Where do you go to start learning about Bitcoin? – Bitcoin Magazine
This is an opinion editorial by Peter Conley, a Product Champion at Vercel.
How does someone start learning about Bitcoin? This is the question of 21 million coins. Learning about Bitcoin can be confusing. It is so a lot of content out there, content of all kinds: books, online courses, YouTube videos, podcasts, tweets, Medium articles, and anything else you can think of.
Just getting started can be the most daunting part. Before going down the Bitcoin rabbit hole, I didn’t know what the term “market cap” meant, what the Federal Reserve did, or anything about the history of gold. I have a degree in business administration from the State University of New York that taught me next to nothing about finance. And I couldn’t tell you the difference between a full node and a mining rig, yet I’ve been working in the tech industry since 2014.
So where did I start? Did I Buy “The Bitcoin Standard” Immediately? Did I go down the rabbit hole of Michael Saylor’s interviews? Did I pretend I understood what Nick Szabo said on Tim Ferriss’ podcast?
I took a more personal approach to learning about Bitcoin. I focused on specific Bitcoin teachers who taught through the lens of topics I knew (or knew loosely) and listened to their interviews ad nauseam until I could understand their basic mental models and premises.
Any specific tunnel that would allow me to dig just an inch further down this rabbit hole, I took. If I felt I couldn’t dive deeper, I would seek out another educator to take me in a different direction, as long as it took me deeper.
I would listen to anywhere from three to 60 podcasts in a row from a particular teacher so that I could drill their teachings and analogies into my mind. From this I was able to create a “trunk of knowledge” and then branch out into other subjects and sub-domains to advance my understanding.
Basically, Anthony Pompliano was the first to hook me. In my opinion, he is able to talk to non-technical people and get to the first principles of Bitcoin. One of my favorite examples of this is his podcast interview with comedians Andrew Schulz and Akaash Singh.
When I found my footing through the history of technology – like the printing press, steel or weapons – I listened to Michael Saylor.
After 50 or so Michael Saylor interviews, I read “The Bitcoin Standard” by Dr. Saifedean Ammous. His book was able to frame the problem Bitcoin was trying to solve. After realizing how big of a problem fiat money is, I was then able to explore why Bitcoin is the best solution.
When I started working with web development, I was impressed by Andreas Antonopoulos’s work, specifically “The Internet Of Money”.
I took this approach because humans learn by analogy. If you’re a web developer trying to learn about neuroscience, the more your teacher uses computer science references, the faster you’ll learn. If your teacher keeps making comparisons between the human brain and computers, you’ll absorb the material at a fast clip. The same goes for Bitcoin or other topics.
I don’t think there is a “one size fits all” way to learn about Bitcoin. I don’t think there is a best Bitcoin book. Nor is it a best Bitcoin podcast. However, there are definitely ideal pieces of content based on your existing knowledge and top-level communicators that can help you understand Bitcoin faster.
Fortunately, it’s not just one domain or one Bitcoin teacher. If you don’t know anything about philosophy and don’t understand 70% of what Robert Breedlove says, you’re not out of luck. If you can’t write code, you don’t need to go out and buy “Mastering Bitcoin”. Rather, find an educator who gives you a foothold.
Below is a short list of my personal favorite Bitcoin teachers and the domains they teach through. If you are stuck on understanding Bitcoin, I would suggest going in through a domain you already know, and then scale up your understanding from there. What’s the worst that could happen?
Bitcoin Teachers
Andreas Antonopoulos, the author of “The Internet Of Money” and one of the OG Bitcoin teachers, teaches through the lens of computer science, the history of the internet and internet technology (IT).
Michael Saylor, whose public company, MicroStrategy, has billions of dollars worth of bitcoin on its balance sheet, teaches through the lens of the history of technology, energy, investing in early domain names, public markets and being a (recently former) CEO. of a public company.
Dr. Saifedean Ammous, the famous author of “The Bitcoin Standard”, teaches through Austrian economics.
Robert Breedlove, a successful venture capitalist, teaches primarily through philosophy and “liberty maximalism.”
Natalie Brunell, one of the most recognized journalists in the Bitcoin space, teaches through journalism and the American dream.
Anthony Pompliano, venture capitalist, entrepreneur and media mogul, teaches through the lens of technology companies, financial markets and monetary policy.
Jason Lowery, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate, teaches through the lens of warfare, physics, history, and national defense.
Voted one of the best mayors in the country, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez teaches through the lens of governance and local politics.
This is by no means an exhaustive list. I have compiled a more comprehensive list of Bitcoin tutors here. If you have another to add to the list, please feel free to do so send me a message via Twitter.
This is a guest post by Peter Conley. Opinions expressed are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of BTC Inc. or Bitcoin Magazine.
