Unwriter, the mysterious developer behind so many Bitcoin SV (BSV) innovations, has decide to move into a new era. In a Medium post titled “Phase 2,” the secretive innovator has announced his plans to shed anonymity and formally start a company to continue BSV development.
In explaining the decision, Unwriter begins by discusses the more existential question of what will happen should Unwriter disappear. Others in the community have worried that without Unwriter, there could be a drought of development, and a lack of support for what he’s already accomplished.
In a quoted snippet, he explains very philosophically that even without him, if BSV succeeds as many think it will, there will always be someone motivated to step up and fulfill the needs that, until now, Unwriter has served.
But rather than wait to see who the next Unwriter will be, he has decided that the economic incentives are now too great to not jump at himself. So because BSV is a model of accountability, he will shed his anonymous pseudonym, eventually, and take the lead himself.
What spurred him into this decision was an explosion of interest in his work, notably a highly upvoted post regarding his Bottle browser, and a corresponding leap in block usage and sizes on the BSV blockchain. These demonstrate that there is a craving for his work, and an economic incentive backing the BSV blockchain to take advantage of.
He hasn’t figured out all the details yet. He notes that he’s still looking into incorporating a business, but is in the process of researching the best way to do so. Once that business is up and running, it will be focused on the “’READ’ side of Bitcoin.” The motivation for the company closely aligns with BSV, in that it will focus on raising service quality, accountability, becoming self-sustainable and finding ways to innovate.
The work that comes from his company will likely be monetized in some way, but he stresses that the free APIs that he’s already released will remain free.
Much like Satoshi Nakamoto himself, Unwriter also won’t throw open a curtain to prove his real identity in a sudden dramatic gesture. Instead, he writes, “This doesn’t mean I will suddenly make every aspect of my identity completely public today. I will do this on my own terms gradually.”
This marks a huge moment for Bitcoin. While many in the community have long been impressed by Unwriter’s work, his mask of anonymity has kept him from making it a serious business. Now that the economic incentive of BSV has become too great, the mask is coming off, and BSV will be better for it.
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