Jeff John Roberts

Brian Armstrong stepped onto the stage with quiet confidence. He turned to the audience and shared his idea with the simple slogan: "Coinbase, the easiest way to get started with Bitcoin." For a moment late in 2018, one Bitcoin, which physically amounts to a few electrons blipping on a tiny bit of silicon, was worth $20,000—the same as a pound of gold. Libertarian technologists who believed Bitcoin would be the foundation of a new world order saw the moment as an apotheosis. Everyone else saw a bubble. Everyone else was right, and the bubble burst. But Bitcoin survived, and the battle for its soul rages on. True believers view it as the foundation for a future economy freed from the vicissitudes of Wall Street and government control of currency. Pragmatists believe that bringing Bitcoin into the mainstream will, as the Silicon Valley cliche goes, make the world a better place. But they need buy-in from traditional institutional systems that can prevent the crypto world from devolving into the lawless criminal bazaar it was becoming during the bubble. Journalist Jeff John Roberts drops us into the unfolding drama as he follows the rise, fall, and rebirth of cryptocurrency through the experiences of major players across the globe. We follow Silicon Valley entrepreneur Brian Armstrong and his company, Coinbase, as it tries to make Bitcoin easy to use and available to all while fighting off hackers, thieves, and zealots. Roberts keenly observes the importance of leadership and strategy in the developing field of virtual currencies and what happens when these guardrails are missing. His ability to explain crypto technology clearly and lay out the ramifications of its infiltration into the global financial system makes this book a must-read for leaders in every industry. The amazing story—full of startup hijinks, shady investors, billionaire bros and their Lambos, closed-door meetings with Jamie Dimon, hacking (so much hacking!), Libertarian free-state utopias in New Hampshire, and the Winklevoss twins—make this a page turner that readers will love.

One Startup's Quest to Take Cryptocurrency Out of Silicon Valley and Onto Wall Street

Kings of Crypto

Harvard Business Review

Andrew McAfee

Molly White

Reid Blackman

Web3 may be the next big disrupter in business. Don't be caught unprepared. Blockchain and crypto aren't just for speculators anymore—they're the backbone of the rising decentralized internet. Web3 has the potential to rewrite the past decade's rules: monopolies may be shattered, the web could be remade, and an entirely new breed of products and services will likely emerge. Where does your business fit in? Web3: The Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review will show you how today's most innovative organizations are choosing Web3, experimenting with their brands, evaluating their risks, and preparing to win in the newer, better internet age. Business is changing. Will you adapt or be left behind? Get up to speed and deepen your understanding of the topics that are shaping your company's future with the Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review series. Featuring HBR's smartest thinking on fast-moving issues—blockchain, cybersecurity, AI, and more—each book provides the foundational introduction and practical case studies your organization needs to compete today and collects the best research, interviews, and analysis to get it ready for tomorrow. You can't afford to ignore how these issues will transform the landscape of business and society. The Insights You Need series will help you grasp these critical ideas—and prepare you and your company for the future.

Web3: The Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review

Steve Glaveski

Omid Malekan

The crypto era has arrived, and business will never be the same. Real applications of crypto technology are growing exponentially: cryptocurrency payments are moving frictionlessly across borders; NFTs are generating real value for creators and consumers alike; and new blockchain-enabled business models are being built around decentralized finance and Web3. What do you and your company need to know and do today to create new opportunities and avoid disruption? Crypto: The Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review will show you how innovative organizations of all kinds are embracing decentralized technology, reinventing themselves, and thriving in the new age of crypto. Business is changing. Will you adapt or be left behind? Get up to speed and deepen your understanding of the topics that are shaping your company's future with the Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review series. Featuring HBR's smartest thinking on fast-moving issues—blockchain, cybersecurity, AI, and more—each book provides the foundational introduction and practical case studies your organization needs to compete today and collects the best research, interviews, and analysis to get it ready for tomorrow. You can't afford to ignore how these issues will transform the landscape of business and society. The Insights You Need series will help you grasp these critical ideas—and prepare you and your company for the future.

Jeff John Roberts

Books

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