Samson Mow Clarifies Bitcoin Spam and Ordinals Position Amid BIP-110 Debate

JAN3 CEO Samson Mow has responded to claims that he reversed his position in the ongoing debate over Bitcoin spam and Ordinals, saying his views have remained consistent.

The criticism followed comments from market participants who said Mow appeared to have “pivoted” from earlier positions on Bitcoin governance.

In a detailed post on X, Mow rejected that claim, stating that he has always opposed spam and Ordinals while also opposing rushed changes to Bitcoin’s consensus rules.

“I hate spam and ordinary garbage,” Mow wrote. “I support efforts to limit spam even if it is a cat-and-mouse game.”

He added that spam is a nuisance but not an existential threat to Bitcoin because transaction fees and the network’s block size naturally limit its impact.

Opposition to BIP-110 Remains Unchanged

Mow also clarified that he has never supported BIP-110, a proposal that has become one of Bitcoin’s biggest governance debates in recent years.

The proposal would modify Bitcoin’s consensus rules by restricting several methods used to store non-financial data, including inscriptions associated with Ordinals.

Supporters argue BIP-110 would reduce blockchain spam and reinforce Bitcoin’s role as money. Critics say it would invalidate transactions that are currently valid and could create a dangerous precedent for future consensus changes.

“BIP110 is not a serious or viable proposal,” Mow said.

He argued that while Bitcoin Core should not have removed the OP_RETURN policy limit, that policy change did not justify introducing a contentious consensus change.

According to Mow, OP_RETURN is a policy rule rather than a consensus rule, meaning Core developers were free to change it even if he personally disagreed with the decision.

Wider Governance Questions

The discussion around BIP-110 has expanded beyond spam to questions about how Bitcoin should evolve. Bitcoin transactions can carry more than payments. They can also include text, images, token metadata, and other information through witness data and transaction scripts.

Ordinals, introduced in 2023 by Casey Rodarmor, use Bitcoin’s SegWit and Taproot upgrades to inscribe digital content directly onto satoshis.

The rise of Ordinals and BRC-20 tokens increased demand for block space and pushed transaction fees higher. Supporters say higher fees strengthen miner revenue over the long term, while critics view inscriptions as unnecessary blockchain spam.

BIP-110’s mandatory signaling period begins in August, but miner support remains limited. According to the proposal’s monitoring dashboard, only about 1% of miners have signaled support so far.

Strategy Executive Chairman Michael Saylor has also criticized the proposal, arguing that there are far greater risks facing Bitcoin than spam and warning against changing consensus rules to block fee-paying transactions.

Blockstream CEO Adam Back echoed similar concerns, saying BIP-110 lacks network consensus and “breaks lots of things.” He argued that any attempt to force through a proposal without broad agreement should be rejected on principle.

Mow Calls for Consensus Instead of Division

Mow said the current debate has become unnecessarily divisive and criticized both sides for escalating tensions.

He argued that some Bitcoin Core developers made mistakes during recent OP_RETURN discussions, while also saying critics overstated the ability of Core maintainers to change Bitcoin unilaterally.

“There are structural problems and a risk of groupthink in the Core organization,” Mow said.

However, he added that maintainers cannot secretly introduce changes that would damage Bitcoin and that many Core developers continue to work quietly on maintaining and securing the network.

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