Welcome to Slate Sundays, CryptoSlate’s new weekly characteristic showcasing in-depth interviews, knowledgeable evaluation, and thought-provoking op-eds that transcend the headlines to discover the concepts and voices shaping the way forward for crypto.
It’s not usually that you just meet somebody with as a lot integrity as Jameson Lopp. Being in his presence for any size of time, whether or not on-line or in meatspace (the place you’ll know him underneath a pseudonym), it begins to rub off on you and make you wish to be a greater Bitcoiner; a greater human, for that matter.
Few folks have achieved extra to advance the realm of Bitcoin and crypto safety than Jameson. Regardless of peddling a message nobody desires to listen to (till they’ve misplaced entry to their personal keys), he stays undeterred, making it his life’s work to teach folks of the potential risks surrounding their crypto safety setups and the Bitcoin community generally.
His specific model of product isn’t horny. It doesn’t lure with the promise of Lambos or NGU. Bitcoin safety is such an uncompelling subject, in truth, that Jameson’s discovered himself bumped from the primary stage at massive occasions. The rise in wrench assaults is such a “Debbie Downer” that he’s been relegated to the developer’s stage.
“The big non-technical conferences usually don’t even need the technical folks on stage speaking concerning the issues inherent to the system,” he says. “Having rational, sensible discussions concerning the issues within the house conflicts with lots of the narratives that folks wish to push on the market to pump it up and enhance adoption.”
As co-founder and Chief Safety Officer of Bitcoin safety supplier Casa, creator of Bitcoin real-time node monitoring platform statoshi, a slew of extra facet tasks aimed toward elevating consciousness, and over half 1,000,000 followers on X, Jameson confesses he’s “inundated,” and considerably “overwhelmed” making an attempt to remain on prime of all of it.
I caught up with the dwelling legend and trade OG to debate his extraordinary life, invaluable work, the rise in bodily Bitcoin assaults, and every thing in between.
Jameson Lopp and mastering the artwork of disappearance
Inform me what you realize about Jameson Lopp, and I’ll inform you what number of years you’ve been in Bitcoin. On second thought, hold that info to your self. As Jameson’s posted and reposted on X:
“The primary rule of the 21 million membership is that you don’t speak about becoming a member of the 21 million membership.”
Topic to a grueling SWATting assault in 2017, he’s lived firsthand via the trauma inflicted on Bitcoiners when his home was raided after the police acquired fraudulent calls from an attacker claiming to be him.
The caller instructed the police that he had shot somebody 15 instances with an assault rifle, was holding others hostage, and had rigged the entrance door with explosives, earlier than demanding a ransom of $50,000 in Bitcoin and threatening to shoot any approaching cops.
It was the stuff of films and the kind of ordeal that might have triggered most individuals to boost a white flag and retire from the trade altogether.
However Jameson Lopp isn’t most individuals.
Not solely did he maintain his head excessive and proceed to stay defiant, however he set about making himself not possible to search out—whereas educating others to erase their very own information trails. From utilizing ad-blockers and VPNs on-line to establishing a second residence as a decoy tackle, Jameson’s footprints are in invisible ink.
Not even his household is aware of the place he lives.
“The better and safer factor for me to have achieved could be to fully disappear,” he acknowledges, “however I felt like that might be giving in to the strain from dangerous actors. I needed to proceed to leverage the popularity that I had constructed and be capable to attain folks and speak about Bitcoin.”
I recall inventing a pseudonym one evening at a celebration and making up an entire new life. It was amusing at first till I couldn’t maintain a believable Spanish accent, and stored contradicting myself till the jig was up. I can’t even think about the psychological and bodily logistics concerned in dwelling this fashion long-term. It’s fairly excessive:
“The toughest half is that it’s a life-style change. After I began off, I used to be making a bunch of various pseudonyms that I used to be utilizing with completely different folks in meatspace, and it shortly turned too tough to maintain observe of, so I settled on only one pseudonym and one identification.
