Andreas Antonopoulos
{{Short description|British-Greek Bitcoin advocate}}
{{EngvarB|date=November 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2017}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Andreas Markos Antonopoulos
| image = Internetdagarna 2017 (38513379582) (cropped).jpg
| caption = Antonopoulos presenting at Internetdagarna 2017 in Stockholm
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1972}}
| birth_place =
| birthname =
| othername =
| nationality = {{hlist|British|Greek}}
| alma_mater = University College London
| known_for =
| net_worth =
| website = {{URL|https://aantonop.com/}}
}}
Andreas Markos Antonopoulos{{cite web |title=Andreas Markos Antonopoulos |url=https://patents.justia.com/inventor/andreas-markos-antonopoulos |website=Justia Patents |access-date=17 August 2024}} (born 1972 in London) is a British-Greek Bitcoin advocate, tech entrepreneur, and author. He is a host on the Speaking of Bitcoin podcast{{Cite web|title=Speaking of Bitcoin (formerly Let's Talk Bitcoin!)|url=https://soundcloud.com/mindtomatter|access-date=2021-11-23|website=SoundCloud|language=en}} (formerly called Let's Talk Bitcoin!{{cite web | author1 = Aaron Mak | title = Cryptocurrency's Terrible 2018 |url=https://slate.com/technology/2018/12/bitcoin-price-cryptocurrency-bubble-burst.html | work = Slate | publisher = Slate | access-date = 11 July 2019 | date = 29 December 2018 | archive-date = 4 March 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304203734/https://slate.com/technology/2018/12/bitcoin-price-cryptocurrency-bubble-burst.html | url-status = live }}) and a teaching fellow for the M.Sc. Digital Currencies at the University of Nicosia.{{cite web | author1 = Elias Hazou | title = UNIC launches bitcoin course |url=http://cyprus-mail.com/2014/04/11/unic-launches-bitcoin-course/ | access-date = 14 November 2014 | date = 11 April 2014 | work = Business | publisher = CyprusMail | archive-date = 29 November 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129021500/http://cyprus-mail.com/2014/04/11/unic-launches-bitcoin-course/ | url-status = live }}
Early life and education
Antonopoulos was born in 1972 in London, UK,{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sE7998qfjgk|title=Andreas M. Antonopoulos: "Consensus Algorithms, Blockchain Technology and Bitcoin" [UCL]|date=10 July 2015|people=Andreas M. Antonopoulos|language=en|publisher=YouTube|location=London|time=0:00-0:18|quote=So this is, this is great, it's back to my roots. I was a student here in 1990, but i was actually born in London, and i am half British which you won't hear in my accent any more; Brooklyn changed that.}} and moved to Athens, Greece during the Greek Junta.{{cn|date=July 2021}} He spent his childhood there,{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gW2UnmVuwI|title=The Greek Debt Crisis Explained – Andreas Antonopoulos|date=19 August 2015|people=Andreas M. Antonopoulos|language=en|publisher=YouTube|location=London|time=0:11-0:20|quote=Brian Rose: Are you Greek? Andreas Antonopoulos: Yes, i am. I lived in Greece most of my childhood. I graduated from high school there. My parents are still in Greece, at the moment.|publication-date=29 August 2015}}{{Cite web|last=Araya|first=Daniel|date=29 February 2016|title=The Promise of Bitcoin: An Interview With Andreas M. Antonopoulos|url=https://futurism.com/promise-bitcoin-interview-andreas-m-antonopoulos|url-status=live|access-date=2021-07-12|website=Futurism|quote=I've been interested in cryptocurrencies since the early 1990s. In many ways, my interest stems from my experiences growing up in Greece. I saw the way a currency crisis could wipe out the wealth of an entire generation, and it had a big impact on me.