Who’s Who in Bitcoin
Bitcoin relies on an army of resilient developers, educators and finance professionals to keep it strong and raise public awareness.
Because of the way Satoshi Nakamoto originally designed Bitcoin – and thanks to the care and dedication of countless programmers and nurturers ever since – Bitcoin has become an unstoppable force. The Bitcoin Core software is stable, distributed across thousands of computers across the world, and here to stay.
Nonetheless – compared to other assets like gold, silver, property and stocks which have been around for centuries and are widely understood – the general public are still not very aware of Bitcoin.
And most of the people who are aware of, and invest in it, almost certainly barely understand it. It’s not their fault, either. As we explore in the pages of this website, Bitcoin is fiendishly complex under the hood and it would be foolish to expect everyone who owns Bitcoin to comprehend it fully.
Spreading the Word
In this Who’s Who section of the Bitcoin world, I have focussed mainly on the people who tirelessly promote and explain Bitcoin and its benefits. They get the Bitcoin message out, day after day. Without them, many of us would still be in the dark.
The list below therefore contains quite a few educators, podcasters, journalists, authors, and YouTubers – anyone helping to spread the word, effectively and consistently. You’ll also find businesspeople who talk about Bitcoin during high profile, mass media interviews, as well as programmers and coders.
Of course, this list is highly subjective and not at all exhaustive. There are lots of invaluable people slaving away behind the scenes who are not on the list. If you think I’ve omitted someone really important, email me at winston@whatisbitcoin.global
The Tony Stark of Bitcoin: rich, charismatic, insanely intelligent, and – crucially – a brilliant Bitcoin communicator. He has a unique ability to describe Bitcoin in metaphors and succinct examples that fire your imagination. Listen to 10 minutes of Saylor and you’ll be hooked. He’s also rewriting the rule book on how businesses will have to adopt Bitcoin in order to remain competitive in a Bitcoin era – check out what he’s doing with his company MicroStrategy. www.hope.com
Natalie is a prominent Bitcoin journalist and educator. She regularly appears on CNBC and the like, and has her own Bitcoin Podcast called Coin Stories. She has a real talent for summing up key Bitcoin benefits in just a few words when under pressure in live interviews. Her energy and enthusiasm about Bitcoin is non-stop and infectious. Watch one of her YouTube videos and you’ll see. youtube.com/@nataliebrunell
Alex has a senior role at the Human Rights Foundation and promotes Bitcoin as a way of helping people in dire situations. For example, if you’re a dissident living under a hostile regime, Bitcoin can allow you to bypass the traditional banking system and remain funded and anonymous. Alex reminds us how the Bitcoin network can be a force for good, not just for making money. alexgladstein.com
Caitlin is a mixture of steel and sophistication. She has been fighting a multi-year battle against Fed regulators to get her bank, Custodia, the official status it needs to function as a modern Bitcoin-enabled financial entity. In the face of hidden and overt hypocrisy and discrimination, she is the very embodiment of the core Bitcoin values of freedom, self-sovereignty and decentralisation. caitlin-long.com
With a background in engineering, Lyn then applied her methodical mind to finance, investing and research. She’s now the go-to person to explain how Bitcoin fits into the wider financial world. Her book, ‘Broken Money’, is a fantastic place to learn about the development of money through the ages, how modern monetary systems are flawed, and the role Bitcoin could play in the future. lynalden.com
Ben, better known as BTC Sessions, is the King of YouTube Bitcoin ‘How To’ videos. How to set up a Bitcoin wallet. How to buy, sell and use Bitcoin. How to use Lightning. How to…insert anything you can think of…Bitcoin. His video guides are extensive and easy to follow. They are an ideal resource for Bitcoin beginners through to advanced users for the really technical stuff. btcsessions.ca
