Can Taproot Redeem Itself? Song vs Leonidas

[ed]

Jimmy Song admits Taproot might redeem itself if projects like Ark (decentralized mining) or BitVM (programmable Bitcoin) succeed. But so far, he says it hasn’t justified the cost.

On the other side, Leonidas argues Ordinals & Runes have already strengthened Bitcoin’s security by generating over $500M in miner fees.

Still, fee reliance is volatile:

Daily fees from inscriptions in 2025 have ranged from $3K to $537K

Peak was $9.99M in Dec 2023, but such highs remain rare.

With block rewards halving every 4 years, the question remains:
Will Ordinals + Runes sustain Bitcoin security, or is Taproot still a misstep?

[Nahid10]

Jimmy has a point — Taproot hasn’t lived up to its hype yet. But Bitcoin upgrades usually take years to show their true value.

[kelson10]

$500M+ in miner fees from Ordinals and Runes is no small thing. Even if fees are volatile, that’s real security budget added to Bitcoin.

[jacson4]

The fee reliance issue is huge. Inscriptions can pump miner revenue, but without consistent demand, it’s risky for long-term security.