It seems that the Craig Wright chapter in the history of bitcoin is coming to a close. I suspect that his shenanigans would have been nipped in the bud more quickly if he had begun these lawsuits after BlackRock, Fidelity and the rest had already issued their spot btc ETF’s. The big guns on Wall Street would have hired their powerful law firms to crush his efforts. They would not have had the patience to play around with one guy who jeopardized their massive investments.
Is that a good thing? Well, I guess so. The bitcoin core developers who generously give their time to the project would not have been threatened with financial ruin. Maybe bitcoin would still have some talented people around who are now gone.
It does raise questions, though, about the independence of bitcoin core developers. Who wouldn’t want to hire the best lawyers money can buy if their wealth is threatened? Of course, they would then be beholden to their benefactors. I do worry that this may become an issue in the future.
I know Jack Dorsey’s Bitcoin Legal Defense Fund was created to protect core developers, but it may be no match for BlackRock’s big boys in the future. Do we want core developer legal fees paid for by ETF institutions? It would be a serious conflict of interest. I think this is something to think about.