What happens when a Salvadoran developer quits trading shitcoins, starts driving Uber, and ends up shaping national Bitcoin education policy? In this episode, Mike sits down with Acreonte, one of the first graduates of the Cubo Plus program and now a key player behind El Salvador’s push to integrate Bitcoin into its institutions. Acreonte shares what it’s really like to live on a Bitcoin standard, from earning SATs at Plan B Network to spending them with the Blink wallet at farmers markets and meetups across the country. He also opens up about the unexpected shift back into fiat life when he joined the Ministry of Education, trading T-shirts and cold wallets for suits and bureaucratic emails. They talk about the cultural tension between fiat and Bitcoin mindsets, what it takes to build real dev talent from the ground up, and how programs like Cubo Plus are helping Salvadoran youth go from zero to building on Lightning. Along the way, Acreonte reflects on his own transformation, from civil war survivor to casino game developer to educator trying to future-proof public schools. This episode is a snapshot of what it means to build from within, in a country betting on Bitcoin not just for headlines but for human capital. If you’ve ever wondered what it actually looks like to go from shitcoiner to builder, hit subscribe, share this with a fiat friend, and consider switching out your bank app for a proper wallet like Blink. -Bitcoin Beach Team Connect and Learn more about Acreonte https://x.com/btchieftain https://x.com/planb_network https://x.com/cuboplus https://www.blink.sv/ https://planb.network/en Support and follow Bitcoin Beach: X: @BitcoinBeach IG: @bitcoinbeach_sv TikTok: @livefrombitcoinbeach Web: bitcoinbeach.com Browse through this quick guide to learn more about the episode: 00:00 Why would someone move to El Salvador for Bitcoin? 02:16 What was it like growing up during El Salvador's civil war? 06:56 How did Acreonte discover programming and tech in the 1990s? 12:15 What brought him to London and how did he break into tech? 21:17 What is the connection between crypto trading and casino psychology? 28:08 How does Salvadoran work culture compare to the UK? 33:45 How did he first hear about Bitcoin and start investing? 40:00 What is the Cubo Plus program and how do you get accepted? 54:49 What was it like building Bitcoin projects and learning from top educators? 1:07:34 Why did he leave Plan B Network to work in El Salvador’s Ministry of Education? 1:21:30 How does earning in Bitcoin change how you think and spend money? Live From Bitcoin Beach
