Ark Invest founder Cathie Wood endorsed an open letter from the Bitcoin Policy Institute on Tuesday, urging artificial intelligence laboratories to establish a clear pathway for open-source and digital-asset defenders to access their most powerful models. Wood described Bitcoin as "critical public financial infrastructure," arguing that those securing the network must have trusted access to frontier AI systems to counter emerging cyber threats effectively.

The open letter, issued by the non-partisan think tank alongside a broad coalition from the digital-asset ecosystem, highlights a significant gap in cybersecurity resources. According to the Bitcoin Policy Institute, digital-asset defenders, including Bitcoin Core developers, currently lack access to approved cybersecurity research programs. Frontier-model guardrails often block legitimate security work, forcing defenders to rely on less capable open-weight models for critical reviews of the network's code.

"Frontier AI could become one of the most powerful defensive technologies ever developed, but only if defenders get fair access to those systems," the Bitcoin Policy Institute stated in the letter. Wood echoed this sentiment on social media, noting that attackers are already exploiting AI capabilities while defenders risk being left behind without equivalent tools.

Ark Invest’s AI Exposure

Wood remains a strong advocate for artificial intelligence, describing it as having already sparked a "technology revolution." Her firm, Ark Invest, has been actively increasing its exposure to key AI players. On Monday, the asset manager purchased Nvidia Corp. shares worth around $26.6 million through its various exchange-traded funds. Additionally, at the end of July, Ark Invest bought $20.1 million worth of shares in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, capitalizing on a dip in chip stocks.

Despite her bullish stance on AI, Wood maintains that the technology cannot serve as the "insurance policy" for wealth protection in the same way Bitcoin does. She views Bitcoin as an ideal hedge against uncertainty, reiterating her base case target of $730,000 for Bitcoin by 2030. At the time of writing, BTC was trading at $63,664.17, down 0.42% in the last 24 hours.

SkyBridge Capital founder Anthony Scaramucci endorsed Peter Schiff’s analysis of soaring U.S. debt and inflation on Tuesday but recommended Bitcoin rather than gold as the primary hedge. Scaramucci acknowledged the macroeconomic risks highlighted by Schiff, including elevated deficits and interest burdens, yet argued that digital assets offer a more effective solution in the evolving monetary system. This divergence highlights a growing split among macro strategists regarding the best store of value amid fiscal expansion.

Divergent Views on Fiscal Risk

Scaramucci addressed Schiff’s blog post on America’s fiscal outlook, noting that while Schiff’s annualized government borrowing figures are overstated, the underlying reality remains severe. Scaramucci estimated the real financing need at $2.5 trillion, describing it as "enormous outside a recession." He clarified that roughly $300 billion of the reported $800 billion borrowed in three months went directly into the Treasury’s cash account.

The national debt has reached $39.89 trillion, with the deficit swelling to $1.366 trillion. The U.S. debt-to-GDP ratio has climbed from about 31% in 1980 to roughly 120% today. Scaramucci agreed with Schiff that there is "no way out of this situation except through inflation" and that the Federal Reserve will likely continue monetary easing.

Asset Preference: Bitcoin vs. Gold

Despite agreeing on the problem, Scaramucci rejected Schiff’s conclusion that gold is the only solution. "He just needs the answer to be gold," Scaramucci said. "I read the same charts and reach a different asset. Buy Bitcoin." He views Bitcoin as a scarce asset and part of the answer to inflationary pressures, contrasting with Schiff’s characterization of Bitcoin as a "highly speculative collectible digital token."

Performance data shows gold has outperformed Bitcoin over both one-year and five-year periods. However, gold has shown limited strength in 2026 amid geopolitical tensions including the Iran conflict.

At the time of writing, Bitcoin traded at $63,679.67, down 0.48% over the last 24 hours.

What the Numbers Show

The performance divergence underscores the risk premium associated with Bitcoin. While gold delivered +149% gains over five years compared to Bitcoin’s +38%, Bitcoin’s year-to-date decline of -28.21% versus gold’s near-flat -0.394989% suggests heightened volatility. Scaramucci’s thesis relies on long-term scarcity value rather than short-term price action, betting that Bitcoin’s structural supply constraints will eventually outweigh its current underperformance relative to traditional safe havens.