Nathaniel Popper: Digital Gold – The Inside Story of Bitcoin

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From the mysterious creation story, to the early development among a small group of cypherpunks, to the emergence of the Silk Road, the collapse of MtGox, to the entry of a tidal wave of VC money and the Silicon Valley elite, Bitcoin’s short history has been action-packed. It’s no surprise that this could make for a riveting story and NY Times journalist Nathaniel Popper’s book ‘Digital Gold – Bitcoin and the Inside Story of the Misfits and Millionaires Trying to Reinvent Money’ is precisely that.

Popper joined us for a conversation about his must-read book about the remarkable story of Bitcoin.

Topics covered in this episode:

• How Nathaniel Popper ended up writing a book about Bitcoin
• Why he chose ‘Digital Gold’ as a title and some of its different connotations
• Why he chose to focus on the people and stories of Bitcoin rather than the technology
• The story of the Silk Road and how it played such a critical role in the early days of Bitcoin
• How Xapo CEO Wences Casares came to play a crucial role in evangelizing Bitcoin among Silicon Valley’s power players
• The rising tension and passing of influence between the old, ideological guard and the newer Silicon Valley crew

Episode links:

• Get 'Digital Gold' on Amazon
• Nathaniel Popper's website
• Can Bitcoin Conquer Argentina article
• Decoding the Enigma of Satoshi Nakamoto

This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain and Sébastien Couture. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/081