The death of bitcoin?

ack

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May 6, 2010
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http://money.cnn.com/2014/02/25/technology/security/mtgox-bitcoin/index.html?iid=HP_Highlight

Finally, as predicted by many here, and a little overdue in my view. I am sure a lot of people lost a lot of money, in this gambling scheme. It's not officially dead yet, but apparently someone was able to now steal bitcoins, forcing the exchange's shutdown, and finally, regulators are moving in. As if any government would ever tolerate any other means of moving money but what it can control...
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
And the greatest risk. Oldest game in the book. ;)

Bitcoin CEO found dead in Singapore, suicide suspected

A young American woman who ran the First Meta bitcoin exchange was found dead in her Singapore apartment last week. Police are investigating the “unnatural death”.

Autumn Radtke was found on the morning of February 26 after Police received an emergency call from an apartment building. She was pronounced dead at the scene. A preliminary police investigation has ruled out foul play, but neighbors told police they suspected Radtke jumped from an apartment.

First Meta Ltd. issued a statement on its website, saying they were ‘shocked and saddened’ by the news and gave their deepest condolences to Radtke’s family.

"The First Meta team is shocked and saddened by the tragic loss of our friend and CEO Autumn Radtke. Our deepest condolences go out to her family, friends and loved ones. Autumn was an inspiration to all of us and she will be sorely missed,” the statement said.

The death of the 28-year old followed a tumultuous week for the virtual currency. Mt.Gox, once bitcoin’s largest online exchange filed for bankruptcy on February 28 after $63 million worth of bitcoin went missing. The headline-grabbing currency has been shrouded in controversy since.

Prices fell sharply, and the day Mt.Gox closed, the cryptocurrency was listed at $565, less than half its value in November.

Neighbor and fellow bitcoin start-up entrepreneur Steve Beauregard lived in the same residential complex as Radtke and said her death wasn’t related to her business. Beauregard is the CEO and founder of GoCoin, a bitcoin processer started in April 2013.

"This wasn't a bitcoin-related death. She had other things going on in her life. Collectively, there were a lot of small factors. ... It appears she picked a permanent solution to a lot of short term problems," Beauregard told Reuters.

First Meta is an online exchange for virtual currencies and real money, and is funded by Silicon Valley incubator Plug and Play.

Scott Robinson, an employee at Plug and Play, described Radtke as ambitious, "She was a go-getter, she always worked very hard ... she stuck out as one of the only women representing bitcoin."

Like many governments, Singapore doesn’t recognize the legitimacy of the bitcoin currency, and has said they are not legal tender and users should know the risks.

Singapore has long attracted a large expatriate community because of the special tax exemptions it can offer as an independent state and has favorable conditions for start-ups.

Radtke moved from California to Singapore in 2012, where previously she worked at a video game currency start-up company. According to her LinkedIn professional profile, she held positions at tech start ups Xfire and Geodelic Systems.
 

zztop7

Member Sponsor
Dec 12, 2012
750
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"Financial Suicide Update"

Bitcoin CEO found dead in Singapore, suicide suspected

A young American woman who ran the First Meta bitcoin exchange was found dead in her Singapore apartment last week. Police are investigating the “unnatural death”.

Autumn Radtke was found on the morning of February 26 after Police received an emergency call from an apartment building. She was pronounced dead at the scene. A preliminary police investigation has ruled out foul play, but neighbors told police they suspected Radtke jumped from an apartment.

First Meta Ltd. issued a statement on its website, saying they were ‘shocked and saddened’ by the news and gave their deepest condolences to Radtke’s family.

"The First Meta team is shocked and saddened by the tragic loss of our friend and CEO Autumn Radtke. Our deepest condolences go out to her family, friends and loved ones. Autumn was an inspiration to all of us and she will be sorely missed,” the statement said.

The death of the 28-year old followed a tumultuous week for the virtual currency. Mt.Gox, once bitcoin’s largest online exchange filed for bankruptcy on February 28 after $63 million worth of bitcoin went missing. The headline-grabbing currency has been shrouded in controversy since.

Prices fell sharply, and the day Mt.Gox closed, the cryptocurrency was listed at $565, less than half its value in November.

Neighbor and fellow bitcoin start-up entrepreneur Steve Beauregard lived in the same residential complex as Radtke and said her death wasn’t related to her business. Beauregard is the CEO and founder of GoCoin, a bitcoin processer started in April 2013.

"This wasn't a bitcoin-related death. She had other things going on in her life. Collectively, there were a lot of small factors. ... It appears she picked a permanent solution to a lot of short term problems," Beauregard told Reuters.

