When Michael Lewis first met him, Sam Bankman-Fried was the world's youngest billionaire and crypto's Gatsby. CEOs, celebrities, and leaders of small countries all vied for his time and cash after he catapulted, practically overnight, onto the Forbes billionaire list. Who was this rumpled guy in cargo shorts and limp white socks, whose eyes twitched across Zoom meetings as he played video games on the side?
In Going Infinite Lewis sets out to answer this question, taking readers into the mind of Bankman-Fried, whose rise and fall offers an education in high-frequency trading, cryptocurrencies, philanthropy, bankruptcy, and the justice system. Both psychological portrait and financial roller-coaster ride, Going Infinite is Michael Lewis at the top of his game, tracing the mind-bending trajectory of a character who never liked the rules and was allowed to live by his own--until it all came undone.
Bitcoin was promised to be a liberating technology, a free market alternative to state-controlled money. But that promise was broken after a small group of insiders took over the project and fundamentally changed Bitcoin's design.
Few people know the true history of Bitcoin and its original design due to years of heavy censorship, social media engineering, and tight information controls online. Hijacking Bitcoin destroys the most popular narratives that surround Bitcoin and sets the historical record straight.
Roger Ver's passion and pain come through as he tells the story of a beloved project corrupted in front of his eyes. Written by one of the most prominent figures in the cryptocurrency industry, this book is impossible to ignore.
From the inside flap:
Bitcoin has been captured and changed for the worse. That's the undeniable conclusion of Hijacking Bitcoin. Chocked full of history and inconvenient truths, this book goes on a myth-busting rampage against the most popular narratives that surround BTC.
Is Bitcoin truly decentralized? Is it supposed to be digital gold or digital cash? Did the original design really have scaling problems? Roger Ver addresses these questions head-on and provides uncomfortable answers.
Roger Ver is the world's first investor in Bitcoin startups and has been a prominent name in the cryptocurrency industry since the beginning. Yet, as he confesses in the introduction, this book is not a love story. It's a devastating exposé of the corruption, propaganda, and centralization of power in Bitcoin.
A comprehensive and authoritative exploration of Bitcoin and its place in monetary history
When a pseudonymous programmer introduced a new electronic cash system that's fully peer-to-peer, with no trusted third party to a small online mailing list in 2008, very few people paid attention. Ten years later, and against all odds, this upstart autonomous decentralized software offers an unstoppable and globally accessible hard money alternative to modern central banks. The Bitcoin Standard analyzes the historical context to the rise of Bitcoin, the economic properties that have allowed it to grow quickly, and its likely economic, political, and social implications.
While Bitcoin is an invention of the digital age, the problem it purports to solve is as old as human society itself: transferring value across time and space. Author Saifedean Ammous takes the reader on an engaging journey through the history of technologies performing the functions of money, from primitive systems of trading limestones and seashells, to metals, coins, the gold standard, and modern government debt. Exploring what gave these technologies their monetary role, and how most lost it, provides the reader with a good idea of what makes for sound money, and sets the stage for an economic discussion of its consequences for individual and societal future-orientation, capital accumulation, trade, peace, culture, and art. Compellingly, Ammous shows that it is no coincidence that the loftiest achievements of humanity have come in societies enjoying the benefits of sound monetary regimes, nor is it coincidental that monetary collapse has usually accompanied civilizational collapse.
With this background in place, the book moves on to explain the operation of Bitcoin in a functional and intuitive way. Bitcoin is a decentralized, distributed piece of software that converts electricity and processing power into indisputably accurate records, thus allowing its users to utilize the Internet to perform the traditional functions of money without having to rely on, or trust, any authorities or infrastructure in the physical world. Bitcoin is thus best understood as the first successfully implemented form of digital cash and digital hard money. With an automated and perfectly predictable monetary policy, and the ability to perform final settlement of large sums across the world in a matter of minutes, Bitcoin's real competitive edge might just be as a store of value and network for the final settlement of large payments a digital form of gold with a built-in settlement infrastructure.
Ammous' firm grasp of the technological possibilities as well as the historical realities of monetary evolution provides for a fascinating exploration of the ramifications of voluntary free market money. As it challenges the most sacred of government monopolies, Bitcoin shifts the pendulum of sovereignty away from governments in favor of individuals, offering us the tantalizing possibility of a world where money is fully extricated from politics and unrestrained by borders.
The final chapter of the book explores some of the most common questions surrounding Bitcoin: Is Bitcoin mining a waste of energy? Is Bitcoin for criminals? Who controls Bitcoin, and can they change it if they please? How can Bitcoin be killed? And what to make of all the thousands of Bitcoin knockoffs, and the many supposed applications of Bitcoin's 'block chain technology'? The Bitcoin Standard is the essential resource for a clear understanding of the rise of the Internet's decentralized, apolitical, free-market alternative to national central banks.
