Bitcoin’s ‘Time Bomb’: Should the 21M Cap Be Removed?

• Justin Drake, a Bitcoin and Ethereum security researcher, has explained in an X post that the security of Bitcoin is a ticking time bomb.
• At the heart of the issue is Bitcoin’s Proof-of-Work mechanism, which relies on miners to validate transactions and secure the network.

Justin Drake, a Bitcoin (BTC) researcher, has sparked a fiery debate on X by calling Bitcoin’s security model “a ticking time bomb.” According to Drake, Bitcoin’s current Proof-of-Work (PoW) mechanism is on an unsustainable path, one that may eventually leave the world’s largest cryptocurrency vulnerable to attacks.

In a thread, Drake broke down why he believes Bitcoin’s long-term security is fundamentally flawed. He began with a concerning observation: Bitcoin’s transaction fees are at a 13-year low, currently pulling in less than 10 BTC per day. While the block reward has been halved several times since 2016, miner revenue from fees has not filled the gap. “The story that fees will increase as a fraction of the security budget is not holding up,” he wrote. “For a decade now, BTC fees have decreased faster than issuance.”

A Red Flag Hidden in the Halving Cycle

Drake explained Bitcoin’s security budget over several halving events: in March 2016, miners earned 25 BTC per block, with just 1% coming from transaction fees; by March 2020, the reward halved to 12.5 BTC, yet fees still made up only 1% of revenue. The same pattern repeated in April 2024 with 6.25 BTC per block, and again in April 2025 when rewards dropped to 3.125 BTC—fees remained stuck at 1%. This consistent ratio is more than just a statistic. To drive the point, he posed a hypothetical scenario: what if transaction fees were the only source of miner revenue today?

“Revenue would drop 100x. Hashing infrastructure would shrink 100x. One large mining farm could mount a 51% attack.” That’s where things get existential. Drake claims that Bitcoin’s fixed supply cap of 21 million coins, widely celebrated as a feature, is actually a critical bug. “The 21M cap breaks security. It’s self-destructive. It should be clear now: Satoshi made an oopsie,” he said.

While Bitcoin has seen a rise, from just $16,500 at the start of 2023 to over $111,000 in 2025, Drake argues that rising prices don’t solve the core issue. Even if Bitcoin hits $1 million per coin and fees stay at 6.5 BTC/day, the daily security budget would only be around $6.5 million. That’s a 10x reduction from today’s infrastructure. “A $20 trillion asset would be secured by just 2 GW of mining power—around 1 million space heaters. Texas alone produces 80 GW,” he emphasized.

Dream bigger? Even if Bitcoin were to reach $10 million per coin, turning it into a $200 trillion asset that rivals the combined global value of fiat currencies, the daily budget for network security would still sit around $65 million, roughly the same as it is today.

In essence, the cost to attack Bitcoin could become insignificant in relation to its value, and as BTC becomes more financialized, shorting it will only get easier, making the network more vulnerable rather than more secure.

What’s the fix?

He laid out two controversial but, in his view, necessary paths forward. The first is to add tail issuance, scrapping the 21 million BTC limit and continuing to issue new Bitcoin beyond the original cap. While this would provide miners with ongoing incentives to secure the network, it directly challenges one of Bitcoin’s most sacred principles: its fixed supply, which many believe underpins its value as “digital gold.”

The second option is to switch from Bitcoin’s energy-intensive Proof-of-Work model to a Proof-of-Stake (PoS) system, similar to what Ethereum has implemented. PoS offers a more energy-efficient alternative that could maintain network security without relying on massive mining infrastructure or high transaction fees.

“Bitcoin is meant to be antifragile. Yet the elephant in the room isn’t being addressed. We can bury our heads in the sand, but the fundamentals are getting louder. Tick tock, next block—boom.” He briefly considered alternatives like BitVM and OP_CAT, but dismissed them as speculative at best and insecure at worst.

As of writing, Bitcoin is trading around $105,527, down about 1.84% in the last 24 hours and by 4.10%. Still, trading volume remains high, with roughly $60.15 billion exchanged in a single day, showing that the market is alive and well.

Recommended for you: