Juraj Bednár: How the cypherpunk dreams came true
We’re excited to announce a talk by ethical hacker, biohacker and serial entrepreneur Juraj Bednár, one of the key speakers at Bitcoin is RETRO!
Juraj Bednár: How the cypherpunk dreams came true
Anotation: “In the late 1980s and early 1990s, a small group of technologists known as the cypherpunks envisioned a future where cryptography and decentralized tools would radically expand individual freedom and privacy beyond the reach of states. They called this vision cryptoanarchy — and they set out to build it. Fast forward to 2026, and their dreams have not only come true but have been surpassed in ways the original cypherpunks could never have imagined. In this talk, we will walk through the essential cypherpunk technologies — from end-to-end encryption and anonymous communication to decentralized money, identity, and markets — explore how they matured and reached mass adoption, and demonstrate what is concretely possible today for anyone who wants to reclaim their sovereignty and privacy. The old structures still stand, but for those who are looking, the parallel paths are already here.”
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What makes this talk especially relevant today is not just its historical perspective, but its urgency. At Bitcoin is RETRO!, we focus on tools that already exist — tools that allow individuals to opt out, to build alternatives, and to operate on their own terms. Juraj Bednár’s perspective reflects one of the core ideas behind this conference: from end-to-end encryption and anonymous communication to decentralized money.
From Bitcoin to privacy-focused systems like Zcash, from encrypted communication to parallel markets — the cypherpunk vision is no longer emerging. It is operational.
This is why it belongs at Bitcoin is RETRO!
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