In this fascinating deep dive into the evolution of monetary systems around the globe, Nik Bhatia takes us into the origins of how money has evolved to function in a layered manner. Using gold as an example of this term, he traces the layers of this ancient currency from raw mined material, to gold coins, and finally to bank-issued gold certificates. In a groundbreaking manner, Bhatia offers a similar paradigm for the evolution of digital currencies. Bhatia's analysis begins in Renaissance Florence with the gold Florin coin and a burgeoning banking culture, continues with the evolution of central banking, and concludes with a vision for the future of our international monetary system. As central banks around the world prepare to launch their own crypto-competitors, Bhatia illustrates how the invention of Bitcoin created a seismic shift in money and merged the monetary and cryptography sciences. His unique analysis of layered money illuminates money markets for the general reader and shows how Bitcoin is becoming a trusted global currency. Readers will come away with an understanding of the mechanics of our financial system, why the dollar is deeply entrenched despite its state of disrepair, and how Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) and cryptocurrencies will interact in our new monetary future.
Bitcoin was promised to be a liberating technology, a free market alternative to state-controlled money. But that promise was broken after a small group of insiders took over the project and fundamentally changed Bitcoin's design.
Few people know the true history of Bitcoin and its original design due to years of heavy censorship, social media engineering, and tight information controls online. Hijacking Bitcoin destroys the most popular narratives that surround Bitcoin and sets the historical record straight.
Roger Ver's passion and pain come through as he tells the story of a beloved project corrupted in front of his eyes. Written by one of the most prominent figures in the cryptocurrency industry, this book is impossible to ignore.
From the inside flap:
Bitcoin has been captured and changed for the worse. That's the undeniable conclusion of Hijacking Bitcoin. Chocked full of history and inconvenient truths, this book goes on a myth-busting rampage against the most popular narratives that surround BTC.
Is Bitcoin truly decentralized? Is it supposed to be digital gold or digital cash? Did the original design really have scaling problems? Roger Ver addresses these questions head-on and provides uncomfortable answers.
Roger Ver is the world's first investor in Bitcoin startups and has been a prominent name in the cryptocurrency industry since the beginning. Yet, as he confesses in the introduction, this book is not a love story. It's a devastating exposé of the corruption, propaganda, and centralization of power in Bitcoin.
The Bitcoin Standard: The Essential Guide to Bitcoin for Beginners, Discover How Strategies and Tips on How You Can Master Bitcoin and Earn Huge Profits
Many people are still unsure what bitcoin is and some even think that it is some sort of scam. It most certainly is not. Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency that can be used as a medium for exchange online. Some people prefer cryptocurrencies because of its independence and pseudo-anonymity. They are not controlled by any government or banks. Bitcoin is also a more secure, m faster and more affordable option of transferring funds.
This book will teach you all the valuable information you need if you are planning to embark on earning money through Bitcoin. It would give you a solid foundation so you can make good investments. It would teach you how to keep track of the trends with Bitcoin so that you will always have fresh information that can help make your decisions. You will also discover how to recognize scams so that you don't fall for them.
This book will discuss the following topics:
Now is really the best time to invest in Bitcoin because it has been going strong for 10 years and its popularity is steadily increasing.
If you have been planning on entering the world of Bitcoin but was unsure of how or where to start, this audiobook is perfect for you. Scroll up and click add to cart today!
Learn the skills to get in on the crypto craze
The world of cryptocurrency includes some of the coolest technologies and most lucrative investments available today. And you can jump right into the middle of the action with Cryptocurrency All-in-One For Dummies, a collection of simple and straightforward resources that will get you up to speed on cryptocurrency investing and mining, blockchain, Bitcoin, and Ethereum.
Stop scouring a million different places on the web and settle in with this one-stop compilation of up-to-date and reliable info on what's been called the 21st century gold rush. So, whether you're just looking for some fundamental knowledge about how cryptocurrency works, or you're ready to put some money into the markets, you'll find what you need in one of the five specially curated resources included in this book.
Cryptocurrency All-in-One For Dummies will help you:
Perfect for anyone curious and excited about the potential that's been unlocked by the latest in cryptocurrency tech, this book will give you the foundation you need to become a savvy cryptocurrency consumer, investor, or miner before you know it.