First Meta is an online exchange for virtual currencies and real money, and is funded by Silicon Valley incubator Plug and Play.

Scott Robinson, an employee at Plug and Play, described Radtke as ambitious, "She was a go-getter, she always worked very hard ... she stuck out as one of the only women representing bitcoin."

Like many governments, Singapore doesn’t recognize the legitimacy of the bitcoin currency, and has said they are not legal tender and users should know the risks.

Singapore has long attracted a large expatriate community because of the special tax exemptions it can offer as an independent state and has favorable conditions for start-ups.

Radtke moved from California to Singapore in 2012, where previously she worked at a video game currency start-up company. According to her LinkedIn professional profile, she held positions at tech start ups Xfire and Geodelic Systems.

ABDICATE.
Steve Williams,
I feel that I must now abdicate the "Financial Suicide Update" to you.
Well done.

zz
 

ddk

Well-Known Member
May 18, 2013
6,261
4,040
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And the greatest risk. Oldest game in the book. ;)

Remember Pfister Barter from the 80's? I'm surprised Bitcoin had the run that it had when we've seen it before in the from of Barter Club currency and Barter Credit Cards.

david
 

hvbias

Well-Known Member
Jun 22, 2012
578
38
940
New England area
With everything that happened with the Mt Gox fiasco it is crazy to see each BTC trading for $500. You would think a security breach like that would really reveal the whole thing for what it is. Yet people continue to buy them at this "low" price in hopes that it will go back to trading values from several weeks ago.

Check out this comedic cryto currency: http://dogecoin.com/

It started out as a joke, but I think it's the third or fourth most popular crypto currency now!
 

GaryProtein

VIP/Donor
Jul 25, 2012
2,542
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In the past I liked bartering. It allowed for "payment" and it is private. The problem I have had with bartering is when people trade products and/or services, they often try to work it out so it all turns out even, so no one has a net gain or loss despite the likelihood that one person's goods or services may actually be more valuable than the others.

To me, Bitcoin was worthless because it was still registered, traceable currency. These days, cash, check or credit card is all the same to me.
 

Orb

New Member
Sep 8, 2010
3,010
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0
Funny how the bitcoin stealing seemed to have started once the Chines government put forward their views on the currency and how they did not like it :)
Awhile back I mentioned something like this may happen and probably would involve the Chinese state, all conjecture of course but they do love to use the internet to attack/infiltrate that they are concerned with.

Chers
Orb
 

ack

VIP/Donor & WBF Founding Member
May 6, 2010
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580
Boston, MA

zztop7

Member Sponsor
Dec 12, 2012
750
3
0
Edmonds, WA
ABDICATE.
Steve Williams,
I feel that I must now abdicate the "Financial Suicide Update" to you.
Well done.

zz

Another: "A mere two weeks since former JPMorgan banker, Kenneth Bellando jumped to his death, Bloomberg reports that the former CEO of Dutch Bank ABN Amro (and his wife and daughter) were found dead at their home after a possible "family tragedy." This expands the dismal list of senior financial services executive deaths."

zz.
 

mep

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
9,481
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I wonder why all of these people are either being killed or killing themselves? Seems like an investigation is in order. Speaking of investigations, how about that high-speed trader dealio?
 

zztop7

Member Sponsor
Dec 12, 2012
750
3
0
Edmonds, WA
I wonder why all of these people are either being killed or killing themselves? Seems like an investigation is in order. Speaking of investigations, how about that high-speed trader dealio?

I could answer the "high-speed trader dealio", but it would involve the "politics" involved in changing the regulations in 2005. Those changes made it legal.

zz.
 

Mosin

[Industry Expert]
Mar 11, 2012
895
13
930
I don't think the Bitcoin is gone just yet. I believe it will drop to a less inflated level, though. On January 3, 2013, a Bitcoin was worth $13.51. In the Fall of 2013, it hit a peak of $1242.00. That is a 9,000% increase, so it could drop a long, long way. Still, virtual currency will continue to exist as long as there are gamers in the world. After all, that's where it started. The bottom line is that wherever something is being traded there is money to be made by someone. It may not be Wall Street, but profit is profit, and someone will be there to take it.

It's a shame about Autumn Radtke. I think she was a voice of the future. She was brilliant.

Here she explains virtual currency and her business.

 

darell

Well-Known Member
Aug 22, 2018
3
0
68
It seems to me that now all crypto-currencies have become very popular.
 

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