1/The Bitcoin Bug

From curiosity to obsession and advocate

Speak to any entrepreneur, enthusiast, or investor around the Bitcoin space and ask them how they first got involved. Often they will cite a modest introduction to the concept of a virtual currency followed by what can only be described as “The Bitcoin Bug.”

It’s an intense, consuming fascination that leading technologists, journalists, and economists have been grappling with since Bitcoin exploded onto the scene in 2013. The obsession is driven by several factors: the technology’s mysterious origins, the polarizing implications of an inherently anti-establishment currency, and the enormous potential of the technology. I’ve heard stories of inquisitive minds losing sleep to learn about and work on Bitcoin projects and entrepreneurs who have dropped their tired startup ideas altogether to pursue Bitcoin ecosystem companies.

In a way, my experience has been the same. From simple curiosity, to obsessive research, to becoming a participant in the cryptocurrency[1] community, I have come to learn about the space as banker, an advocate of crypto, and most importantly as a miner.

I believe that to truly understand crypto, one must mine it. Thus, it is through the lens of mining that we look at the cryptocurrency ecosystem and how mining serves as its backbone.

[1] Note that my perspective is on cryptocurrency space as a whole, inclusive of Bitcoin and all Alt-coins