In this fascinating deep dive into the evolution of monetary systems around the globe, Nik Bhatia takes us into the origins of how money has evolved to function in a layered manner. Using gold as an example of this term, he traces the layers of this ancient currency from raw mined material, to gold coins, and finally to bank-issued gold certificates. In a groundbreaking manner, Bhatia offers a similar paradigm for the evolution of digital currencies. Bhatia's analysis begins in Renaissance Florence with the gold Florin coin and a burgeoning banking culture, continues with the evolution of central banking, and concludes with a vision for the future of our international monetary system. As central banks around the world prepare to launch their own crypto-competitors, Bhatia illustrates how the invention of Bitcoin created a seismic shift in money and merged the monetary and cryptography sciences. His unique analysis of layered money illuminates money markets for the general reader and shows how Bitcoin is becoming a trusted global currency. Readers will come away with an understanding of the mechanics of our financial system, why the dollar is deeply entrenched despite its state of disrepair, and how Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) and cryptocurrencies will interact in our new monetary future.
The crypto era has arrived, and business will never be the same.
Real applications of crypto technology are growing exponentially: cryptocurrency payments are moving frictionlessly across borders; NFTs are generating real value for creators and consumers alike; and new blockchain-enabled business models are being built around decentralized finance and Web3. What do you and your company need to know and do today to create new opportunities and avoid disruption? Crypto: The Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review will show you how innovative organizations of all kinds are embracing decentralized technology, reinventing themselves, and thriving in the new age of crypto.
Business is changing. Will you adapt or be left behind?
Get up to speed and deepen your understanding of the topics that are shaping your company's future with the Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review series. Featuring HBR's smartest thinking on fast-moving issues--blockchain, cybersecurity, AI, and more--each book provides the foundational introduction and practical case studies your organization needs to compete today and collects the best research, interviews, and analysis to get it ready for tomorrow.
You can't afford to ignore how these issues will transform the landscape of business and society. The Insights You Need series will help you grasp these critical ideas--and prepare you and your company for the future.
Join the technological revolution that's taking the financial world by storm. Mastering Bitcoin is your guide through the seemingly complex world of Bitcoin, providing the knowledge you need to participate in the internet of money. Whether you're building the next killer app, investing in a startup, or simply curious about the technology, this revised and expanded third edition provides essential detail to get you started.
Bitcoin, the first successful decentralized digital currency, has already spawned a multibillion-dollar global economy open to anyone with the knowledge and passion to participate. Mastering Bitcoin provides the knowledge. You supply the passion.
The third edition includes:
THE ULTIMATE BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO LEARNING EXACTLY HOW CRYPTOCURRENCY WORKS - INCLUDES EXCLUSIVE CRYPTO PORTFOLIO MANAGER WORKBOOK
Cryptocurrency is more than just the future of money.
Whether the market is up or down, cryptocurrencies are here to stay. It's no secret that the crypto landscape can be confusing to the uninitiated.
In Cryptocurrency QuickStart Guide, Dr. Jonathan Reichental draws from his decades of experience as a technology and business leader to break down exactly how crypto works and what newcomers to the space need to know.
Presented in plain language that is stripped of jargon and unsubstantiated predictions, this thorough and approachable look at the world of cryptocurrency is the perfect starting point for anyone embarking on their own crypto journey.
Regardless of whether you want to learn more about cryptocurrency to become a more informed investor, or you feel you might be missing out on the next big thing, or you just want to familiarize yourself with the future of money, there is something in this book for you!
*LIFETIME ACCESS TO FREE CRYPTOCURRENCY DIGITAL ASSETS*
Central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) are on the rise. In an attempt to reinvent money as we know it, central bankers and other policymakers around the world are currently researching, developing, and launching CBDCs. The prospect has caught the attention of the president of the United States, Congress, international institutions, and government contractors, but the public has largely been left out of this development. That needs to change.
CBDCs are not simply another form of money. Rather, CBDCs pose significant risks to financial privacy, freedom, and markets. Furthermore, CBDCs would open the economy to new cybersecurity risks while also jeopardizing the function and independence of central banks themselves. Yet, what is probably worst of all is that CBDCs fail to offer any unique benefits that offset these costs and justify the government's intervention in the market.
In Digital Currency or Digital Control, monetary and financial economic expert Nicholas Anthony provides everything you need to get up to speed on CBDCs so that you can know what is at stake. From the myths of CBDC benefits to the threats posed by CBDC risks, this book will help you decode what CBDC means for the future of money.
An Economist Book of the Year
A Financial Times Book of the Year
A Foreign Affairs Book of the Year
A ProMarket Book of the Year
One of The Week's Ten Best Business Books of the Year
An Economist Best Book of the Year
A Financial Times Best Book of the Year
A Foreign Affairs Best Book of the Year
A ProMarket Best Political Economy Book of the Year
One of The Week's Ten Best Business Books of the Year