ANDREAS Antonopoulos’s Bitcoin career began back in 2011.
But what is the story behind the host of The Let’s Talk Bitcoin podcast.
Who is Andreas Antonopoulos?
Andreas Antonopoulos was born in London in 1972 but spent his early years in Greece.
After being introduced to a computer at the age of 10, he started to experiment and became obsessed.
He founded his first business, an early BBS and proto-ISP, as a teenager but “saw how business was being done in Greece, so left.”
Antonopoulos said: “I saw the way a currency crisis could wipe out the wealth of an entire generation, and it had a big impact on me.”
He moved to London and graduated from University College London with a degree in Computer Science, Data Communication and Distributed Computing.
He then started to work on open source software and open networks in the 1990s.
After moving to the US he co-founded and managed a technology research company, where he advised Fortune 500 company executives on networking, security, data centers and cloud computing.
It wasn’t until 2011 that he first discovered Bitcoin.
Antonopoulos said: “I first stumbled upon Bitcoin in mid-2011.
“My immediate reaction was more or less ‘Pfft, nerd money’ and I ignored it for another six months, failing to grasp its importance.
“This is a reaction that I have seen repeated among many of the smartest people I know, which gives me some consolation.
“The second time I came across Bitcoin, in a mailing list discussion, I decided to read the white paper written by Satoshi Nakamoto, to study the authoritative source and see what it was all about.
“I still remember the moment I finished reading those nine pages when I realized that Bitcoin was not simply a digital currency, but a network of trust that could also provide the basis for so much more than just currencies.
“The realization that ‘this isn’t money, it’s a decentralized trust network,’ started me on a four-month journey to devour every scrap of information about Bitcoin I could find.
“I became obsessed and enthralled, spending 12 or more hours each day glued to a screen, reading, writing, coding, and learning as much as I could.
“I emerged from this state of fugue, more than 20 pounds lighter from lack of consistent meals, determined to dedicate myself to working on Bitcoin.”
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Antonopoulos then quit his job and started to work as a Bitcoin and blockchain consultant.
For the first two years, he struggled to find work because the ‘industry’ was still at the very start of development and nobody wanted to pay.
At the time, cryptocurrency was mainly used as an anonymous way of purchasing illicit goods on the Dark Web by a small number of people.
He then went on to be Head of the Bitcoin Foundation’s Anti-Poverty Committee until 2014, when he joined Blockchain.info as Director of Security.
In April 2014 Newsweek published an article which said Dorian Nakamoto was Satoshi Nakamoto – the founder of Bitcoin.
Antonopoulos came to Nakamoto’s aid and raised a total of 50 Bitcoins to clear his name.
He soon left his position as Director of Security at Blockchain.info after being named advisor to the board in September 2014.
In 2014, he was also appointed as a teaching fellow at the University of Nicosia, the first university in the world to offer a Masters Degree in Digital Currency.
There, he helped to develop the curriculum and co-taught the Introduction to Digital Currencies.
On October 8, 2014, Antonopoulos responded to questions from the Canadian Senate Committee on Banking and Commerce.
He was asked about Bitcoin regulation in the country and warned senators about the possible effects of premature Bitcoin regulation.
He said: “Wait until the technology is better understood by all of us, there are many applications based on this model that regulating it at this time would stifle the technology in its early days.”
Antonopoulos is now a household name in the cryptocurrency space with a podcast – ‘The Let’s Talk Bitcoin’ – and over 300,000 followers on YouTube.
He’s also written several books including The Internet of Money, Mastering Bitcoin: Programming the Open Blockchain and Mastering Ethereum: Building Smart Contracts and DApps.
More than 200 of his articles on security, cloud computing and data centers have been published worldwide.
What is Andreas Antonopoulos’ net worth?
All of Antonopoulos’ work in the Bitcoin sphere was done free of charge, meaning he made a living from donations.
Andreas Antonopoulos net worth is currently unknown, but in December 2017, he received more than 100 Bitcoins from over one thousand followers after Roger Ver – CEO of Bitcoin.com – questioned why Antonopoulos hadn’t invested in cryptocurrency earlier.
Antonopoulos said: “I’m not a Bitcoin millionaire.
“I was working for free, instead of investing, for the first 2 years.
“Only recently got out of debt.
“My supporters on Patreon, many at $5/month, make it possible for me to work with independence.”
The donations then started to pour in.
At the time 100 Bitcoin was valued at around $1.7million.
He said: “You fed my soul.
“You reminded me why it is so important to remain optimistic, focused and determined to overcome the cynicism. It’s been a long and hard road.
“Sometimes I get lost. But, every time I do, you step up and help me find my way, find my focus again.
“You show me that I do not walk alone on this path.
“You are all there with me.
“I am part of a wonderful community and you have my back.”
You can read Andreas Antonopoulos’ blog posts here.
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