How to make a little fish in the world of cryptocurrencies: the Epstein inheritance haunting Bitcoin

Welcome back~ If you want to understand how to make a splash in the cryptocurrency universe, you need to know a story that the industry’s big names would prefer to forget. While crypto market leaders proclaim daily about “an ideal decentralized world,” US Department of Justice files revealed something that shattered this idealized narrative: the connection between old power and Bitcoin.

The established power’s investment journey in Bitcoin (2011-2014)

The story begins long before public exposure. In 2011, Jeffrey Epstein already praised Bitcoin as “incredible”—a sign that old power figures were watching closely. Three years later, in 2014, when blockchain technology was still new, Epstein not only discussed “secret Bitcoin projects” via email with Peter but also invested $500,000 in Blockstream and considered putting $3 million into Coinbase. These numbers show Epstein wasn’t a true believer in the decentralized revolution but rather a strategist weaving connections in new technologies—classic behavior for making a splash by positioning before a market explosion.

When the truth turned into a splash: the 2024 documents and community upheaval

Ten years after those emails and investments, the US Department of Justice finally opened Pandora’s box. The exposure of this documented material caused turbulence in the market: Bitcoin even erased its gains for the year, the XRP community faced moments of uncertainty, and Ripple’s former CTO quickly stated it was “a misunderstanding, with no evidence of illegal activity.” The pure narrative of a decentralized revolution suddenly showed its seams.

The Department of Justice clarified that there was no evidence of illegal activity—Epstein was merely an occasional investor and social participant in tech circles. But this cold statement of “no proven crime” doesn’t ease the regulatory pressure that will surely increase. The question of how to make a splash in this market now takes on new meaning: how to identify genuine innovation versus old power repackaged?

Decentralized revolution or old power game repackaged?

Currently, with Bitcoin hovering near $80,000, many pause to question fundamentals. Are we truly buying into a technological revolution, or are we participating in a sophisticated power game, just with new disguises? The answer isn’t simple. Epstein’s connection to Bitcoin doesn’t disprove the technology itself but reveals that from the start, established power figures were positioned to benefit from any scenario.

Epstein’s investments in Blockstream and Coinbase weren’t about philosophical beliefs in decentralization—they were about understanding where the money would flow. And at this point, the lesson is clear: to avoid making a splash in this market, you need to question not only the technology but also who’s behind it, how long they’ve been there, and whether decentralization is truly the goal or just a good marketing speech.