Our CEO & Co-Founder, Kent Halliburton, recently joined The Bitcoin Nova podcast for a wide-ranging discussion on Bitcoin mining, decentralization, and the importance of staying true to one’s instincts in the face of social pressure. The conversation highlighted Kent’s personal journey into Bitcoin, the creation of Mining-as-a-Service, and the deeper philosophical questions facing the Bitcoin community today.
From Solar to Satoshi: Kent’s Path to Mining
Kent shared his unconventional path, beginning with a background in rooftop solar, where he spent a decade competing with some of the largest names in the industry. Burnt out but inspired, he set off to travel the world, eventually discovering Bitcoin and starting anew in Portugal.
“I fell in love with a Portuguese woman and Bitcoin,” Kent recalled. That combination sparked a new entrepreneurial journey—one that led him to Sazmining and the idea of creating a service that makes mining as easy as buying Bitcoin.
Mining-as-a-Service: Bringing Bitcoin Back to Its Roots
Kent emphasized that in Bitcoin’s earliest days, everyone was a miner. Over time, the convenience of exchanges created distance between users and the network, centralizing hash rate into large, publicly traded companies.
Sazmining’s Mining-as-a-Service model is designed to reverse that trend by:
- Offering individuals their own rigs, hosted in renewable-powered facilities.
- Aligning incentives—Sazmining only earns when customers earn.
- Providing the same simplicity for mining that exchanges once brought to buying.
As Kent put it: “We’re building the AWS of mining—your rig, your Bitcoin, without the noise and heat at home.”
Wild Sats: A Native Way to Stack
The conversation also highlighted the concept of “wild sats”—Bitcoin earned directly from the network, not filtered through banks or surveillance systems. By mining, individuals acquire Bitcoin at its true cost of energy, often significantly cheaper than buying on an exchange.
Kent explained: “It becomes the ultimate cypherpunk way to cycle your fiat into a Bitcoin position, because it’s generated right off the network.”
Knots vs. Core: Choosing Decentralization
One of the most timely parts of the discussion was Kent’s perspective on the Core vs. Knots debate. Sazmining has chosen to run Knots at its data centers, with Kent pointing to the contentious nature of recent Core decisions as a red flag.
“I’d rather hedge myself by running Knots here than by running Core,” Kent said, stressing the importance of remaining cautious and prioritizing the separation of money and state.
For Kent, Bitcoin must remain laser-focused on being sound money—only once that mission is accomplished should other debates take center stage.
Philosophy and the Social Layer of Bitcoin
Beyond the technical and economic, Kent spoke to the human side of Bitcoin. He compared mining your own Bitcoin to eating food you grew yourself or spinning a solar meter backwards for the first time: it’s empowering, grounding, and deeply personal.
He also encouraged Bitcoiners to trust their instincts:
“Don’t deny your life experience for some social authority. Stay true to yourself and let your inner compass guide you.”
This alignment of self-interest and truth, he argued, is what makes Bitcoin inevitable—and worth fighting for.
Why This Matters
Kent’s appearance on The Bitcoin Nova underscored several key messages for Bitcoiners:
- Mining restores sovereignty by putting money creation back in the hands of individuals.
- Wild sats represent freedom—Bitcoin at cost, untethered from surveillance.
- Trusting your instincts is essential, both in Bitcoin and in life.
At Sazmining, we’re proud to make this vision a reality—helping people worldwide mine their own Bitcoin with renewable energy, aligned incentives, and a focus on decentralization.
Ready to get started? Schedule a call with a CSA today!