pull down to refresh

I'm not an expert about any of this but today I saw a document posted that I have seen posted many times on SN by @DarthCoin and others that lists people that supposedly work for IN-Q-TEL. I only say supposedly because I do not know if the document is accurate. The document mentions a person named "Lisabeth Poulos" as the IN-Q-TEL Chief of Staff. But that isn't her name. Her name is actually spelled "Lisbeth Poulos".

Background

For those that are not familiar according to Wikipedia IN-Q-TEL is
an American not-for-profit venture capital firm based in Arlington, Virginia. It invests in companies to keep the Central Intelligence Agency, and other intelligence agencies, equipped with the latest in information technology in support of United States intelligence capability.
It is basically a "private" corporation controlled by the CIA and it really doesn't try to hide that. Poulos did work for IN-Q-TEL as chief of staff from 2002-2022. IN-Q-TEL is very obviously operated by the CIA and is connected with other government agencies. Looking at the companies connected to IN-Q-TEL is an interesting rabbit hole to go down. For those that still believe we live in a free country I don't think I can help you.
Anyway, what I have heard said elsewhere and posted on SN is that MicroStrategy is ran by the CIA. The only "evidence" I have seen is this document.
The evidence for this is weak to say the least. Honestly, I don't think overstating the case really accomplishes much except shock value. Now, don't get me wrong. I am not suggesting that the CIA does not control many companies or at least influence their direction and decisions. I highly recommend those interested in this topic read Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA. It is not a conspiracy based book. It is all based on interviews with people that worked for or with the CIA and government. Its all on the record. Not based in theories. The stories told in this book are pretty wild and often sound like something you'd hear said by some nut case.
Back to MicroStrategy and Lisabeth Poulos. On her Crunchbase profile it lists MicroStrategy as well as BAE Systems. According to Crunchbase she also worked for CIA and NSA. She's at least a former spook but I have yet to see evidence that MicroStrategy is operated by the CIA. According to her LinkedIn she is now self employed. It is possible that MicroStrategy is ran by or influenced by the CIA but I've never seen hard evidence of this. This doc having her name misspelled doesn't strengthen the case. Logically it very possible that her skill set is also valuable and a business intelligence company. That's what MicroStrategy does. She worked in government intelligence after all.

Does it matter?

The broader question is why does this matter? When I start looking organizations like IN-Q-TEL, CFR, and others they have connections all over the Fortune 500. The US government and its agencies have connections in most companies. Its starts getting really dumb fast with the guilt by association. But, I have to admit this woman wasn't so low level person at IN-Q-TEL, it raises my curiosity for sure. I'm just not ready to say, case closed. Saylor is a spook. Why? Because my brain will not let me say that. It bugs me when people will on the one hand see how the system works and not just take what their rulers say at face value. But then will take loosely related facts built up into a definitive statement as fact. If you can't think of a conspiracy theory that you do not believe you might just be gullible. I have a deep distrust for government based on facts and experience. Its not based in theories.
This whole MicroStrategy & CIA thing reminds me of the story that the CIA created Bitcoin. I'm pretty sure it didn't but if it had... so what. It doesn't matter. Same is true here. If the CIA runs MicroStrategy it doesn't matter to me. They are buying a lot of bitcoin. Many other groups and people we may not like will buy bitcoin. Who cares. Its money not an exclusive club.

