Relax, Core v30 Won’t Kill Bitcoin

Key Takeaways

• The rhetoric on Crypto Twitter has been heating up between Core and Knots in the OP_RETURN saga, as Bitcoin news takes on a new route.
• Despite some back and forth, Blockstream CEO Adam Back declared he would run Bitcoin Core v30
• Despite believing the upgrade will open the network to more spam, Bitcoin OG Jimmy Song reminds people panicking that Core v30 won’t kill Bitcoin

In case you missed it, the Bitcoin community is in full battle mode over Bitcoin Core v30 and the so-called OP_RETURN drama. Just mention “Core v30” in a crowded Discord and watch the fireworks.

On one side, you’ve got the Bitcoin Knots faithful grabbing pitchforks and talking about the soul of the network; on the other, the Core devs, who take a more laissez-faire approach.

Bitcoin News: What’s Actually Happening in Core vs Knots

At the heart of the storm? Bitcoin Core’s decision to vastly expand the OP_RETURN data limit in Bitcoin Core v30. For years, Bitcoin’s OP_RETURN opcode, a line of script that lets users immutably store tiny amounts of data on the blockchain, was capped at 80 bytes.

With Core v30, that ceiling is yanked off, allowing payloads up to the full block size (nearly 4MB). Proponents see big wins here: more flexibility for on-chain applications, support for digital notarization, and enhanced Layer 2 infrastructure.

Critics, especially in the Knots camp, warn that this opens the door to chain bloat, endless spam, and a deviation from Bitcoin’s monetary roots.

Knots developers, most notably Luke Dashjr and Samson Mow, argue that without limits, Bitcoin risks becoming a dumping ground for arbitrary data. A fate that would make running a node costly and possibly restrict network participation to large players.

Since the Core update was finalized, Knots’ market share of full nodes has jumped from 2% to 20%, revealing significant dissent.

Core v30: The Rhetoric Escalates

If the technicals weren’t enough, the personalities let loose. After plenty of back and forth, Blockstream CEO and cypherpunk Adam Back publicly reaffirmed he’s running Bitcoin Core v30.

Meanwhile, despite publicly stating that he would not run Bitcoin Core v30, Bitcoin OG Jimmy Song conceded that the kerfuffle is overblown. While he believes the upgrade will enable more spam on the network, he says, “Core v30 won’t kill Bitcoin,” and that:

Spam, Decentralization, and the Block Size Wars Ghost

Underneath the shouting, here’s the real deal. The debate about OP_RETURN is the latest re-run of the old Block Size wars. 15 years into its life, Bitcoin is still haunted by questions of bloat, centralization, and “mission drift.”

Does on-chain data destroy minimalism? Does it edge out those running a cheap node at home in favor of datacenter giants?

Proponents of Bitcoin Core v30 point out that the previous 80-byte cap pushed users into using transaction outputs in creative but inefficient ways, offloading bloat to the UTXO set and actually making things worse over time. By bringing larger data into a standard, more transparent handling, the hope is to make the chain easier to index and analyze, without resorting to hacks.

Knots advocates frame this change as an existential threat. They say Bitcoin must stay light, accessible, and strictly monetary, or risk reawakening the ghosts of the block size split that created Bitcoin Cash.

Fork Fears: Real or Overdone in Bitcoin News?

Will this controversy spawn another major fork? Sure, chatter is rife. Ordinals leader Leonidas has hinted at splits, node runners are defecting, and the “JPEG spam” army is marshaling noise against “censorship.” But the ground reality is more measured. Many node operators simply want the option to run their code their way, and disagreement at this level is part of Bitcoin’s DNA.

For all the noise, Jimmy Song’s advice rings true. If history shows anything, it’s that Bitcoin has weathered deeper divides. The chain didn’t die during SegWit, Taproot, or the block size wars.

The OP_RETURN drama will spark debate, possibly tighten code, and maybe even foster better alternatives. So, sharpen your Twitter threads and go deep on the GitHub arguments. Just don’t trade your sats for panic.

Bitcoin Core v30 won’t kill Bitcoin; it will feed the ecosystem’s appetite for experimentation, and remind everyone just how alive this protocol really is.