---
title: Nik Bhatia, Layered Money, Bitcoin, Digital Currencies, Money, & You
description: Nik Bhatia is the author of Layered Money. He's a USC professor, expert in the cryptocurrency space, and he explains why Bitcoin is the future of money.
image: https://thesaleswhisperer.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/erik-voorhees.png
---

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[Take the Scorecard](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/score)

 Jul 11, 2021

# Nik Bhatia, Layered Money, Bitcoin, Digital Currencies, Money, & You

![Picture of Wes Schaeffer](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Wes%20Schaeffer%2c%20The%20Sales%20Whisperer%20black%20white.png?width=50&name=Wes%20Schaeffer%2c%20The%20Sales%20Whisperer%20black%20white.png) [Wes Schaeffer](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/author/wes-schaeffer)

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## Will Central Banks Be Replaced By Cryptocurrencies?

***[\[ LISTEN NOW ON APPLE PODCASTS \]](https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sales-whisperer-wes-schaeffer-hosts-the-sales-podcast/id655310847?mt=2)***

 

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## [Sales Tips](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/)you'll learn today on [The Sales Podcast](https://www.thesaleswhisperer.com/podcast)...

- Geopolitical approach to business and life and war and things that shape our lives
- CFA—Chartered Financial Analyst
- What is happening holistically
- We've been hearing about [Bitcoin](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/erik-voorhees-bitcoin-explained) since 2012

[![Erik Voorhees discusses Bitcoin and Cryptocurrencies on The Sales Podcast](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/erik-voorhees.png?width=1920&name=erik-voorhees.png)](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/erik-voorhees-bitcoin-explained)

- He didn't look into it until 2016
- Bitcoin is a tool for freedom

[![Score My Pipeline](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/443614/interactive-178194433547.png)](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/hs/cta/wi/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLLtiycIsOM6AbdJPPZCQ78xUWacksvd6f4xBQpZB%2F7y6F7gbJrHXxlTdpFdvNhgyhDWT9XFBnS%2FCyKi8XVOJgAhxH4NxsZ1Lz0LkuYSgSAckX%2Fi1KcwivWgx9uChy1d8h%2FfXK%2F12X3xvGPa2wviDUyr2bacGbAcgTYrVjVqib2CiDsIGBbp&webInteractiveContentId=178194433547&portalId=443614)

> Bitcoin is a tool for freedom."

- Bitcoin is not Netscape or Google...it is the internet!
- It's a software protocol and the unit—the money—in that protocol
- It's a set of rules
- The protocol level of Bitcoin can be compared to HTTP or SMTP
- It is nuanced
- It's not a company, it's a set of rules

[![Wes Schaeffer, The Sales Whisperer black white](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/443614/interactive-184500196010.png)](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/hs/cta/wi/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLJUELv80%2FzNUDvoF4hUu5ncQW3JJkYfeAG8UAUpoSZsQO1s7p3su9Wk4zTc%2B4HenFfLjvNfggskdhJH3Xx04H1Oz%2BkRNTXyfmJNGWV4noL9xVIPSaFPDxruTqARlvye5Mi5EZsAE88Dgg7fscTfQUvPkTZPjxT%2Blkj7R%2FtEnJ5pm7ixmTh3&webInteractiveContentId=184500196010&portalId=443614)

- "Legacy people" are fun to watch as they change their tunes on Bitcoin
- Jamie Diamond is now all-in on Bitcoin
- Elon Musk is narcissistic, which is good and bad. He's a cult of personality, so let's look at Warren Buffett, etc.
- The [legacy money guys](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/lords-of-finance) don't understand Bitcoin

[![Lords of Finance-the-sales-podcast-wes-schaeffer](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Lords%20of%20Finance-the-sales-podcast-wes-schaeffer.png?width=768&height=432&name=Lords%20of%20Finance-the-sales-podcast-wes-schaeffer.png)](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/lords-of-finance)

- Mining, hashrate, the energy...that's what backs up the currency
- It's a computational energy network
- The legacy money guys are afraid of populism
- The internet is a disruptive power and has distributed power as Bitcoin is doing
- Bitcoin empowers the people
- The institutions have to protect themselves from Bitcoin
- The foundation of "[Layered Money: From Gold and Dollars to Bitcoin and Central Bank Digital Currencies](https://www.layeredmoney.com/)"
- Your so-called money falls into a hierarchy 
    - Venmo balance
    - Cash in your pocket
    - Wells Fargo savings
    - They all have different counter-parties
-  "[The Inherent Hierachy of Money](https://ieor.columbia.edu/files/seasdepts/industrial-engineering-operations-research/pdf-files/Mehrling_P_FESeminar_Sp12-02.pdf)" by Perry Mehrling, Columbia University, 2012
- Bitcoin is independent of the layered structure
- "[Mastering Bitcoin](https://amzn.to/3h08uG5)," Andreas M. Antonopoulos
- "[Inventing Bitcoin: The Technology Behind the First Truly Scarce and Decentralized Money Explained](https://amzn.to/3drfvh0)," Yan Pritzker
- He hasn't been able to verify why Ethereum is money
- He expresses his opinions by positions
- Go buy $10-$20 of Bitcoin and download a smartphone Bitcoin wallet and practice sending yourself money from the exchange
- Have a friend download a different wallet and learn how this works
- Venmo and Bitcoin are not the same
- Bitcoin derives none of its value from being easy to send
- Bitcoin is valuable because it's a non-government currency
- [Blockstream's Green money app](https://blockstream.com/green/)

## [Sales Growth Tools](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/inner-circle) Mentioned In The Sales Podcast

- Order his book, "[Layered Money](https://www.layeredmoney.com)"
- Follow [Nik Bhatia on X](https://twitter.com/timevalueofbtc)

[The Sales Podcast](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/topic/the-sales-podcast)

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## [Make More Money With Masterminds, Says Sarah Laws](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/sarah-laws)

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Two heads—and 12 heads—are better than one \[ LISTEN NOW ON APPLE PODCASTS \]

[Read more](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/sarah-laws)

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[The Sales Podcast](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/topic/the-sales-podcast)

## [Make Money With Video With Weather Network Veteran Sheryl Plouffe](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/sheryl-plouffe)

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Get discovered on YouTube and grow your sales

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[![Infusionsoft Makes Small Business Owners More Money — AI-powered sales insights from Wes Schaeffer, The Sales Whisperer](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog_Featured_Images/pexels-5934226.jpg?height=200&name=pexels-5934226.jpg)](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/infusionsoft-makes-small-business-owners-more-money)

[custom AI solution development](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/topic/custom-ai-solution-development), [Sales Training](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/topic/sales-training), [ROI of AI](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/topic/roi-of-ai)

## [Infusionsoft Makes Small Business Owners More Money](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/infusionsoft-makes-small-business-owners-more-money)

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 Jun 13, 2025

[Read more](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/infusionsoft-makes-small-business-owners-more-money)

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