By Jeff John Roberts and David Z. Morris December 27, 2017
How much hype is there around Bitcoin? Just take a look at the recent flood of media coverage. It feels by now that every journalist and his or her dog has written at least one story about the cryptocurrency.
While many of these articles are helpful (I highly recommend Fortune’s January 2018 issue cover story ), news accounts don’t always fully explain what’s going on.
To get real insight about the latest Bitcoin news, it’s best to turn to Twitter. Many of the most important figures in cryptocurrency are heavy users of the social media platform, and they are not shy about sharing their opinions.
That’s why Fortune’s The Ledger is sharing 19 of our favorite crypto sources from Twitter.
Keep in mind that most of these folks have a bullish position on digital currency—understandable since they helped build it!—and beware that some are brash or even outright offensive. But all of them know what they’re talking about and share information you will only read about in the press days or weeks later. Here are our choices, in no particular order: 1.) Neeraj Agrawal, “The Meme Zoologist”
Agrawal is the smiling public face of the very serious Coin Center policy think-tank, folding goofy spit-takes into hardcore legal commentary like a magnificent souffle. what if the real satoshi nakamoto was the friends we made along the way
— Neeraj K.
Agrawal (@NeerajKA) May 29, 2017 2.) Vitalik Buterin, “Ethereum Wunderkind”
When he introduced Ethereum, Buterin was a stammering college dropout . Online, he’s a font of charmingly wonky commentary that ranges far beyond cryptocurrency.
First of all, I want to introduce a concept I call “freedom through turing completeness”.
* It is easy to allow people to do nothing* It is easy ….. a few things* It is easy ….. everything
— Vitalik Buterin (@VitalikButerin) December 16, 2017 3.) Andreas Antonopoulos, “The Bitcoin Scribe”
Antonopoulos has spent the last five years developing a deep understanding of cryptocurrency from every angle, and perfecting concise, compelling explanations of all of it.
His Twitter feed is a tantalizing glimpse of what his writing and speaking have to offer. Bitcoin energy consumption articles:
“Madam, I’m concerned about the progress of your pregnancy. At current rate of growth, your belly will be the size of this building in just 5 years”
— Andreas M. Antonopoulos (@aantonop) December 16, 2017 4.
) Nick Szabo, “Not Satoshi, I Swear”
Original proposer of the “smart contracts” concept behind Ethereum—in 1996!—Szabo is also frequently rumored to be Satoshi Nakamoto. ‘Nuff said. Why very small payments are hard: “it’s important to distinguish between technological and mental transaction costs”, and the latter are usually more important. https://t.co/fJMr2VDQxc …
— Nick Szabo (@NickSzabo4) December 12, 2017 5.
) Gavin Andresen, “The Wandering Ronin”
A former Bitcoin Core developer, Andresen is now a gadfly partisan of Bitcoin Cash and a good, if infrequent, source of insight from one who knows. “Law enforcement will eventually develop techniques and expertise to catch BTC-using criminals”— me talking to reporters in 2011
— Gavin Andresen (@gavinandresen) July 27, 2017 6.) Charlie Lee, “Little Satoshi”
Lee is the creator of LiteCoin, the most significant early Bitcoin alternative. He tweets a lot about trading and market infrastructure.
I just noticed Cardano (ADA) is #6 on CoinMarketCap. How did it become a $10B coin when it’s only 3 months old and the only major exchanges trading it is Bittrex and Binance and without even any fiat trading pairs?
Either the market is crazy or Cardano will end world hunger.
— Charlie Lee [LTC] (@SatoshiLite) December 17, 2017 7.) Brian Armstrong, the CEO of Coinbase
When the biggest U.S. cryptocurrency exchange tells you to not buy so much bitcoin in the midst of a historic rally—that’s when you know you can trust them.
Armstrong mostly tweets about Coinbase itself. Pleased to report a partial victory for Coinbase over the IRS subpoena from nearly a year ago. We narrowed the scope of the government’s request by 97% – a win for customer privacy.
https://t.co/Pjzj8MFDNS https://t.co/xY2idBBuYa
— Brian Armstrong (@brian_armstrong) November 30, 2017 8.
) Elizabeth Stark, “The Architect”
Stark is one of the main creators of the “second layer” that some think will be the future of blockchain. She’s also one of the most prominent women in crypto and a relentless critic of the ICO craze. If I only had a bitcoin for every ICO I heard about *this week* that makes zero sense whatsoever… https://t.co/jcZXxxqMZz
— elizabeth stark (@starkness) June 24, 2017 9.) Two Bit Idiot/Ryan Selkis, “The Straight Shooter”
Selkis, who ran news outlet CoinDesk and built its event business, knows everyone in crypto.
His Twitter feed offers no-B.S. observations on bitcoin and alt-coin investing without the smug insider stuff you find on other accounts. Bonus points for his avatar.
If you’re new to crypto:
1) don’t invest more than 10% of your savings. 2) research first for the love of god 3) average in over the next 6-12 months vs. all at once!
— Ryan Selkis (@twobitidiot) December 16, 2017 10.
) Amber Baldet, “The Blockchain Banker”
Baldet somehow straddles two worlds: She’s a high-flying blockchain executive at J.P. Morgan but also a trusted figure in the various demi-mondes that make up the crypto-currency world. Meaty 20 min video! TL;DR:– IC3 launched a new Grand Challenge for blockchain integration– @el33th4xor wears non-ironic professor elbow patches– My hair is no longer purple https://t.co/KgtmaOnayl
— Amber (@AmberBaldet) December 6, 2017 11.) Jameson Lopp, “The Outlaw”
An gun-toting OG bitcoin developer, Lopp had his home SWATted during a bitter debate over the Segwit 2x fork—and kept right on coding! Welcome to Bitcoin, newcomers! Here’s your FAQ:
Q: Who should I trust?A: Nobody.
Q: When should I sell?A: Never.
Q: Is Bitcoin dying because ____?A: No.
Q: What have I gotten myself into?A: Nobody knows. .
