8-6-2025 – The Bitcoin Core Project has ignited a firestorm of debate with its recent pronouncement on development and transaction relay strategies, championing a hands-off stance towards the Bitcoin network’s operations. This position, articulated with resolute clarity, has provoked unease across the Bitcoin community, with fears it could fracture the ecosystem’s unity.
Carl Horton, a Bitcoin developer, underscored the currency’s essence, insisting it remains a “coin” designed for peer-to-peer electronic cash transactions, not a catch-all repository for data. His remarks reaffirm Bitcoin’s foundational purpose, steering the conversation away from broader interpretations of its utility.
Meanwhile, Samson Mow, the outspoken CEO of JAN3, expressed dismay at the incremental shifts introduced by Bitcoin Core developers. He dismissed the idea of passively endorsing the current trajectory, arguing that such complacency is misguided and risks undermining the network’s integrity.
Jameson Lopp, founder of Casa, offered a nuanced perspective, noting that Bitcoin Core developers, as a collective, lack the authority to compel adoption of their code. He framed their statement as akin to a public relations manoeuvre, suggesting that its lack of a cohesive narrative dilutes its impact, leaving independent developers struggling to convey a unified vision.
Adding to the critique, Bitcoin Core developer Luke Dashjr sharply rebuked the transaction relay objectives outlined in the statement, branding them as inherently flawed. He cautioned that attempting to predict which transactions will be mined veers dangerously towards centralisation and warned that facilitating the spread of spam transactions could erode the network’s robustness.
