Amir Taaki Blasts Bitcoin Leadership: ‘Corrupt and Broken Governance’

This week, Amir Taaki hopped back onto X to share his view that Bitcoin’s leadership “is corrupt.” Taaki announced he’s now more captivated by the Ethereum scene, diving into zero-knowledge (ZK) tech, decentralized finance (defi), and “crypto math.”

Bitcoin Historian’s Query Sparks Explosive Critique

Former Bitcoin developer Amir Taaki hasn’t held back lately, and this week he blasted the leadership behind Bitcoin’s development. His tirade came on the heels of his recent remarks about Roger Ver and his “small block Bitcoin communism” commentary. “I don’t want to explain the entire history of Bitcoin so you can understand the leadership is corrupt and governance broken,” Taaki wrote on X on Friday. Echoing one of Satoshi Nakamoto’s sentiments, he added:

I’m interested more in [Ethereum] ecosystem, ZK, defi, and crypto math. I spend my time writing code. I don’t have time to explain. Sorry.

After Taaki’s statement hit the scene, Bitcoin historian and Bitcoin Magazine editor Pete Rizzo chimed in, puzzled by Taaki’s remarks. “As someone who has studied your work for a while, I find this objection confusing,” Rizzo responded to Taaki’s X thread. “Didn’t you introduce the BIP process to slow down the development process? Isn’t the barrier to using multiple implementations the lack of a consensus library where they can all be used safely? What is the other objection with the status quo you would have?”

The former Bitcoin developer fired back at Rizzo with a detailed response. He argued that the obstacle to utilizing multiple Bitcoin implementations isn’t the missing consensus library; such a library does exist, yet alternative versions are still knocked down or “attacked.” “It’s the same code Satoshi wrote in 2010,” Taaki said. “They didn’t change anything. For example, Bitcoin messages have a checksum and are message-based, yet it still uses TCP. TCP doesn’t need a checksum. They could upgrade to UDP, or just remove the checksum. The code is still sh**.”

Taaki says that despite years passing, there’s been no significant refactoring or cleanup of the code. The creation of a Bitcoin library, termed “libbitcoin,” was attempted but never completed, showing a lack of progress. He wholeheartedly believes there’s a lack of proper governance and accountability in Bitcoin development. “Their stupid maxi army thinks it’s a decentralized project where nobody is [in] control, which is the biggest lie sold by the shadow government in Bitcoin to prevent any proper governance or accountability for their incompetence,” Taaki remarked.

He also spilled the beans on his personal journey, venting about the frustrations with Bitcoin’s development vibe, which nudged him to pivot to Ethereum and eventually launch Darkfi to prove his points through deeds rather than words. Taaki revealed some allegations against Peter Todd, claiming he was dishonest in handling a bounty fund for Coinjoin development, where funds got rerouted after rules were flipped on a whim. “He took action to cheat a broke opensource dev team out of money … Absolute unapologetic intel-collaborating scumbag,” Taaki wrote.

He added:

Most normal people in the face of irrefutable evidence would apologize and make amends but he doubles down smug. Imagine that’s part of Core, an influencer who doesn’t create jacksh** and is invited to all the events to speak despite this history being known. It’s super super corrupt, and there’s way more stories like this. People are completely clueless what’s going on in Core. They’re not just incompetent, they’re compromised.

A whole bunch of folks jumped in to chime on Taaki’s critique of Core. Rodolfo Novak, Coinkite co-founder, wasn’t having it and responded, “Been here since the beginning, disagree. Many perspectives my friends.” Bitcoin Core contributor Luke Dashjr made a statement as well. “When did you decide to burn down your reputation?” Dashjr asked. Taaki addressed his question.

“I don’t care about reputation. I say what I want without limits. I write code and deliver software,” Taaki replied. “People the results and that’s all that matters in the end. If I think people are wrong, I’ll say that but it’s not my job to convince people but instead demonstrate it.”

David Seroy ecosystem lead at Alpen Labs told Taaki, “Come help us bring ZK verification to Bitcoin.” Taaki replied to Seroy noting how he was a next generation builder. “I love you guys and the other teams. You’re the next gen who grew up outside maxi culture and is what will save Bitcoin,” the former Bitcoin developer responded to Seroy. “Building a [layer two (L2)] would be the next best thing I’d be doing rn, and if it works out then maybe Darkfi will become a BTC L2. Right now I want to focus on making the best product/ecosystem unconstrained first then lets see how things pan out.”

In light of Taaki’s recent criticisms, it appears the Bitcoin community is still at odds, where internal governance and technological evolution are under scrutiny. Taaki’s candid revelations and his decision to engage with alternative projects like defi and potentially Bitcoin L2 solutions showcase a narrative of seeking accountability and progress in cryptocurrency development. His critique not only challenges the current status quo but also illuminates the complexities of maintaining a decentralized ethos while fostering technological advancement, potentially reshaping perceptions of leadership and integrity in the crypto space.