Anthony Di Iorio, is a well-known name in the cryptocurrency industry. He was a pioneer in the early days of Bitcoin and went on to co-found Ethereum. He also founded and led Decentral, a popular cryptocurrency infrastructure provider.
In this interview, we discuss all the above and also discuss recent reports that he is leaving the cryptocurrency industry.
Being one of Ethereum’s cofounders certainly has a special ring. We were curious to learn more about Anthony’s past, including his life before crypto.
It turns to be that Di Iorio is always been interested in computers. In fact, he humorously remarked that back in his family, when he was younger, he was “the computer guy.” This passion turned to business, as in the early 90s, Di Iorio started his first company – one focused on web design.
Following in the footsteps of his father who had an established home business, Di Iorio decided to learn more about business development and went to college to study it.
A problem-solver at heart, he was focused on finding solutions and identifying problems. In 2008, his family sold the business, opening up new avenues for him.
$8000 Worth of Bitcoin in 2012
In the years following the housing crisis, Di Iorio really began to explore the depths and implications of economics. His brother was the one who got him interested in the history of money, he said.
In 2012 he stumbled upon Bitcoin. He said that the idea sound money was something he had researched extensively and that freedom was something that was very important to him.
” I saw it as a tool that empowers people to take control of their own lives. In 2012 I just delved deep in Bitcoin, spent weeks without sleeping and really digging into it.”
This is where Di Iorio’s problem-solving personality came in. Di Iorio was looking for a place to discuss Bitcoin, and he found none. He started the Bitcoin meetups Toronto. As faith would have it Vitalik Buterin, the man who invented Ethereum, would attend the first meeting.
In any case, we were also curious as to the Bitcoin price when Anthony got in.
It was in 2012 – it was around $10. So I put $8,000 at the time then.
He also had a website about bitcoin that he later sold to bitcoin. This is how Di Iorio built up considerable capital considering that Bitcoin’s price has risen substantially over the years.
Cofounding Ethereum with Vitalik & Charles Hoskinson
Everyone who is involved in crypto knows the basics of Ethereum. But it was a concept at the time. Before Vitalik Buterin and Anthony Di Iorio, Charles Hoskinson and Mihai Alisie, the idea was still a concept. Later, Joseph Lubin and Jeffrey Wilcke joined the group, as well as Gavin Wood and Amir Chetrit.
With so many people involved in a single project, they must have been huge figures in the industry. We were curious to find out more about this. It was described by Di Iorio as
It wasn’t a typical business, I would argue. It was a lesson I learned long ago. I don’t need partners in business. I prefer to work alone – having the vision and then hiring people as necessary.
That was a great opportunity, and I couldn’t pass up the chance. It was such a fast-moving, fast-paced growth in 2013 and 2014 when we were setting everything up.
He stated that they were able to complete the crowd sale in eight months and begin the development work. Di Iorio acknowledged that the process was challenging and difficult, but it was also rewarding.
We also asked him if Ethereum would eventually surpass Bitcoin as the dominant cryptocurrency. He said that he believed so.
In any case, he left Ethereum to start his own company, Decentral. This was also a industry standard.
Is Anthony Di Iorio leaving the industry?
One of the topics we discussed was the recent reports about Di Iorio’s departure from the industry. He confirmed that the conclusion was correct. However, a lot of reports were wrong and failed to provide important details.
First, he made it clear that he isn’t leaving crypto because of his faith in it.
He confirmed that security plays a part in it, saying that crypto presents a risk profile he isn’t really comfortable with but also making it clear that this is only a small portion of his reasoning.
His main motivation for leaving the industry was to address bigger problems outside of crypto. We have already mentioned Di Iorio as a problem solver, and we will repeat it again. He seems to believe that there are larger issues that can be solved than crypto.
In any case, you should listen to the whole interview, as we discuss all of the above in more detail.
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Ethereum Price Analysis: ETH Gains 9% Weekly But The Road to $4K Has These Obstacles
Ethereum is showing strong bullish momentum, driven by an influx of buyers. However, as the price nears a significant resistance level at $4K, market participants should anticipate a period of consolidation with the potential for heightened volatility. Technical Analysis By Shayan The Weekly Chart Ethereum has experienced an impulsive uptrend… Read More
Selling ETH for BTC: Leading Chinese Gaming Firm Converts
Boyaa Interactive, a leading Chinese gaming firm on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, has reallocated a significant portion of its crypto assets from Ethereum to Bitcoin.
As per a November 29 filing, the company reported converting 14,200 ETH into approximately 515 BTC in an open-market deal worth more than $49 million. The Ethereum had been acquired at an average cost of $2,777 per ETH, totaling $39.45 million.
Following the transaction, Boyaa now holds 3,183 BTC, with an average purchase price of $57,724 per coin.
