Here Are the Real Heroes of the Bitcoin Revolution – Those Without Whom Bitcoin Could Not Evolve

Helping them is the best way to support the Bitcoin revolution.

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Illustration by Sylvain Saurel — Background: Marvel

Since the beginning of Bitcoin's bull rally in October 2020, most media outlets have been talking about the price of Bitcoin breaking records, or possibly entering a Bear Market. That's how CNN announced the start of the Bitcoin Bear Market in January 2021 when its price underwent a 25% correction in a few hours.

CNN must have realized by then that Bitcoin was an asset in a class by itself.

Bitcoin is much more than that. Bitcoin is a monetary revolution aimed at building a better world for the many in the future. It is Satoshi Nakamoto's answer to the flaws in the current system that will eventually lead to its collapse.

Satoshi Nakamoto created Bitcoin, but it is the contributors to Bitcoin's source code that keep this revolution evolving

While we have Satoshi Nakamoto to thank forever for inventing Bitcoin, today I'd like to tell you about the real heroes of the Bitcoin revolution.

These heroes are mostly unsung, yet their work is essential for the Bitcoin system to continue to evolve. Without their work, the Bitcoin revolution could not envision revolutionizing the world we live in.

I assume you've recognized that I'm talking about the developers who have been contributing to the development of Bitcoin block by block for years. These developers are like you and me: they need money to live.

For the development work they do for Bitcoin, and thus for the community as a whole, to continue, they need to find ways to fund it. Some work for companies that have an interest in funding their work because they benefit from the growth of Bitcoin.

Bitcoin developers are unsung heroes of the revolution who need help

Others occasionally appeal for donations to find sponsors to fund their activity that is essential to the Bitcoin revolution.

On this Monday, May 31, 2021, I came across a tweet from developer Jon Atack:

Tweet from Jon Atack

In his tweet, Jon Atack simply explains that he is looking for funding to continue working on the Bitcoin source code.

I obviously retweeted directly this appeal made by Jon Atack:

Tweet from Sylvain Saurel

As you can see this type of tweet doesn't really get a lot of engagement. This is a pity because these are the tweets that are much more important than those explaining how the price of Bitcoin will evolve in the coming days.

The example of developer Jon Atack is a good reminder of the importance of helping Bitcoin developers

So I urge you to visit Jon Atack's Web page:

Jon Atack's Web page

There you will find that he has been contributing to Bitcoin since March 2019 and that he is among the most active contributors on Bitcoin Core with 374 commits merged into the Bitcoin source code.

My goal here is not just to highlight Jon Atack, but to remind you that all of these contributors to the Bitcoin source code need our help to ensure that Bitcoin continues to evolve in the right direction. They are the ones who will keep the Bitcoin system the most secure decentralized network in the world.

Donation platforms like Open Sats are also a good way to support the Bitcoin revolution

Launched in mid-2020, the Open Sats initiative is a web-based platform aimed at facilitating donations to Bitcoin Core contributors, among other things. The scope of Open Sats goes further, but the gist is here as stated on the homepage:

“We are extremely proud to pass through 100% of charitable donations. Nobody in the organization makes any money.”

100% of the donations you make via Open Sats will go to fund contributors to Bitcoin Core or open-source projects aimed at improving the Bitcoin ecosystem. In short, it will be money well invested to help build a better world for the many in the future.

Other initiatives like Open Sats may already exist, but my goal here was not to be exhaustive. Rather, my goal was to remind you of the importance of supporting the guardians of the Bitcoin revolution: those who are closest to the source code of Bitcoin and who contribute to its evolution.

Supporting the Bitcoin developers is the best way to support the Bitcoin revolution

Whether you do so via donations to Bitcoin developers directly or via donation platforms like Open Sats, the important thing for me is that you remember to support what makes the Bitcoin revolution so powerful every day.

Bitcoin is counting on you!

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