Peter’s a force of nature. His incredibly popular YouTube/podcast platform ‘What Bitcoin Did’ set the standard for Bitcoin interviews. Peter’s brain has no off button: he’s a frantic multi-tasker, and also the owner of Real Bedford football club in which the Winklevoss twins recently invested. His new interview platform is The Peter McCormack Show where he widens his remit beyond Bitcoin. petermccormack.com
To truly get your head around Bitcoin, you need to grasp what money really is. You think you know, but you don’t. The person who best teases out the essence of money – from a variety of angles – is Robert Breedlove in his ‘What is Money?’ show. Each episode is an object lesson in clear philosophical analysis and Bitcoin is always referenced and usually centre stage. youtube.com/c/RobertBreedlove22
Joe is an ever-smiling Bitcoin journalist and content creator. He doesn’t sit all day in front of a computer – he travels the world getting normal people started with Bitcoin, telling wonderful Bitcoin stories, actually giving Bitcoin away for free, and making Bitcoin real and practical for you and me. Everything he does is documented and filmed in a lively and entertaining way. joenakamoto.com
We all come at Bitcoin from different perspectives and Preston’s background is a case in point: he served in the military, has a degree in Aerospace Engineering, and has vast experience in the investing world. His Wednesday ‘The Investor’s Podcast Network’ interviews with prominent Bitcoiners are legendary and his enthusiasm for Bitcoin is always dialled up to 11. youtube.com/@PrestonPysh
Also known as ‘Pomp’, Anthony is another well-known, talented communicator of all things Bitcoin. He comes from a successful finance and investing background, but now brings everything back to Bitcoin. He’s great at giving the Wall Street angle on Bitcoin and is frequently interviewed on CNBC. Check out his dynamic Bitcoin podcast interviews which never disappoint. anthonypompliano.com
Jeff is a quietly spoken but highly influential thinker, entrepreneur, and investor in the Bitcoin space. His book ‘The Price of Tomorrow’ cleverly turns the accepted concept of inflation on its head and shows how deflation should in fact be the natural state. Jeff explains how Bitcoin fits into this deflationary paradigm and will bring untold benefits to those who catch on early. jeffbooth.ca
Saifedean is an economist, in the Austrian tradition, and author. His book ‘The Bitcoin Standard’, published in over 35 languages, has been the first introduction to Bitcoin for thousands of people around the globe. It’s not a quick read for the beach, but if you follow through to the end, you will ‘get it’ with respect to Bitcoin and how it relates to other forms of money. saifedean.com
Jack – sometimes mistaken for an Olympic skateboarder – is the brilliant founder of Strike. Strike is a modern, multi-functional smartphone money app that seamlessly combines traditional currencies and Bitcoin. In addition, he will be the CEO of Twenty One (ticker XXI), a Bitcoin-only financial services company founded also by Tether and Bitfinex. One day he’ll be the Mayor of Chicago, you’ll see. x.com/jackmallers
Matt is the Managing Partner at Ten31, the largest bitcoin venture fund in the world. Be warned: Matt is not a shrinking violet and definitely has opinions. He’s a ruthless, incorruptible, take-no-prisoners defender of ethical standards in Bitcoin. He puts his – and other people’s – money where his mouth is and supports the most promising Bitcoin start-ups. Find him each week on the Rabbit Hole Recap podcast. odell.xyz
James Check, AKA Checkmate, has developed a real speciality in analysing the Bitcoin blockchain. All Bitcoin transactions and holdings are 100% auditable online, and he is amazing at interpreting the tea leaves, suggesting trends, where the market might be headed, etc., and then communicating everything in clear, concise video and written formats. Not to be missed. checkonchain.com
Joe Bryan
Joe Bryan suddenly appeared on the Bitcoin scene with a stunningly creative video – What’s the Problem? – attracting attention all over the globe. He tells the story of Satoshi and Fiatello on a desert island, an allegory for Bitcoin vs Fiat currencies. Joe captures in a unique and entertaining way the essence of our failing fiat economy and the many advantages of a Bitcoin framework. Watch the video now. satsvsfiat.com