The Threat

The only threat I see is that of influence. I've said it before. Don't create heroes. Saylor is a dude. He could be a bad dude. It doesn't really matter to me and it shouldn't to true bitcoiners. The only threat I see from Saylor is his influence over weak minded bitcoiners. Some act like everything he says is coming from the mouth of god. That's a problem, but not one we can fix. People like that will have many hard lessons to learn. There will always be fools.
I'm not saying you should go out and buy MSTR stock. I'm not saying you should trust Saylor or his company. I don't trust people from the government or suits. Just thought I would share what I found and a few of my thoughts for what they are worth.
It's the next world reserve currency and obviously that means there's spooks everywhere, both black hats and white hats. Really, everyone is a spook for their own self-interests.
I'd lean NSA over CIA creating it, but you're right it doesn't matter... It could only be a white hat operation, it's a necessary prong in any counter-attack that saves the US from globalists and the Triffin Dilemma.
reply
TIL Triffin dilemma and the origin of the Bancor.
reply
next world reserve currency and obviously that means there's spooks everywhere, both black hats and white hats
Exactly.
reply
China now dominates global trade in a similar manner to how the USA did when it assumed global monetary hegemony as the issuer of the global reserve currency. Already China provides the trade payments capacity for Iran and Russia, and gets discounted oil and gas, while Iran and Russia attack western backed territories Israel and Ukraine. China has developed and already uses its CBDC Yuan to facilitate international trade payments as it was specifically designed to be an alternative to the USD SWIFT Network. Perhaps Bitcoin could be the next reserve currency but its a big leap to assume it will be given history and given current trends and given Bitcoins failure to date to enable any significant trade level MoE.
reply
China doesn't export energy, raw materials, or security at any real scale so it is incapable of having a world reserve currency... Pockets of trade do not mean it has a lasting network effect, I don't even think the states that use it denominate anything lasting in it.
This is why Bitcoin is inevitable as world reserve and sooner not later.
reply
After WW2 USA held more than 1/2 the worlds manufacturing capacity. It made the cars and fridges and other manufactured chattels essential to a modern industrial economy. It also imported the raw materials required. Raw materials suppliers are rarely price setters and are naturally the first target of any hegemony(look at the tragedy of most oil producing nations- look at Iran and Russia now under Chinas yoke). USAs resource hegemony started with Latin American commodities more than a century ago. Today China dominates both the production of the chattels a modern economy, while still contesting the highest levels for example chip production currently held by Taiwan, and the raw materials commodity markets it buys from to supply its manufacturing. Most nations need to trade with China or suffer significant economic disadvantage. Dominating both export and import markets of most nations globally is the position from which to quite naturally gain global monetary hegemony- it is how the US did it. Domination of global trade has been the corollary for monetary hegemony since The Rom,an Empire. Whether Bitcoin can change that historic power dynamic is unproven and looks unlikely, if not impossible.
reply
Dollar became reserve not because is could produce stuff, but because the US was stable
You can't produce stuff if you're unstable
Lack of natural resources, including defensible geography, demographics, and rule of law, are requirements for stability
Chinas manufacturing can disappear overnight, unlike when Europe was bombed out and US had leverage... China has no such leverage, it has bad geography, demographics, no expeditionary force... it's not even remotely comparable.
That's the point, fiat is temporary, not just the current fiat. All fiat. There's no where to run after the dollar, because we no longer live in the world in which it was created.
reply
US was 'stable' in part because of its distance from Europe and the devastation of WW2. USA only entered WW2 after it was invaded but never suffered the destruction of its main industrial base. The world is now dependent upon Chinese manufactured goods. The USA cannot declare war on China because that would bankrupt many of the USAs biggest corporates who are so seriously dependent upon Chinese production chains. Fiat money is a form of state leverage- leveraging upon the monetary wealth of your citizens to wage war or expand your economy or to fund whatever woke project. China is using fiat capital issuance to build a global trade infrastructure network. In the west the banks have become parasites capturing fiat capital issuance and using it to rentseek non productive fiat debt- a lot of it housing debt. The governments of the west have become subservient to the banks while China still maintains control over banks and direction of capital flows. China is now supporting proxy war military attack upon Western backed territories and intends to expand its sphere of dependent states as the logic of hegemony dictates. IMO the outcome cannot be easily predicted or prejudged.
reply
You are pretty much describing the status quo.
I believe bitcoin will be the global reserve currency but it may take 100+ years for that to happen. No where near it now. The dollar still has a lot of legs. I don't think it is anywhere near collapse. But, I could be wrong and things can move fast. Might be good to have a little bitcoin in case you need it :)
reply
I see the contest between China and the West for domination and control of global resources and protocols increasing in tempo over the next decade- not sure which way things will go but its happening soon with Taiwan being Chinas symbolic objective both symbolizing Chinese reunification and the global power to achieve that. China will want to be in a position where such a takeover will not be contested therefore the current testing of Western resistance in Ukraine and the Middle East. https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/russia-and-china-unveil-a-pact-against-america-and-the-west Yes, agree, great to hold some Bitcoin as a neutral and censorship resistant store of value in such times- and a positive action for neutrality, freedom and non violent revolution.
reply
You're literally linking deep state media articles about geopolitics, it's fake.. there's no east west power struggle... There are globalists and nationalists
Globalists want you thinking in fiat terms
reply
correct analysis: citizen of the world vs citizen of a nation
reply
'there's no east west power struggle' Tell that to people in the Ukraine or Gaza. What actual factual content of the article to you dispute ? Do you deny that such a pact was signed between China and Russia days before Russian invasion of Ukraine?
reply
Both have been bloodlands for centuries if not thousands of years, doesn't imply a currency war between two powers that couldn't be more remote. Is it used as proxy? Sure but between globalists and the military industrial complex but not the US or Chinese nationalists.
reply
Who are the globalists and who are the military industrial complex according to your rendition?
Check Whitney's investigative work about this. Shr have a great blog Unlimitedhangaout.
reply
76 sats \ 1 reply \ @OT 14 Aug
I often see a lot of comments about Saylor being a spook. Haven't done much research on it, but my question is: Why would he be so public about his companies bitcoin strategy? Wouldn't an undercover CIA agent want to keep quiet and avoid scrutiny?
reply
As I said in my post. The company has some loose connections with people but I don't see any smoking guns. I've yet to hear/read a coherent logical theory. Let alone any hard evidence.
reply
funny, I went through the same research path! Thanks for documenting it
reply
Palantir must be affiliated with in-q-tel?
What would a chief of staff do? schedule meetings?
Tor was created by Navy Intelligence
reply
Palantir must be affiliated with in-q-tel?
Regardless they are a MIC company.
What would a chief of staff do? schedule meetings?
Hiring is probably the most relevant to the discussion.
Tor was created by Navy Intelligence
Yeah. People do not think things through.
reply
Don't forget Saylor has been convincing the big ETFs not to support BTC developers financially, when the inverse would be an obvious way to influence development.
reply
I believe based on what I have heard Saylor says he is opposed to giving devs a check without any strings. But I agree with your point in general. Although Saylor could change his position at any point and support devs doing work in some direction he wants.... but still node runners make the decision on what version of Bitcoin to run.
reply
22 sats \ 0 replies \ @ken 14 Aug
As others have pointed out, MS went very long on the next world reserve currency. This doesn't shock me in the least.
reply