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160302093256/http://futurism.com:80/promise-bitcoin-interview-andreas-m-antonopoulos/ |archive-date=2 March 2016 }} and at the age of 17 returned to the UK.{{cn|date=July 2021}} Antonopoulos obtained his degrees in Computer science and Data Communications, Networks and Distributed Systems from University College London.{{Cite web|last=Antonopoulos|first=Andreas M.|title=Andreas M. Antonopoulos|url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/amantonopoulos/|url-status=live|website=LinkedIn|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070612080616/http://www.linkedin.com:80/in/amantonopoulos/ |archive-date=12 June 2007 }}{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GP_eT6E4os8|title=Canadian Senate Testimony on Bitcoin|date=8 October 2014|publication-date=16 April 2016|people=Irving Gerstein|language=en|publisher=YouTube|location=Ottawa|time=0:38-0:42|quote=He is a Computer Sciences graduate from University College London.}}
Career
=Nemertes Research=
He was Senior Vice President and a Founding Partner with Nemertes Research, from 2003 until 2011. While there, Antonopoulos researched computer security, stating that the greatest threat to computer security was not experienced hackers, but overly complex systems that resulted from rapid change in business.{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/12/technology/techspecial/12threat.html?pagewanted=print | access-date = 4 November 2014 | title = Who Needs Hackers? | work = The New York Times | date = 12 September 2007 | author = John Schwartz | archive-date = 4 November 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141104221558/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/12/technology/techspecial/12threat.html?pagewanted=print | url-status = live }}
=Bitcoin involvement=
In 2012, Antonopoulos became enamored with Bitcoin. He eventually abandoned his job as a freelance consultant and started speaking at conferences about bitcoin, consulting for startups, and writing articles free of charge.{{cite web | author1 = Lucinda Shen | title = Why People Are Giving This Man Almost $2 Million in Free Bitcoin |url=http://fortune.com/2017/12/08/bitcoin-prices-anton-antonopoulos-rich/ | work = Fortune | access-date = 8 December 2017 | date = 8 December 2017 | archive-date = 9 December 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171209030349/http://fortune.com/2017/12/08/bitcoin-prices-anton-antonopoulos-rich/ | url-status = live }}
According to his podcast, Antonopoulos is a consultant on several bitcoin-related startups.{{cite web|url=http://fortune.com/2014/01/21/bitcoin-is-not-just-digital-currency-its-napster-for-finance/|access-date=16 October 2014|date=21 January 2014|title=Bitcoin is not just digital currency. It's Napster for finance.|author=David Morris|archive-date=20 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020170036/http://fortune.com/2014/01/21/bitcoin-is-not-just-digital-currency-its-napster-for-finance/|url-status=live}}
In January 2014, Antonopoulos joined Blockchain.info as chief security officer.{{cite news | title = Bitcoin Weekly, January 29, 2014: TigerDirect on board, CEO of BitInstant arrested, Antonopoulos joins Blockchain.info |url=http://siliconangle.com/blog/2014/01/29/bitcoin-weekly-2014-january-29-tigerdirect-on-board-ceo-of-bitinstant-arrested-antonopoulos-joins-blockchain-info/ | author = Kyt Dotson | publisher = siliconANGLE | date = 29 January 2014 | access-date = 18 November 2014}} In September 2014, he left the CSO role.