Then, in fact, I’ve my actual identification that I solely use to work together with folks remotely, as myself, my authentic authorities identification… It will get extra sophisticated if you happen to’re pulling extra folks into your scenario, like household, and kids.”
I wager. However Jameson has a signature look. Immediately recognizable, his unmistakable beard is streaked with silver like the paranormal bristles of a seasoned wizard. Has his cowl ever been blown?
“It’s extraordinarily uncommon,” he replies, “however that’s considered one of my difficult issues and a form of balancing act that I’m making an attempt to navigate. I don’t go on mainstream media exhibits for that purpose. I don’t need my face to be broadcast to hundreds of thousands and hundreds of thousands of individuals. I do smaller podcasts and stuff, that are solely going to be seen by the people who find themselves already deep into this house.”
200 recognized wrench assaults on Bitcoiners thus far
After I noticed considered one of Jameson’s newest posts on X, warning concerning the rising variety of wrench assaults and pointing to a well-maintained log of recognized bodily Bitcoin assaults, I knew I needed to attain out. However given his means to fade in plain sight, I didn’t anticipate him to reply. I used to be pleasantly stunned. He could also be not possible to bodily discover, however he’s out there on the click on of a mouse to anybody who desires to speak Bitcoin.
Based on Jameson’s data, there are over 200 documented bodily assaults on Bitcoiners, greater than 30 of these within the first half of 2025. Why is the quantity going up so alarmingly?
“It’s going up as a result of the whole worth and dimension of the ecosystem are going up, and the general consciousness of the ecosystem is rising. So, you realize, that is only a pure phenomenon… There’s all the time going to be some tiny proportion of sociopaths who’re prepared to harm different folks for their very own private acquire.”
What’s extra fascinating, he factors out, is the overall development of incidents carried out by organized crime teams specializing in this kind of assault.
“There was a slew of them up and down the east coast of America a couple of years in the past, after which just lately there’s been a slew of them in France, and in each circumstances, regulation enforcement finally arrested the folks behind it.”
I point out listening to him say beforehand that, oftentimes, wrench assaults are orchestrated by individuals who don’t reside in that nation however particularly journey there to hold out the assault. He nods:
“My attain and understanding of all of that is restricted by what’s being reported, however I’m seeing a sample in Southeast Asia of expats who’re being focused by what appears to be organized crime from their nation of origin.
I’ve seen a lot of assaults, for instance, the place Russian residents who’re both vacationing or dwelling in Southeast Asia are getting hit by Russian organized crime. They’re coming into the nation, wrench attacking them, after which making an attempt to get out as shortly as doable, and presumably making an attempt to leverage jurisdictional arbitrage.”
I ask whether or not wrench assaults principally occur to high-profile folks, and he shrugs.
“It’s laborious to say as a result of I by no means know who these individuals are. I do know “high-profile” people who find themselves on X. But when they’re high-profile on Instagram, I do not know, and I don’t use TikTok. So, excessive profile could be very relative and fragmented.”
He says he does know of a number of victims who have been Instagram influencers who have been “principally flaunting their wealth,” and bragging about their costly vehicles, wristwatches, and luxurious existence. He shakes his head:
“If you’re on any form of public community and you’re flaunting your wealth, that’s one of many extra dangerous issues that you may be doing.”
Greatest recommendation to guard your self? By no means KYC
With most jurisdictions hellbent on combating cash laundering and counter-terrorism finance, it’s nearly not possible to be energetic on this house with out handing over mounds of personal information. Sadly for many people, nonetheless, this usually finally ends up being doxxed on-line, like within the Ledger breach of 2020, or Coinbase just some weeks in the past.
What can we do to guard ourselves within the period of KYC with out going to the intense measures of shopping for a proxy home or being untraceable by even probably the most extremely expert of personal investigators?