The company emphasized that the move is in line with its strategy to expand its Bitcoin reserves, considering the market outlook for both Ethereum and Bitcoin. According to the board, converting existing Ether holdings into is a timely decision.
In March, Boyaa announced the approval of a $100 million initiative to allocate $45 million of corporate funds to Bitcoin, $45 million to Ethereum, and $10 million to stablecoins such as Tether’s USDT and Circle’s USDC.
The Hong Kong Stock Exchange-listed firm disclosed a $1 million investment in the UTXO Management Bitcoin Ecosystem Fund in July. UTXO, interestingly, is the asset management partner of BTC Inc., a key player in the Bitcoin ecosystem that owns Bitcoin Magazine and hosts the Bitcoin Conference.
The latest development as Bitcoin gains traction in corporate investment portfolios, with Rumble, the renowned online streaming platform, revealing its decision to diversify its cash reserves by investing in Bitcoin.
The company’s Board of Directors has authorized an allocation of up to $20 million in BTC, allowing for flexible purchasing. Similarly, Jiva Technologies, a wellness and plant-based e-commerce company, has also committed to Bitcoin, securing approval for a strategy involving investments of up to $1 million.
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Huge Bitcoin Volatility, Ethereum Picks Up Speed, Ripple Bull Run Goes On: This Week’s Crypto Recap
It was a crazy week in the cryptocurrency industry, filled with a lot of volatility, a resurgance that the entire community was debating about, as well as the story of the underdog coming back at it. Let’s dive in.
First, we have Bitcoin. Its price tried to breach $100K last weekend on numerous occasions, but it turned out that the sell wall there was just too big for the bulls to overcome. That ultimately took its toll, and the price crashed, reaching almost $90K during the week. That’s when things started to get funny. The sentiment was completely from less than a week ago when BTC breached $90K for the first time.
Nevertheless, the price didn’t spend much time at these lows as the bulls were quick to regroup and started pushing forward. At the time of this writing, BTC is trading at around $97K and many are already calling for $100K to be breached this time around.
Another interesting turn is Ethereum’s performance throughout the past seven days. Now, you have to understand that many in the community have been making fun of ETH for being the slow runner throughout this bull run and failing to keep up. This week, however, it’s up by more than 8% and it appears that it’s looking at it’s next target at $3.7K.
But the best performer of them all throughout the past seven days was Ripple’s XRP. The cryptocurrency has been on an absolute tear throughout the past month, and it has even managed to flip BNB for the spot of the 5th largest coin by means of total market capitalization, albeit marginally as of yet.
It’s interesting to see how things will turn in the next couple of weeks, but it appears that the market remains as heated as ever.
MicroStrategy Breaks its Own Record: Another Massive Purchase for 55,500 BTC (Worth $5.4B). The business intelligence company has increased its Bitcoin holdings to 386,700 BTC, following a record-breaking purchase of 55,500 BTC worth $5.4 billion at an average price of $97,862. The company’s total crypto stash, acquired for nearly $22 billion, is now valued at around $37.6 billion, yielding over $15 billion in paper profit.
WisdomTree Files for Ripple (XRP) in Delaware. The entity has filed initial paperwork in Delaware to launch an XRP exchange-traded fund (ETF), marking the first step toward regulatory approval, with an S-1 registration required to proceed. While the filing reflects growing interest in altcoin ETFs, significant regulatory challenges could delay approvals.
Solana’s Pump.fun Halts Livestream Function After Disturbing Content Sparks Outrage. The Solana-based meme coin generator, has suspended its livestream functionality indefinitely to address inappropriate content and enhance moderation systems. The decision follows incidents of disturbing behavior on its platform, prompting the team to prioritize user safety and transparency while improving content control measures
TORN Surges 400% as Court Rules Against US Treasury Sanctions on Tornado Cash. The federal appeals court ruled that Tornado Cash’s smart contracts cannot be sanctioned as “property,” overturning the Treasury Department’s 2022 ruling against the crypto mixer. This decision was followed by a massive price resurgence for the underlying cryptocurrency.
MARA Boosts BTC Holdings to $3.3 Billion Through $1B Convertible Note Offering. MARA, formerly known as Marathon Digital, has expanded its Bitcoin holdings to 34,797 BTC (valued at $3.3 billion) after purchasing 6,474 BTC in November using proceeds from a $1 billion convertible note offering. The mining company plans to issue an additional $700 million in convertible notes for further Bitcoin acquisitions and corporate purposes, mirroring MicroStrategy’s debt-fueled BTC buying strategy.
Global Stablecoin Supply Hits New All-Time High. The total market capitalization of the stablecoin sector has reached a record $191.6 billion, with Tether (USDT) dominating 69% of the market and USD Coin (USDC) accounting for 21%. The figure represents a 50% increase since January 2024, driven by growing demand and bullish sentiment in the broader crypto market.
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