In April 2014, Antonopoulos organised a fundraising campaign for Dorian Nakamoto, who was identified in a Newsweek article as the creator of bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto. The reporting techniques used in the article were controversial among journalists and Bitcoin community members. The fundraiser, intended to assist Nakamoto after the attention he received as a result of the article, raised 50 bitcoins, worth US$23,000 at the time.{{cite web | author1 = Kevin Collier | title = Dorian Nakamoto thanks Bitcoin community for $23,000 donation |url=http://www.dailydot.com/news/dorian-nakamoto-satoshi-fundraiser-andreas-m-antonopoulos/ | access-date = 11 November 2014 | work = The Daily Dot | date = 22 April 2014 | archive-date = 11 November 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141111222915/http://www.dailydot.com/news/dorian-nakamoto-satoshi-fundraiser-andreas-m-antonopoulos/ | url-status = live }}{{cite news | work = London Evening Standard | author = Oscar Williams-Grut | title = Bitcoins raised for 'inventor' Dorian Nakamoto | date = 17 March 2014 | access-date = 19 November 2014 |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/business/business-news/bitcoins-raised-for-inventor-dorian-nakamoto-9181717.html | archive-date = 29 November 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129040134/http://www.standard.co.uk/business/business-news/bitcoins-raised-for-inventor-dorian-nakamoto-9181717.html | url-status = live }}
On 8 October 2014, Antonopoulos spoke in front of the Banking, Trade and Commerce committee of the Senate of Canada to address the senators' questions on how to regulate bitcoin in Canada.{{cite web | author1 = Michael Carney | title = Bitcoin evangelist Andreas Antonopoulos wows Canada's Senate Committee on Banking |url=http://pando.com/2014/10/09/bitcoin-evangelist-andreas-antonopoulos-wows-canadas-senate-committee-on-banking/ | access-date = 13 November 2014 | publisher = PandoDaily | date = 9 October 2014 | archive-date = 18 November 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141118173827/http://pando.com/2014/10/09/bitcoin-evangelist-andreas-antonopoulos-wows-canadas-senate-committee-on-banking/ | url-status = live }}
In March 2016, the first edition of Mastering Bitcoin was released by Antonopoulos, in print and online,{{cite web | author1 = Github | title = Release Edition1Print1 - bitcoinbook/bitcoinbook | website = GitHub |url=https://github.com/bitcoinbook/bitcoinbook/releases/tag/Edition1Print1 | access-date = 7 December 2017 | date = 17 Mar 2016 | archive-date = 9 July 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200709055755/https://github.com/bitcoinbook/bitcoinbook/releases/tag/Edition1Print1 | url-status = live }} followed by a second edition in June 2017.{{cite web | author1 = Github | title = Second Edition - First Print - bitcoinbook/bitcoinbook | website = GitHub |url=https://github.com/bitcoinbook/bitcoinbook/releases/tag/second_edition_print_1 | access-date = 20 September 2018 | date = 8 June 2017 | archive-date = 9 July 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200709055758/https://github.com/bitcoinbook/bitcoinbook/releases/tag/second_edition_print_1 | url-status = live }}
In December 2017, unsolicited donations of over 100 bitcoins were sent to Antonopoulos by over a thousand followers of his work, after Roger Ver made a public post to Twitter on 5 December questioning Antonopoulos's investment choices given his "eloquent" public speaking about bitcoin since 2012.{{cite web | author1 = Joon Ian Wong | title = A bitcoin booster got $1.5 million after being "bitshamed" for being poor |url=https://qz.com/1151233/andreas-antonopoulos-got-1-5-million-in-bitcoin-donations-after-roger-ver-bitshamed-him/ | work = Quartz | access-date = 8 December 2017 | date = 8 December 2017 | archive-date = 4 March 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304203733/https://qz.com/1151233/andreas-antonopoulos-got-1-5-million-in-bitcoin-donations-after-roger-ver-bitshamed-him/ | url-status = live }}
Bibliography
=Books=
- Mastering Bitcoin: Unlocking Digital Currencies (2014, O'Reilly) {{ISBN|978-1449374044}}
- Mastering Bitcoin 2nd Edition: Programming the Open Blockchain (2017, O'Reilly) {{ISBN|978-1491954386}}
- Mastering Ethereum: Building Smart Contracts and dApps (2018, O'Reilly) {{ISBN|978-1491971949}}
- The Internet of Money (Volume 1) (2016, O'Reilly) {{ISBN|978-1537000459}}
- The Internet of Money (Volume 2) (2017, Merkle Bloom, self-published) {{ISBN|978-1947910065}}
- The Internet of Money (Volume 3) (2019, Merkle Bloom, self-published) {{ISBN|978-1947910171}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{sisterlinks|auto=1|d=y}}
- {{Official}}
{{Bitcoin|state=expanded}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Antonopoulos, Andreas M.}}
Category:Place of birth missing (living people)
Category:Alumni of University College London
Category:Academic staff of the University of Nicosia
Category:People associated with Bitcoin
Category:British motivational speakers
Category:British people of Greek descent
Category:21st-century British male writers
Category:21st-century Greek male writers
Category:British technology writers
Category:Greek technology writers