The hype around blockchain technology has most certainly gone hand-in-hand with digital currencies like Bitcoin. But it’s about much more than cryptocurrencies: Blockchain is becoming an industry unto itself.
Research firm IDC predicts that spending on blockchain-related technologies will top $2 billion this year, more than doubling 2017 spending.
[ Wondering where blockchain may fit in your organization? See our related article for early use cases: Where does blockchain fit best? ]
Blockchain technology has far-reaching opportunities and impacts in a variety of business, government, legal, and – yes – financial contexts. So how can CIOs and other IT leaders ensure they have a clear view of the blockchain landscape?
Start reading, of course. There are a growing number of books, publications, and similar sources of blockchain information. But you can also go online; we give your Twitter reading list a head-start below.
As when we shared our 20 must-follow DevOps experts on Twitter, the methodology here is straightforward. We asked a simple question: Can IT leaders and practitioners learn something about blockchain technology from this person’s feed? Just like last time, the only acceptable answer was: “Yes.” Imaginary bonus points this time around for connecting blockchain to emerging business use cases or other major areas of focus in today’s IT shops, such as cloud, containerization, security, and more.
Read on for 10 blockchain experts (in no particular order) worth following for ongoing insights.
Laura Shin aka @laurashin
Bio: Crypto/blockchain journalist; Host of http://Unchainedpodcast.co & http://unconfirmedpodcast.com Disclosure: I own BTC & ETH; Email https://earn.com/laurashin/
Why to follow: Shin’s a writer and podcast host who lives, eats, and breathes blockchain and cryptocurrencies. Consider her a true believer: As the Unchained podcast description says, “Blockchain technology is about to transform every trust-based interaction of our lives, from financial services to identity, from health care to our Internet of Things devices.” Shin regularly tweets, writes, and talks about significant and emerging trends in the blockchain space.
Nick Szabo aka @NickSzabo4
Bio: Blockchain, cryptocurrency, and smart contracts pioneer. (RT/Fav/Follow does not imply endorsement). Blog: http://unenumerated.blogspot.com
Why to follow: Szabo has ascended to near-mythical status in the blockchain and crypto universe, quite literally: He’s previously been pegged as the real person behind Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto, which Szabo denies. Szabo does get credit for being the brains behind “smart contracts,” which have expansive potential uses in business, law, government, investing, and more.
Ed Featherston aka @efeatherston
Bio: VP Principal Architect @cloudtp #bigdata #IoT #cloudcomputing #entarch #blockchain #ciochat tweets my own http://edfeatherston.sys-con.com
Why to follow: Featherston’s perspective on blockchain is powered by decades-long experience with designing, building, implementing, and integrating complex systems. A VP and principal architect at Cloud Technology Partners, Featherston’s feed is a good place to stay in tune with how blockchain technology intersects with other critical facets of the modern IT landscape – especially cloud and IoT – and its emerging use cases in various industries.
David Marcus aka @davidmarcus
Bio: Running @Messenger @Facebook, Board @Coinbase & @TippingPoint, part-time investor & cryptogeek, formerly led @PayPal & built 3 startups.
Why to follow: Why should blockchain buffs pay attention to the person in charge of Facebook’s Messenger app? Well, because he’s no longer in charge of Messenger: Just this week, Marcus, who previously served as president of PayPal, announced that he was moving into a new role where he’ll build a small team from scratch that will explore how Facebook can best leverage blockchain technologies. While we probably shouldn’t expect Marcus to spill every little detail, this is a feed worth keeping tabs on as Facebook wades deeper into blockchain waters.
[ Are CIOs really ready for blockchain? See our recent article, 5 blockchain statistics: CIO reality check ]
William Mougayar aka @wmougayar
Bio: Author, The Business Blockchain. Producer, Token Summit. Venture investor & Advisor. Founder, Startup Management. Mentor, Entrepreneur, Speaker. Thought Leader.
Why to follow: Mougayar wrote the book The Business Blockchain: Promise, Practice, and Application of the Next Internet Technology, and is a regular speaker on blockchain topics. As the title of his book suggests, Mougayar is particularly interested in the business use cases of blockchain. He’s also one of the event producers behind The Token Summit, which explores “the economics, regulation and best practices around blockchain-based tokens, protocols, and crypto-assets.”
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Vitalik Buterin aka @VitalikButerin
Bio: See https://about.me/vitalik_buterin Not giving away ETH. For inquiries about me advising your ICO, please email: noreply@buterin.com
Why to follow: Buterin is the, ahem, 23-year-old founder of Ethereum, the open source blockchain platform. The blockchain behind the cryptocurrency Ether (often interchangeably called Ethereum) was built on it. Buterin tweets regularly on all things Ethereum and blockchain-related.
Coindesk aka @coindesk
Bio: The latest news, prices, charts, guides and analysis from the world leader in bitcoin, crypto and blockchain tech.
Why to follow: OK, this one’s not a single person, but CoinDesk is a go-to source of news and info about blockchain and cryptocurrencies. As the name suggests, CoinDesk most definitely covers Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, but don’t be fooled: It’s coverage includes the much wider world of blockchain tech, such as this story about how the Australian government is looking to blockchain to upgrade its international trade and supply chain management.
Preethi Kasireddy aka @iam_preethi
Bio: Blockchain engineer. Founder & CEO of TruStory. Previously @Coinbase, @a16z, @GoldmanSachs. I live and breathe crypto. Studied Systems Engineering @USC
Why to follow: Kasireddy emerged from previous posts at Goldman Sachs and Andreessen Horowitz to become a software engineer, later working in that capacity at the cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase. Kasireddy recently founded a stealth blockchain startup, TruStory, and tweets and writes regularly on all things blockchain, particularly from the engineering perspective.
Gordon Haff aka @ghaff
Bio: Red Hat cloud guy, photographer, traveler, writer. Opinions are mine alone.
Why to follow: As a technology evangelist at Red Hat, Haff’s feed is a great source for the big picture of modern IT. He cuts through the hype to better understand the implications and opportunities of emerging technologies like blockchain in the context of other massive trends, from cloud to containers.
Andreas M. Antonopoulos aka @aantonop
Bio: Bitcoin, open blockchains, security. entrepreneur, coder, atheist, pacifist, pilot. Author of: Mastering Bitcoin, The Internet of Money, Mastering Ethereum.
Why to follow: Antonopoulos is a prolific writer and speaker on all things blockchain, Bitcoin, and related topics. He wrote the book "Mastering Bitcoin," essentially a technical manual for developers (though the first chapter includes a good overview for non-techies, too.) We mean it when we say prolific -- Antonopoulos’ YouTube channel includes more than 300 of his presentations, interviews, and other speaking on blockchain topics.
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