Richard Botley

Today nine institutions including BlackRock, Fidelity, Coinbase, and Strategy announced the Bitcoin Security Consortium (@BTCconsortium), pledging $15M toward Bitcoin security work over the next three years. I've agreed to help coordinate the group's work as a volunteer. I said yes because supporting Bitcoin's developers and helping people understand their work are the two things I've spent my time in Bitcoin on, through Brink and Optech. This group wants to do both: fund the people already securing Bitcoin, and bring accurate information about that work to audiences it doesn't currently reach. The group's first focus is quantum computing, a potential long-term threat that's reasonable to prepare for. Its true that a sufficiently powerful quantum computer would break Bitcoin's current signatures. What's usually wrong are the loudest "imminent doom" voices. The development community is already working on this. These institutions want to help. I know exactly how "nine giant institutions form a group to 'help' Bitcoin" sounds, I had the same reaction. So before accepting, I spoke one-on-one with each company about their values and priorities, to judge whether this would actually be a productive initiative for Bitcoin. Two things mattered most to me, and I found the members already aligned on both: - No pooled funding. Each member company funds who they choose, independently. The Consortium doesn't hold funds or pick recipients. - No Consortium positions on protocol changes. Members speak for themselves. I'm a volunteer, receiving no compensation from the Consortium. I continue to run Brink, independent of any Consortium member. I've committed to a year in this role, maybe I'd do two, but ultimately I see it as a seat that should rotate to other participants over time. My commitment is to Bitcoin, and that doesn't change. My hope is that this effort results in more funding reaching more developers/researchers, on their own terms, and a measured counterweight to quantum panic, in both directions (no doomerism, but also no dismissal). Quantum is the first focus, but if this group works the way I think it can, there's room to support other security efforts down the road too. More about the Consortium: xitter.cf/Strategy/status/208026… I expect plenty of skepticism. Ask me anything.