A large shadow hangs over Bitcoin’s origins, especially after new files surfaced from the Epstein case. Let’s do a quick recap. Bitcoin was launched in January 2009. Just 7 months later, Jeffrey Epstein reached out about a “new financial alternative,” proposing Peter Thiel, PayPal co-founder and Palantir architect. This is not a coincidence. Epstein’s network also went so much deeper: a $3 million investment in Coinbase in 2014, funding for Blockstream, which supports Bitcoin Core developers, and close ties to Brock Pierce, Tether’s co-founder who brokered key deals and is responsible for 89% of BTC volume, which is all fake. Epstein was entangled in Bitcoin’s early rise and development, with influence across the industry.(Jacob King)