This week, Amir Taaki returned to X to share his opinion that Bitcoin leadership “is corrupt.” Taaki announced that he is now more enthralled by the Ethereum scene, diving into zero-knowledge (ZK) technology, decentralized finance (defi), and “cryptomathematics.”
Bitcoin historian’s query sparks explosive criticism
Former Bitcoin developer Amir Taaki has not held back lately and this week criticized the leadership behind Bitcoin development. His rant came on the heels of his recent comments about Roger Ver and his comment on “small block Bitcoin communism.” “I don’t want to explain the entire history of Bitcoin so you can understand that the leadership is corrupt and the governance is broken,” Taaki wrote on X on Friday. Echoing one of Satoshi Nakamoto’s sentiments, he added:
I’m more interested [Ethereum] ecosystem, ZK, defi and crypto math. I spend my time writing code. I don’t have time to explain. I’m sorry.
After Taaki’s statement hit the scene, Bitcoin historian and Bitcoin magazine editor Pete Rizzo weighed in, taken aback by Taaki’s comments. “As someone who has studied your work for a while, I find this objection confusing,” Rizzo responded to Taaki’s X thread. “Didn’t you introduce the BIP process to slow down the development process? Isn’t the barrier to using multiple implementations the lack of a consensus library where they can all be used safely? What is the other objection you would have to the status quo?
The former Bitcoin developer responded to Rizzo with a detailed response. He argued that the obstacle to using multiple Bitcoin implementations is not the missing consensus library; Such a library exists, but alternative versions continue to be torn down or “attacked.” “It’s the same code that Satoshi wrote in 2010,” Taaki said. “They didn’t change anything. For example, Bitcoin messages have a checksum and are message-based, but still use TCP. TCP does not need a checksum. They could upgrade to UDP or just remove the checksum. The code is still shit.”
Taaki says that even though years have passed, there has been no significant refactoring or cleanup of the code. An attempt was made to create a Bitcoin library, called “libbitcoin,” but it was never completed, demonstrating a lack of progress. He sincerely believes that there is a lack of proper governance and accountability in the development of Bitcoin. “Your stupid maxi army thinks it’s a decentralized project where no one is [in] control, which is the biggest lie sold by the shadow government in Bitcoin to prevent any proper governance or accountability for their incompetence,” Taaki commented.
He also spoke about his personal journey, venting about frustrations with the Bitcoin development environment, which prompted him to pivot towards Ethereum and eventually launch Darkfi to prove his points through deeds rather than words. Taaki revealed some allegations against Peter Todd, alleging that he was dishonest in managing a reward fund for Coinjoin development, where funds were diverted after the rules changed on a whim. “You took steps to scam a bankrupt open source development team out of money… Absolute unapologetic intelligence contributor trash,” Taaki wrote.
He added:
Most normal people, faced with irrefutable evidence, would apologize and make amends, but he comes across as smug. Imagine that is part of Core, an influencer who does not believe nonsense** and is invited to all events to speak even though this story is known. It’s super corrupt and there are many more stories like this. People have no idea what’s going on in Core. Not only are they incompetent, they are compromised.
A lot of people chimed in to comment on Taaki’s criticism of Core. Rodolfo Novak, co-founder of Coinkite, disagreed and responded: “I’ve been here from the beginning, I disagree. Many perspectives, my friends.” Bitcoin Core contributor Luke Dashjr also made a statement. “When did you decide to burn your reputation?” -Dashjr asked. Taaki answered his question.
“I don’t care about reputation. I say what I want without limits. I write code and deliver software,” Taaki responded. “People focus on results and that’s the only thing that matters in the end. If I think people are wrong, I will say it, but it is not my job to convince people but to prove it.”
David Seroy, ecosystem leader at Alpen Labs, told Taaki: “Come and help us bring ZK verification to Bitcoin.” Taaki responded to Seroy by pointing out that he was a next generation builder. “I love you and the other teams. You are the next generation that grew up outside of maxiculture and that is what will save Bitcoin,” the former Bitcoin developer responded to Seroy. “Building a [layer two (L2)] would be the best option I would make, and if it works, maybe Darkfi will become a BTC L2. Right now I want to focus on creating the best product/ecosystem without restrictions first and then let’s see how things turn out.”
In light of Taaki’s recent criticism, it appears that the Bitcoin community is still at odds, where internal governance and technological evolution are under scrutiny. Taaki’s candid revelations and his decision to participate in alternative projects such as defi and potentially Bitcoin L2 solutions show a narrative of seeking responsibility and progress in the development of cryptocurrencies. His critique not only challenges the current status quo, but also illuminates the complexities of maintaining a decentralized ethos while fostering technological advancement, which could reshape perceptions of leadership and integrity in the crypto space.