OK, no-one knows who Rodolfo Novak is, but they do know who NVK is. NVK has a little bit of Matt Odell in him, in that he is completely uncompromising in his specialist area: building the most secure Bitcoin wallet hardware possible. Every millimetre of his Coldcard hardware wallets has been designed to be unhackable. He’s also a bundle of non-stop energy – listen to him on his podcast ‘Bitcoin Review’. youtube.com
Jack – one of the founders of Twitter – is another of the Bitcoin industry titans. He’s CEO of Block where he created Cash App, a popular mobile payment service allowing you to send and receive cash, stocks, and Bitcoin. He regularly and generously supports Bitcoin developers and infrastructure with $ millions of donations. Like Alex Gladstein, a lot of his focus is on people and nations that are in most need. x.com/jack
David is a cornerstone of the Bitcoin world. As CEO of BTC Inc., he runs Bitcoin Magazine, one of the oldest and most respected publications dedicated to Bitcoin. He also organises major Bitcoin events such as The Bitcoin Conference, a massive gathering of Bitcoin developers, enthusiasts, and industry leaders. David is blessed with enormous amounts of energy, crucial to pull off these ultra-complex events. b.tc
Craig is a highly talented software developer who created the Sparrow Wallet. Sparrow is an open source computer application – safer than a browser-based wallet – which has been built from the ground up to be secure and private. It’s updated regularly and is compatible with the safest hardware wallets available such as the Coldcard. If you want the ultimate in Bitcoin safety, choose Sparrow. sparrowwallet.com
Harry is one of those nerdy, super brains who managed to make it out of his parents’ basement and achieve great corporate success. He was Chief Strategy Officer at Bitcoin mining company GRIID, now acquired by the even larger mining company, CleanSpark. He’s brilliant at explaining in simple terms how mining and the energy sector can work together for mutual benefit. x.com/harry_sudock
Whitney is an investigative journalist and researcher. She uncovers uncomfortable truths at the top of government, finance, the military-industrial complex, and elsewhere. She often speaks and writes about Bitcoin, and reminds us that the values many Bitcoiners hold dear – freedom, privacy, decentralisation – are not guaranteed and must be constantly defended. unlimitedhangout.com
Marty has his fingers in many Bitcoin pies. He’s a great thinker and writer about Bitcoin values and defends them daily in the face of attacks from the powers that be. Check out his writings at TFTC and listen to his regular podcast with Matt Odell, Rabbit Hole Recap. He’s also part of the management team at Ten31, the Bitcoin venture firm. Marty lives his life on Moscow time. tftc.io/author/marty/
Tuur has been a prominent Bitcoin advocate and educator for many years. He’s strong on economic history and theory, and brought Bitcoin into his analysis very early on in 2012. He’s a regular publisher of Bitcoin articles, some of which can be found at Adamant Research where he is Founder and Editor-in-Chief. Tuur is a softly-spoken, but highly knowledgeable and influential Bitcoiner. x.com/TuurDemeester
Luke is an experienced, powerhouse analyst and researcher. He specialises in spotting connections between major macro themes which to many appear unrelated. This gives him a tremendous edge. He’s brought Bitcoin into his analytical sphere which allows him to compare and contrast it thoroughly with other asset classes. Listen to him on a podcast – he’s inspiring. fftt-llc.com
Nik Bhatia
Nik is a tireless educator in the Bitcoin space. He has real-world market trading experience, as well as academic expertise, and now applies all of his knowledge to Bitcoin. He is the author of ‘Layered Money: From Gold and Dollars to Bitcoin and Central Bank Digital Currencies’ and has a fantastic podcast ‘The Bitcoin Layer’. Nik is a talented Bitcoin stalwart and researcher. layeredmoney.com
James is a terrific demistifyer of all things finance. He’s the co-Managing Partner at the Bitcoin Opportunity Fund and is frequently interviewed in Bitcoin-related videos and podcasts. He has a knack for being able to explain complex financial matters in simple terms. He’s a member of a select band of finance veterans who have integrated Bitcoin into their analysis. Check out his newsletter, The Informationist. jameslavish.com
