It’s taken a while, but we’re finally there folks: it’s time to talk about Bitcoin. Now that we’ve covered the origins of money and how we use it, and spent some time exploring blockchain technology, we’re ready to talk about cryptocurrency. Let’s face it, that’s what we’re here for, after all.

In this episode, we’ll talk about the emergence of Bitcoin back in 2009. We’ll explore the shadowy group known as the cypherpunks, whose ideas and obsessions were key influences on Bitcoin and its mysterious creator. We’ll also look at some early attempts to create a form of digital money free from the malign influence of banks and other financial institutions. These forerunners of Bitcoin would themselves play a major role in shaping the first cryptocurrency.

We’ll also start to encounter some of the characters who have contributed, directly or indirectly, to Bitcoin’s development and begin to ask the question: who on earth is Satoshi Nakamoto?

As with previous episodes, there’s tons of material online if you want to dig deeper into what we cover. There are some great books you can read too, several of which were enormously useful in putting this episode together:

The Bitcoin Standard (2018) by Saifedean Ammous

Bitcoin: The Future of Money? (2014) by Dominic Frisby

Digital Gold (2015) by Nathaniel Popper

The Age of Cryptocurrency (2015) by Paul Vigna and Michael J. Casey

We hope you enjoy the show.

Producer for iHeart Media: Noel Brown

Editor: Sam Moult

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