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@ Sean
2025-06-05 17:33:37I've wanted to write this piece for months. Not because I have anything against Jack Mallers personally - quite the opposite. But because I've watched a pattern emerge in Bitcoin that mirrors one of the most chilling dynamics in Atlas Shrugged: the systematic destruction of our most productive builders by the very people who should be celebrating them.
We are the looters. And Jack might just be our Hank Rearden.
The Underdog's Dilemma
There's a cruel irony in how we treat success in Bitcoin. We champion the underdog, root for the builder in the garage, celebrate the cypherpunk taking on the establishment. But the moment that underdog succeeds - the moment they scale, grow, and inevitably have to navigate the messy realities of the existing system - we turn on them with the ferocity of the same establishment we claim to oppose.\ \ Jack began building Zap (which evolved into Strike) from his parents home in Chicago. Strike has grown into one of the most seamless fiat-to-bitcoin on-ramps for everyday users. No complexity, just pure utility. From day one, he's operated at a level of transparency that would make most CEO's uncomfortable. He's been building in public, taking feedback, admitting mistakes, and iterating - sometimes within hours of criticism.
The Rearden Parallel
In Atlas Shrugged, Hank Rearden creates Rearden Metal - a revolutionary alloy that's stronger, lighter, and more efficient than anything that came before. Instead of celebration, he faces endless scrutiny, regulation, and demands to prove is worthiness. The people who benefit from his innovation spend their time questioning his motives, dissecting his business practices, and demanding he justify his success.
Sound familiar?
Jack comes from a finance background - his father and grandfather were in the industry. This isn't a liability; it's an asset. He understands the beast we're fighting. He's been a Bitcoiner since 2013 with a spotless track record in a space littered with exit scams and broken promises. His values align with proof of work, individualism, and the radical idea that bitcoin is for everyone.
Yet when he helps launch 21 Capital, we don't see innovation - we see betrayal. When he navigates regulatory requirements to build products that can actually reach mainstream adoption, we don't see pragmatism - we see capitulation.
The Scarred Perspective
Our skepticism isn't entirely unfounded. We've been burned before. Mt. Gox, FTX, Three Arrows Capital, Celcius, Terra/ LUNA, BlockFi, Bitconnect, Voyager, QuadrigaCX - the graveyard of Bitcoin is littered with the corpses of trusted institutions. We've learned, painfully, that trust must be earned and verified.
But somewhere along the way, our healthy skepticism has metastasized into destructive paranoia. We've become so focused on protecting ourselves from the next SBF that we're attacking the people building the future we claim to want.
I'm guilty of this myself. I've made scathing attacks on my Nostr feed, comparing Jack to SBF, scrutinising contract clauses about re-hypothecation, and questioning his every move privately. I was viewing his actions through the lens of collective trauma rather than the reality of his long track record.
The Looters Paradox
Here's the uncomfortable truth: we're not just passive observers in this drama. We're active participants. We're the looters.
In Atlas Shrugged, the looters don't necessarily steal directly. They steal time, energy, and focus. They create bureaucracy, demnd endless justification, and burden the productive with the weight of constant explanation. They don't build competing products - they just tear down what others have built.
Everytime we demand Jack explain his business model for the hundredth time, we're stealing his time. Every time we scrutinize his partnerships without offering alternatives, we're creating bureaucracy . Everytime we attack his character rather than his arguments, we're furthering the system we claim to oppose.
The free market will create products whether we like them or not. People will build services that use bitcoin as collateral, create lending products, and navigate regulatory frameworks. The question isn't whether these products will exist - it's whether they'll be built by people who share our values or by those who don't.
The Atlantis Risk
The producers eventually withdraw from society in Atlas Shrugged, retreating to Galt's Gulch (Atlantis) and leaving the looters to face the consequences of their destructive behaviour. The economy collapses because the people who actually build things decided it wasn't worth the hassle anymore.
We're walking dangerously close to this precipice in Bitcoin. We're creating an environment where our most capable builders might just decide it's not worth it. Where the hassle of dealing with our constant scrutiny and bad-faith attacks outweighs the mission of building the future.
Jack has been more patient with our criticism than we deserve. He's addressed concerns publicly, changed the course when necessary, and continued building despite the noise. But patience has limits. At some point, even the most mission-driven builders will ask themselves: "Why am I doing this?"
The Path Forward
I don't know enough about finance to fully understand everything Jack is building with 21 Capital. Neither do most of his critics. But I know enough about Bitcoin to recognise someone who's been fighting the good fight for over a decade.
This doesn't mean we should trust blindly. It doesn't mean we should stop asking questions or demanding transparency. But it does mean we should approach our builders with the same benefit of the doubt we'd want for ourselves.
We need to distinguish between healthy skepticism and destructive paranoia. Between holding people accountable and tearing them down. Between being vigilant and being looters.
The fiat system is the real enemy here. It's massive, entrenched, and infinitely resourcesful. It will adapt, co-opt, and corrupt everything it touches. Fighting it requires builders who are willing to get their hands dirty, navigate imperfect systems, and make pragmatic compromises while holding onto their core values.
We can continue to be looters, tearing down what we don't understand and driving our best builders toward their own version of Atlantis. Or we can be what we claim to be: supporters of the free market, believers of proof of work, and champions of those building the future.
Don't trust. Verify. But remember: verification works both ways.