Jimmy Song argues Taproot added “trolling value” instead of privacy and security
Bitcoin Core developer Jimmy Song has criticized the Taproot upgrade, saying it has failed to live up to expectations and instead opened the door for controversial uses like Ordinals and BRC-20 tokens.
Taproot’s “Social Attack Surface”
In a video shared on X, Song said that developers behind Taproot did not account for its unintended side effects. “What they ignore is that Taproot had significant trolling value as the upgrade that Bitcoiners were placing their hopes in,” he noted.
Song argued that Taproot expanded Bitcoin’s “social attack surface”, enabling non-financial transactions — such as images, videos, and tokens — to flood the network. He described Ordinals last year as a “fiat scam” and maintained that Taproot fell short of its promised privacy and security features.
The upgrade, activated in November 2021, introduced Schnorr signatures and Script Paths Spend, marketed as a more efficient alternative to multisig wallets. However, Song said the added complexity required more rounds of signatures, creating a poor user experience that discouraged adoption.
“Bad user experience basically made it a non-starter,” he added.
Community Divide Deepens
Song’s comments reflect a wider rift within the Bitcoin community. Figures such as Adam Back, Dennis Porter, and Luke Dashjr argue that Bitcoin should stay focused on being a peer-to-peer electronic cash system, while others like Ordinals leader Leonidas embrace Taproot for enabling digital collectibles and new applications.
The debate has also fueled a shift toward Bitcoin Knots, an alternative node software. According to recent data, Knots nodes have surged from just 67 in March 2024 to over 7,100 today, nearly 28% of the network.
Potential Redemption for Taproot
Despite his criticism, Song has not entirely written off the upgrade. “Taproot can, of course, redeem itself, maybe Ark ultimately decentralizes mining, maybe BitVM creates way more Bitcoin demand. But so far, Taproot has not lived up to the cost users paid to get it.”
Ordinals’ Fee Contribution
On the other side, Leonidas has argued that Ordinals and Runes have added more than $500 million in transaction fees to Bitcoin’s security budget. With mining rewards halving every four years, such fees may play a growing role in sustaining the network.
However, reliance on this revenue has been inconsistent. Daily inscription fees in 2025 have ranged from as little as $3,060 to as high as $537,400, far below Bitcoin’s record daily fee revenue of nearly $10 million.
Disclaimer
This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Cryptocurrency trading involves risk and may result in financial loss.
