Adam Back Calls Bitcoin BIP-110 Idiocracy

Blockstream CEO Adam Back dismissed BIP-110 supporters as “idiocracy” on X. They had pushed a “flip the bit” plan to activate the proposal, which would restrict non-financial data on Bitcoin’s network.

BIP-110, or Bitcoin Improvement Proposal 110, needs majority miner signaling to lock in by early August 2026. Back said Bitcoin’s main chain faces no threat if that support never appears.

What the ‘Flip the Bit’ Plan Proposes

Bitcoin infrastructure firm Start9 framed the activation as risk-free reconnaissance. The firm argued that flipping the bit costs roughly 0.1% of a miner’s revenue over a year.

Refusing, it warned, risks a chain split, stranded Lightning Network (LN) counterparties, and lost fee-paying users.

The rule targets Ordinals, image and text files embedded directly inside Bitcoin transactions that critics say clutter the chain. However, Back rejected the Start9 framing outright.

He argued that the signal simply expires without broad backing. The clash extends an earlier Bitcoin Satoshi Nakamoto debate over BIP-110, where Back rejected claims that Satoshi Nakamoto would have supported it.

Back Says Technical Objections Cannot Be Overridden

Back called the pushback circular. He cited what he termed an IETF-like consensus. That practice, he explained, weighs only valid technical objections.

Therefore, he said, no process can accommodate sabotage attempts, regardless of intent. The disagreement follows Bitcoin Core’s earlier removal of default limits on OP_RETURN, a transaction field once capped to discourage large data uploads.

Meanwhile, MicroStrategy co-founder Michael Saylor raised similar concerns in a recent Bitcoin neutrality warning, cautioning that the change could sacrifice protocol neutrality.

Other developers, in contrast, frame the fight as part of a broader Bitcoin anti-spam debate over what the blockchain should carry.

BIP-110 Miner Support Stays Thin Before the August Deadline

Signaling for BIP-110 remains minimal. Major mining pools have largely stayed out of the effort so far. Exchanges and node operators are watching the deadline closely, wary that a contentious activation could split the chain they must support.

Back has previously downplayed a related Bitcoin miner fork claim, rejecting the idea that the network would forcibly exclude miners. He has pointed critics toward his own Bitcoin fork risk warning for further context.

The mandatory signaling window opens in early August 2026.

However, whether the flip-the-bit push fades quietly or drags into a real fork should become clear within weeks.

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