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 (we highly recommend Coins2Day’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 Coins2Day’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
* It is very very hard to allow people to do everything *but* a few things— vitalik.eth (@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 (aantonop Team) (@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/YhsDASgemF 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 Ⓜ️🕸️ (@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.
Https://twitter.com/brian_armstrong/status/936081853840101376
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.
Https://twitter.com/twobitidiot/status/942154758751735808
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:
– JPMorgan joined @initc3org
– 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”
A 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.Q: How do I learn more?
A: https://t.co/POqNimM4uy— Jameson Lopp (@lopp) November 19, 2017
12.) Coindesk, “The Crypto Paper of Record”
The ever-bullish trade publication has a global news team with desks around the world. Media outlets from the New York Times to the Wall Street Journal rely on its reporting because, if there’s crypto-news, they’re on it.
CME Bitcoin Futures Price Above $20k in First Day Trading https://t.co/3HwqRgK1TG pic.twitter.com/iD4Hm307Fm
— CoinDesk (@CoinDesk) December 18, 2017
13.) Whalepanda, “The Bitcoin Whisperer”
He’s not perfect (his theories about ASICBoost remain suspect) but WhalePanda’s anonymity leaves him free to say exactly what he thinks. He is also President of Bitcoin, based on an unscientific poll conducted on his own account.
Congrats @SatoshiLite & @fluffypony on $LTC and $XMR being 2 and 3 on Panda's list of legit cryptocurrency projects. 😉 pic.twitter.com/ivvwdfM9wG
— WhalePanda (@WhalePanda) December 12, 2017
14.) Roger Ver, “(Still Just Barely) Bitcoin Jesus”
Ver was the first entrepreneur to invest in a Bitcoin startup, and was almost universally worshiped until the bitter scaling debate led him to essentially declare war on Bitcoin’s Core development team. Once known as Bitcoin Jesus, he now’s now more “Bitcoin Judas” to many.
2009-2013 Everyone knows Bitcoin is a CURRENCY.
2014 IRS dictates that Bitcoin is a COMMODITY.
2014 Blockstream is formed and tries to morph Bitcoin into a COMMODITY.
2017: Every real Bitcoiner knows the IRS is wrong.
Bitcoin is a CURRENCY and #BitcoinCash is the real Bitcoin.— Roger Ver (@rogerkver) December 16, 2017
15.) Samson Mow, “Keeper of the Bitcoin Brotherhood”
Mow is a tireless advocate for the technological integrity of the original bitcoin protocol, and is quick to call BS on those he sees as corrupt developers or pump-and-dump scammers (his original takedown of Bitcoin Cash is an essential read). Mow is also essential for his insights into China-based shenanigans.
"Ironic" doesn't quite fit. Need something a little stronger to describe a coin that forked off because they needed bigger blocks but can only produce small blocks. #Bcash https://t.co/B4gfXjnO8H
— Samson Mow (@Excellion) December 27, 2017
16.) Preston Byrne, “Marmot Man”
A loud-mouth libertarian, Byrne’s Twitter feed is as insightful as it is obnoxious. The man understands crypto deeply, and is worth following—though half his tweets reflect an inexplicable obsession with the large rodent known as the marmot.
Https://twitter.com/prestonjbyrne/status/944198973232963584
17.) Erik Voorhees, “Mises is My Copilot”
Voorhees, CEO of Shapeshift, is a cryptocurrency entrepreneur second and a committed libertarian first. Follow for insight into the political implications of bitcoin.
There should be no monopoly on money. A true market economy requires freedom in the production of all goods, most of all in money itself. Https://t.co/XDRkk4vwjH
— Erik Voorhees (@ErikVoorhees) December 6, 2017
18.) Meltem Demirors, “The Scholar”
Demirors straddles the world of entrepreneurship, academe and journalism. Her tweets are brimming with smarts and strategic vision.
Interesting to see how media is perpetuating false narratives. Always do your due diligence. Question everything. Https://t.co/zjOJxrRCfW
— Meltem Demirors (@Melt_Dem) December 21, 2017
19.) Tuur Demeester, “The Economist”
Bitcoin Twitter is full of huffing and puffing, and so it’s good to have people like Demeester as a counter-balance. Understated and fair.
As a student in '09 and '10, I spent a lot of time researching fraud and fraud cycles. Glad I have that background because the crypto space is rife with scams. Https://t.co/1L6GZg4N3Y pic.twitter.com/RxKkCQ6MpI
— Tuur Demeester (@TuurDemeester) December 20, 2017
