Kings of Crypto: One Startup's Quest to Take Cryptocurrency Out of Silicon Valley and Onto Wall Street

Description

Brian Armstrong stepped onto the stage with quiet confidence. He turned to the audience and shared his idea with the simple slogan: 'Coinbase, the easiest way to get started with Bitcoin' For a moment late in 2018, one Bitcoin, which physically amounts to a few electrons blipping on a tiny bit of silicon, was worth $20,000 - the same as a pound of gold. Libertarian technologists who believed Bitcoin would be the foundation of a new world order saw the moment as an apotheosis. Everyone else saw a bubble. Everyone else was right, and the bubble burst. But Bitcoin survived, and the battle for its soul rages on. True believers view it as the foundation for a future economy freed from the vicissitudes of Wall Street and government control of currency. Pragmatists believe that bringing Bitcoin into the mainstream will, as the Silicon Valley cliche goes, make the world a better place. But they need buy-in from traditional institutional systems that can prevent the crypto world from devolving into the lawless criminal bazaar it was becoming during the bubble. Journalist Jeff John Roberts drops us into the unfolding drama as he follows the rise, fall, and rebirth of cryptocurrency through the experiences of major players across the globe. We follow Silicon Valley entrepreneur Brian Armstrong and his company, Coinbase, as it tries to make Bitcoin easy to use and available to all while fighting off hackers, thieves, and zealots. Roberts keenly observes the importance of leadership and strategy in the developing field of virtual currencies and what happens when these guardrails are missing. His ability to explain crypto technology clearly and lay out the ramifications of its infiltration into the global financial system makes this book a must-read for leaders in every industry. The amazing story - full of startup hijinks, shady investors, billionaire bros and their Lambos, closed-door meetings with Jamie Dimon, hacking (so much hacking!), Libertarian free-state utopias in New Hampshire, and the Winklevoss twins - make this a page turner that readers will love.

Jeff John Roberts covers subjects such as cryptocurrency, patent reform, blockchain technology, hacking, and privacy in the age of social media for Fortune. His work has also appeared in a variety of other outlets, including Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Reuters, Fortune, and the New York Times. He is an authority on copyright law and other intellectual property issues and is licensed to practice law in New York and Ontario. He has appeared on the BBC, CNN, NBC, CheddarTV, and other outlets to share his perspectives on technology and the law. You can visit the author's website at jeffjohnroberts.com or follow him on Twitter @jeffjohnroberts.

Dozens of books have been written about how cryptocurrency got its start. Among the best: Kings of Crypto by Jeff John Roberts" - The Wall Street Journal "It is an exciting and accessible path into a new technology and how startups develop." - Computing Reviews Named one of "The best books of 2020, according to Fortune staff" - Fortune magazine Advance Praise for Kings of Crypto: "Through the story of the largest, most reputable US-based cryptocurrency exchange, Jeff Roberts artfully makes a complicated industry accessible. This is a great read for newcomers to digital money and fans of excellent narrative nonfiction alike." - Kathleen Breitman, cofounder, Tezos "A fun, fast-moving book that offers serious insight into the future of finance. For anyone looking to understand bitcoin or how cryptocurrency will change Wall Street, Kings of Crypto is an essential read." - Alex Tapscott, coauthor, Blockchain Revolution "Kings of Crypto tells the story of a ragtag band of rebels who saw the future of finance before anyone else and who wrenched the revolution into their orbit. Reading this book is like using a stethoscope to open the vault containing the cryptocurrency industry's origins. Click, click, click-and a wealth of secrets spills out. Learn what made Coinbase, one of the most improbably successful Silicon Valley startups, hit it big-and what makes its founding 'Vulcan Swiss bankers' tick. As long as Satoshi Nakamoto's identity remains secret, this is the closest you'll come to understanding the rise of crypto-and where it's all headed." - Robert Hackett, Senior Writer and crypto reporter, Fortune "Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase overcame huge obstacles to bring on more customers than Charles Schwab had over five decades. How did brand-new entrepreneurs get thirty million everyday people to buy a new form of money? In Kings of Crypto, Jeff Roberts reveals all in this entertaining, absorbing, and surprising story." - Laura Shin, former Senior Editor, Forbes; reporter and host, Unchained and Unconfirmed podcasts