in bringing an open-source reputation and web-of-trust substrate to nostr.
Thanks for the time Avi!