“The most secure factor to do is to by no means KYC and solely use non-KYC companies. These are all the time going to be much less handy. They’re not as user-friendly, and there aren’t as a lot of them on the market. If you happen to’re utilizing KYC companies, I might say ideally you’re not giving them your own home tackle.”
He acknowledges this may be difficult since most suppliers require your house of domicile, however you’ll be able to cut back the chance by contemplating which doc you add.
“Personally, once I’m doing KYC, I desire to make use of my passport as my doc as a result of there’s no tackle on there. Then I’ll all the time initially strive giving them a non-public mailbox tackle that I’ve. Typically that works. But when they’ve stricter and better ranges of KYC, then I usually discover that getting rejected.”
When this occurs, Jameson reluctantly arms over the tackle of his now authorized residency, which he rents however doesn’t spend time in.
“In fact, that’s going to be out of attain for most individuals to only have one other tackle that they’re not really utilizing,” he concedes.
And what about offering a utility invoice? There’s no workaround for that:
“That’s actually robust for me as a result of I’ve no utility payments in my identify by design.”
A proud Libertarian and absolutely fledged Bitcoiner
As a self-proclaimed Libertarian, I ask Jameson whether or not he’s ever voted, or if that’s even doable now. He smooths down his beard and ponders my phrases, saying he stopped voting when he realized “no Libertarian was ever going to turn into president” or win any high-level workplace.
“The bi-party system is simply too entrenched for that. However no, I positively haven’t any intention of ever registering to vote once more due to the general public data that that creates. You recognize, the ROI of voting, just like the precise influence of my votes versus the period of time I must spend evaluating all of the politicians, their platforms, and whether or not or not I even belief them, it’s simply simpler for me to disregard politics as a lot as doable.”
And with a lot hoop-jumping and painstaking planning behind each transfer he makes, whether or not on-line or within the bodily realm, is all this actually value it? Did he ever take into account quitting fully? He pauses for some time and displays:
“There’s this cybersecurity saying. One thing just like the most secure manner to make use of a pc is to by no means flip it on, by no means contact it, by no means use it… The pc, and particularly with the arrival of the web, is a massively highly effective instrument, nevertheless it’s a two-way gadget, proper? On one hand, you have got entry to basically the whole sum of human information. Alternatively, you’re exposing your self to billions of potential attackers. You’re basically opening up a door to the remainder of the world for them to start out knocking on.”
I say that jogs my memory of an identical chorus: A ship is protected within the harbor, however that’s not what ships are for. He smiles and agrees. Let’s face it, there’s no world during which Jameson leaves the pc untouched.
“Crucial factor that you are able to do for Bitcoin is to speak about it. That was one of many extra vital elements of my life. I didn’t wish to hand over on that.”
Bitcoin company treasuries and Saylor’s outsized benefit
Jameson’s conviction is indeniable, and the lengths he’s gone to advocate for Bitcoin deserve a Nobel prize. Did he all the time anticipate the trade to evolve this fashion, with $100K worth models, Bitcoin company treasuries, and an AI and crypto czar within the White Home?
“I’ve all the time been stunned by the extent of volatility,” he admits. “After I initially acquired into Bitcoin, I used to be viewing it as form of a 30-year generation-level financial savings account. I wasn’t seeing it as a speculative funding that was going to go up many orders of magnitude simply over the subsequent decade.”
That’s to not say he’s happy with every thing, although. Bitcoin on the Oval Workplace is a far cry from the peer-to-peer digital money system initially introduced to the world.
“I actually have lots of considerations with the present state of the ecosystem, primarily that lots of the adoption that appears to be occurring proper now’s occurring via TradFi automobiles that don’t even give folks an choice to take self-custody. So, that worries me each from a cultural perspective and a systemic danger perspective of the place the system is headed.”
With Michael Saylor pledging to purchase Bitcoin till Technique scoops up 10% of the provision and Bitcoin treasury corporations popping up like weeds, I think about that is fairly a priority…
“If an excessive amount of Bitcoin will get concentrated in too few arms, we run the chance of basically recreating a extremely centralized system,” he replies.
