-
Gavin Andresen (former lead developer)
-
Wladimir van der Laan (long-time maintainer)
This support was critical. Bitcoin did not “run itself.” Human labor kept it alive.
Again—this does not mean Epstein directed funding decisions.
But the overlap in time, money, and institutional cover is real.
The Epstein–MIT Relationship Was Not Transparent
Emails and internal reporting later revealed disturbing facts:
-
Epstein visited MIT at least nine times
-
His name was deliberately hidden in internal records
-
Staff referred to him as “Voldemort”
-
Meetings were held off-calendar
-
Donations were underreported
-
Senior MIT officials privately approved the relationship
This was not accidental negligence.
This was deliberate reputational shielding.
When the same institution becomes a funding bridge for Bitcoin’s core development, questions naturally follow.
The Manhattan Mansion Meeting
One of the most striking disclosures involves a meeting inside Epstein’s Manhattan residence.
Attendees included:
-
Brock Pierce — early Bitcoin investor, later co-founder of Tether
-
Larry Summers — former U.S. Treasury Secretary
-
Jeffrey Epstein
This was years before Bitcoin went mainstream.
Emails show Summers acknowledged Bitcoin’s “opportunities,” while expressing concern about reputational risk if prices collapsed.
This was not fringe speculation.
This was elite early-stage evaluation.
Steve Bannon and Crypto Strategy
In 2018, Epstein emailed Steve Bannon with pointed questions:
