The truth behind the table: How Epstein connected the elite to Bitcoin

Declassified documents by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2024 revealed an uncomfortable reality for the cryptocurrency world. While the community proclaims daily the ideal of a decentralized ecosystem, historical records tell a very different story: in 2014, on the famous Epstein island, the global elite gathered for high-level business, and among the archived emails was a secret project involving Bitcoin. The table where powerful business figures sat held secrets that challenged everything the crypto sector claimed to represent.

The Silent Investments of the Powerful

Epstein’s connection to Bitcoin was no coincidence. In 2011, he already praised the currency as “incredible,” recognizing its disruptive potential. Three years later, in 2014, he intensified his involvement through revealing emails with Peter, in which he not only discussed strategies but also funneled $500,000 into Blockstream, one of the leading companies related to Bitcoin development. Additionally, he was on the verge of investing $3 million in Coinbase, one of the largest exchanges in the market.

Epstein was not a true believer in the decentralizing philosophy. His moves reveal a pattern of an opportunistic investor building a strategic network in emerging technologies, regardless of ideology. For someone like him, cryptocurrencies did not represent a social revolution but an opportunity to strengthen his sphere of influence in new financial territories.

Contradictory Reactions and the Attempt to Contain

When the documents surfaced, Bitcoin began to erase its gains for the year. The XRP community erupted in fury, and Ripple’s former CTO quickly issued a vague statement, calling the findings “a misunderstanding, with no substantial evidence.” The Department of Justice was more pragmatic, stating there was no evidence of illegality—Epstein was merely a socialite and occasional investor from a legal-technical perspective.

But legal nuance does not eliminate the fundamental issue. Regulatory pressure will surely increase, as authorities now have concrete records linking influential names in financial crime to the initial development of cryptocurrencies. This uncomfortable connection forces a reevaluation of how these technologies were created and by whom.

When Decentralization Meets Centralized Power

Today, with Bitcoin fluctuating around $80,000, many investors face a disturbing question: what are we really acquiring? A genuine technological revolution based on libertarian principles of decentralization, or just old power repackaged with language of innovation?

Epstein’s documents suggest that, from its deepest roots, cryptocurrencies attracted precisely those with capital and influence to shape them according to their interests. The narrative of equality and decentralization may have been more marketing than structural reality. If the elite that built the previous system also financed its alternatives, how truly transformative can the outcome be?

The answer is not simple, but the documents make it clear that the table where the true architects of cryptocurrencies sit has always been very different from that promised by community rhetoric.