Parker is another strong, eloquent personality, driving Bitcoin adoption. His book ‘Gradually, then Suddenly’ is required reading for anyone interested in learning about Bitcoin – it’s written for a non-technical audience, but doesn’t dumb down. He’s involved in a multitude of practical, real-world Bitcoin initiatives, including Zaprite: Bitcoin-native accounting software for business. x.com/parkeralewis
For me, Erik and Robert Breedlove (above) are the philosophers of Bitcoin. His book, ‘Cryptosovereignty’, brings together relevant ideas and concepts from past thinkers, relates them to the fundamental characteristics of Bitcoin and the innate power of cryptography, and gives hope for a Goldstein-like revolution. Buy his book or find one of his podcast interviews and enjoy the ride. cryptosovereignty.org
I’ve no idea what his real name is, but American Hodl is, well, both American and a Bitcoin hodler. He’s become part of the Bitcoin furniture and is a popular Bitcoin communicator and educator. Full of energy, humorous, he always has a funny anecdote to hand and is another strong defender of core Bitcoin values like freedom, self-reliance and privacy. x.com/americanhodl8
Jackis is a skilful investor and trader. He’s capable of holding a traditional asset like silver for years, but could buy a meme coin for a few weeks if he spots an opportunity, while simultaneously acknowledging that all crypto is going to zero against Bitcoin in the long term. Jackis’ clinical, unemotional analysis brings him and his followers predictable results. He will also tell you that Czech beer is the best in the world. x.com/i_am_jackis
Natalie is an expert in digital identity, blockchain, and decentralised systems. As Chair of the Texas Blockchain Council, she advocates for self-sovereign identity and privacy-enhancing technologies. With a background in anthropology, she explores the societal impact of emerging tech, promoting blockchain adoption and innovation through her academic and professional work. nataliesmolenski.com
Dennis is the CEO & Co-Founder of the non-profit Satoshi Action Fund which promotes Bitcoin and Bitcoin mining as a way of improving our environment, electricity grid, economy, and society in general. He works with politicians to get pro-Bitcoin bills passed. Dennis and his team back up everything they do and say with detailed, fact-based research which can be found at Satoshi Action Education. satoshiaction.io
Matthew Mezinskis
Matthew is the creator of Crypto Voices, a podcast focused on Bitcoin, economics, and global finance. Known for his Global Monetary Base project via Porkopolis Economics, which tracks global money supply, he promotes Bitcoin as sound money. Mezinskis provides in-depth analysis on Bitcoin’s role in the financial system and explores its broader economic impacts. porkopolis.io
Mark Moss
Mark is another prominent Bitcoin educator. He’s been involved in real estate and investing since 1995, and brings a wealth of personal experience to Bitcoin. Mark is a great interpreter of macro events and what they mean for the future. His YouTube videos are engaging, dynamic, full of visuals, and always put together so that ‘normal’ people can relate to them. Is he Matthew McConaughey’s brother? youtube.com/@1MarkMoss
Joe Carlasare
Joe is a lawyer and Bitcoin advocate with expertise in cryptocurrency law and litigation. As a partner at SmithAmundsen LLC, he focuses on commercial litigation, including blockchain and cryptocurrency-related cases. As aspects of Bitcoin frequently come under attack from regulators, Joe’s perspective is critical to understanding likely outcomes and best courses of action. amundsendavislaw.com
Lawrence is a seasoned finance professional, and is currently Managing Partner at Equity Management Associates. He’s a strong advocate of sound money and sees gold and silver as strategic investments in the coming years. And guess what? He’s added Bitcoin to that list, in view of its excellent hard money characteristics. He’s also got a new book out as of February 2025: ‘The Big Print’. x.com/LawrenceLepard
Blue Collar Bitcoin