He confesses to being “conflicted” over the rising phenomenon of Bitcoin treasury corporations as a result of, on the one hand, Bitcoin is for everybody, but, on the opposite, Technique is “thus far forward they usually hold pulling out additional forward.” He want to see a extra degree taking part in discipline, which is why he determined to put money into David Bailey’s Nakamoto.
“It’s not as a result of I feel that company Bitcoin treasury adoption is the most effective factor since sliced bread. It’s as a result of I felt like we would have liked to have a broader and extra numerous group of company treasuries to compete with Saylor, to attempt to decelerate how a lot he can proceed accumulating. He has a whole lot of 1000’s of cash. What if he acquired to the purpose of getting like 5 or 10% of the whole provide? That’s reaching systemic danger ranges.”
Jameson on quantum computing (or, we’re all ‘screwed’)
I ask what the best menace to the Bitcoin community is: centralization or quantum computing? Jameson’s been tweeting concerning the latter quite a bit just lately:
“There’s a number of long-term existential points that I fear about. Quantum is a matter that I fear about at the side of issues like ossification and scaling.”
He continues:
“With quantum computing, there’s like half a dozen issues which might be happening in parallel, and so as to “clear up the quantum computing drawback,” we’ll have to come back to consensus on these half a dozen issues concurrently, which is just about unprecedented. Given the slowing and the rising problem and consensus modifications to the Bitcoin protocol, that is why I began speaking about it a yr in the past.”
He compares the quantum computing drawback to local weather change, in that it’s an ever-present menace, but appears distant when there are extra urgent points to face.
“I feel it’s an identical sort of drawback inside Bitcoin, nevertheless it’s exacerbated by the truth that, first, it takes years to get consensus on a change. Then it takes a number of years after the consensus change is activated for the remainder of the ecosystem to implement it, and, on this case, there’s anadditional delay of a number of years as a result of folks should migrate their funds. We’ve by no means been in that scenario earlier than.”
And the way far-off is quantum computing?
There are a selection of predictions on this, he explains, from those that say it’s already right here to others who imagine it should by no means arrive due to “some quantum physics degree attribute that can stop us from ever reaching that degree of computation.” What we all know for sure, he says, is that a number of authorities and requirements companies are advising folks to organize for it inside no less than 5 years.
“Assuming that’s conservative and that we now have no less than 5 years, then, you realize, possibly we even have 10 or 15 years… I actually hope that we now have 10 years. If we solely have 5 years, I feel we’re screwed as a result of it should take a number of years to get the consensus change, after which a number of years for it to matriculate and everybody emigrate. I’m hoping we now have no less than 10 years, that might be a great buffer.”
Sleeping soundly in a world of uncertainty
Of all of the shifting narratives and cultural clashes over the previous few years, the one which bothers Jameson probably the most is the pervasive dogma that Bitcoin is “inevitable” and “good” as it’s. This can be a harmful view, in his opinion—and one usually purveyed by proponents of ossification. He says:
“That results in what I take into account to be the best menace to Bitcoin over the long run, which is apathy. If individuals are apathetic about persevering with to speak about bettering Bitcoin, that’s when it turns into weak and extra weak to new threats that may emerge.”
Between perilous narratives, God-like AI, centralization of the community, and quantum computing looming forward, the long run feels fairly bleak. There’s a lot to fret about, I exclaim.
As a safety pioneer and defender of the soundest cash the world has ever seen, does Jameson handle to get any sleep in any respect? He frowns for a second earlier than replying:
“I strive to not let all of these items which might be exterior of my management hold me up at evening. Like I mentioned earlier than, persevering with to speak about Bitcoin and talk about its issues is without doubt one of the finest ways in which folks can contribute to the house…
It’s about conserving folks and engaged and eager about what we will do to handle issues earlier than they occur.”
Talked about on this article