Blue Collar Bitcoin is a website and podcast run by two actual firefighters, Josh and Dan. This is quirky Bitcoin education done right. Watch one of their podcasts and you’ll experience an edgy, sometimes a little rude, blast of Bitcoin with an invited guest. Underneath the craziness, though, is serious, practical Bitcoin content, and the back-and-forth between Josh and Dan makes their show highly entertaining. youtube.com
Stephan Livera
Stephan hosts a leading Bitcoin podcast, dedicated to the economics and technology underpinning Bitcoin. He’s a key Bitcoin communicator and educator, contributing content to Swan Bitcoin, Bitcoin Magazine, and the Mises Institute. You’ll also hear him speaking at Bitcoin conferences around the world. Check out his podcast: Stephan Livera Podcast. stephanlivera.com
Alex is currently Head of Firmwide Research at Galaxy Digital, where he oversees a research team focused on the cryptocurrency, blockchain, and digital asset industries. He cemented his reputation as a key blockchain / Bitcoin researcher in various roles at Fidelity. He’s a frequent guest on educational podcasts about Bitcoin and brings a wealth of experience and positive energy. x.com/intangiblecoins
Max Schwartzman
Max is the CEO of BecauseBitcoin which is one of the few – perhaps only – safe havens for investors and traders who recognise Bitcoin is the ultimate asset, but who cannot resist the pull of the broader crypto market. For Max and his team, integrity, transparency and sound advice are paramount. If you find yourself irresistably drawn towards non-Bitcoin crypto, protect yourself in BecauseBitcoin armour. becausebitcoin.com
Jimmy Song
Jimmy is a prominent Bitcoin educator, developer, and author who advocates for Bitcoin as a tool for financial freedom and sovereignty. He has authored books like ‘Programming Bitcoin’ and ‘Thank God for Bitcoin’. With a background in software development, Song is a well-known figure in the Bitcoin community, emphasising decentralisation, sound money, and self-sovereignty. x.com/jimmysong
Dr Jeff Ross
Jeff is another example of how Bitcoin draws in people from a variety of disciplines. He’s a proper doctor – a radiologist – but now runs his own firm, Vailshire Capital Management, which focusses on wealth management and growth. As an enlightened finance professional, he understands the unique opportunity that Bitcoin offers, and you can hear him arguing the merits of Bitcoin as a guest on multiple podcasts. x.com/vailshirecap_JR
Andreas Antonopoulos
Andreas is a prominent Bitcoin advocate, educator and author, and has been promoting the benefits of Bitcoin for years. He is best known for his influential works like ‘Mastering Bitcoin’, which explain cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. A sought-after speaker, he emphasises the importance of decentralisation and financial freedom, empowering individuals to understand and control their digital assets. aantonop.com
Calle
Calle is a brilliant, uncompromising Bitcoin developer. The cerebral horse-power that got him a PhD in Physics, is now being applied to privacy-focused Bitcoin projects such as Cashu which permits anonymous digital transactions at scale in the form of eCash. Bitcoin transactions can be monitored in the blockchain whereas eCash transactions remain private. x.com/callebtc
Adam is a Bitcoin legend (though he’d never say that, as he’s very modest). A brilliant cryptographer, and one of the ‘Cypherpunks’, he is referenced in Satoshi Nakamoto’s famous White Paper in view of his invention of Hashcash – based on proof of work – which Satoshi recognised as being foundational to Bitcoin. He is now the CEO & Co-founder of Blockstream. x.com/adam3us
Last but not least, we have Satoshi Nakamoto, the inventor of Bitcoin. He’s the GOAT. However, the name ‘Satoshi Nakamoto’ is a pseudonym. In reality, no-one knows if it’s a man or a woman, or even a group of people (despite what HBO may claim). Satoshi got Bitcoin going and then disappeared into thin air, allowing others to take the project forward. It’s remarkable how one of the greatest financial advances in human history was gifted to us in an anonymous way. What we do know about Satoshi – and other people and initiatives connected to his work – can be found at nakamotoinstitute.org
Where to Next?
If you’ve been reading the sections in order, the next page we recommend is our Glossary of Bitcoin Terms.