The OG Philosopher of Bitcoin
@philosopherbtc.bsky.social
Bitcoin since ’09.
Engineer turned philosopher.
I decode money, markets & human behavior.
Daily reflections: substack.com/@thephilosophersbitcoin
Engineer turned philosopher.
I decode money, markets & human behavior.
Daily reflections: substack.com/@thephilosophersbitcoin
Pinned
The Trust Paradox
Bitcoin taught me to verify everything. I didn’t realize what it would cost.
open.substack.com
Some principles work perfectly for money.
They don’t always translate to relationships.
open.substack.com/pub/thephilo...
They don’t always translate to relationships.
open.substack.com/pub/thephilo...
Every drawdown feels personal while you’re inside it. From a distance, they’re mostly about how much uncertainty someone can sit with.
February 5, 2026 at 7:32 PM
Every drawdown feels personal while you’re inside it. From a distance, they’re mostly about how much uncertainty someone can sit with.
I’ve learned this the hard way. Being right long-term doesn’t help if you panic short-term.
February 4, 2026 at 6:43 PM
I’ve learned this the hard way. Being right long-term doesn’t help if you panic short-term.
Red days don’t test your strategy. They test your nervous system.That’s why most people exit after they were already right.
February 3, 2026 at 7:43 PM
Red days don’t test your strategy. They test your nervous system.That’s why most people exit after they were already right.
Some principles work perfectly for money.
They don’t always translate to relationships.
open.substack.com/pub/thephilo...
They don’t always translate to relationships.
open.substack.com/pub/thephilo...
The Trust Paradox
Bitcoin taught me to verify everything. I didn’t realize what it would cost.
open.substack.com
February 1, 2026 at 6:37 PM
Some principles work perfectly for money.
They don’t always translate to relationships.
open.substack.com/pub/thephilo...
They don’t always translate to relationships.
open.substack.com/pub/thephilo...
Some milestones aren’t celebrations.
I passed my father’s net worth years ago.
It didn’t feel like winning.
I’m still sitting with what it actually means.
open.substack.com/pub/thephilo...
I passed my father’s net worth years ago.
It didn’t feel like winning.
I’m still sitting with what it actually means.
open.substack.com/pub/thephilo...
What Happens When Your Net Worth Passes Your Father’s
Bitcoin made me wealthier than my dad. It doesn’t feel like winning.
open.substack.com
January 25, 2026 at 11:13 AM
Some milestones aren’t celebrations.
I passed my father’s net worth years ago.
It didn’t feel like winning.
I’m still sitting with what it actually means.
open.substack.com/pub/thephilo...
I passed my father’s net worth years ago.
It didn’t feel like winning.
I’m still sitting with what it actually means.
open.substack.com/pub/thephilo...
Ending the week realizing something simple.
Avoidance is exhausting.
Even when it feels easier than honesty.
Avoidance is exhausting.
Even when it feels easier than honesty.
January 23, 2026 at 7:47 PM
Ending the week realizing something simple.
Avoidance is exhausting.
Even when it feels easier than honesty.
Avoidance is exhausting.
Even when it feels easier than honesty.
Growth isn’t becoming more confident. It’s becoming more honest about the things you still avoid.That part takes longer.
January 21, 2026 at 8:45 PM
Growth isn’t becoming more confident. It’s becoming more honest about the things you still avoid.That part takes longer.
There’s a difference between privacy and avoidance.
I’ve spent years pretending not to notice it.
I’ve spent years pretending not to notice it.
January 20, 2026 at 6:45 PM
There’s a difference between privacy and avoidance.
I’ve spent years pretending not to notice it.
I’ve spent years pretending not to notice it.
I've avoided one conversation for eight years.
Not because I don’t know what to say.
But because once you say it, you can’t unsay it.
open.substack.com/pub/thephilo...
Not because I don’t know what to say.
But because once you say it, you can’t unsay it.
open.substack.com/pub/thephilo...
The Conversation I Still Haven’t Had With My Father
Eight years of deflection, one belief I was afraid to explain.
open.substack.com
January 18, 2026 at 6:26 PM
I've avoided one conversation for eight years.
Not because I don’t know what to say.
But because once you say it, you can’t unsay it.
open.substack.com/pub/thephilo...
Not because I don’t know what to say.
But because once you say it, you can’t unsay it.
open.substack.com/pub/thephilo...
Sitting quietly this evening, realizing something.
Some beliefs don’t argue with you. They just slowly change how you live.
That part takes longer to notice.
Some beliefs don’t argue with you. They just slowly change how you live.
That part takes longer to notice.
January 15, 2026 at 6:29 PM
Sitting quietly this evening, realizing something.
Some beliefs don’t argue with you. They just slowly change how you live.
That part takes longer to notice.
Some beliefs don’t argue with you. They just slowly change how you live.
That part takes longer to notice.
Bitcoin didn’t just change my finances.
Over time it changed how I see people, time, and even myself.
Some of those changes feel like growth.
Some feel like loss.
I don’t think that trade-off gets talked about enough.
open.substack.com/pub/thephilo...
Over time it changed how I see people, time, and even myself.
Some of those changes feel like growth.
Some feel like loss.
I don’t think that trade-off gets talked about enough.
open.substack.com/pub/thephilo...
Why Bitcoin Made Me a Worse Person (And Why That Might Be Okay)
Fifteen years of holding didn’t just change my finances. It changed how I judge people, time, and myself.
open.substack.com
January 11, 2026 at 8:22 AM
Bitcoin didn’t just change my finances.
Over time it changed how I see people, time, and even myself.
Some of those changes feel like growth.
Some feel like loss.
I don’t think that trade-off gets talked about enough.
open.substack.com/pub/thephilo...
Over time it changed how I see people, time, and even myself.
Some of those changes feel like growth.
Some feel like loss.
I don’t think that trade-off gets talked about enough.
open.substack.com/pub/thephilo...
Not your keys, not your coins.
But the hardest things to protect aren’t stored anywhere.
You carry them.
open.substack.com/pub/thephilo...
But the hardest things to protect aren’t stored anywhere.
You carry them.
open.substack.com/pub/thephilo...
The Things You Carry in Silence
On money, memory, and the decisions you never explain.
open.substack.com
January 4, 2026 at 8:56 AM
Not your keys, not your coins.
But the hardest things to protect aren’t stored anywhere.
You carry them.
open.substack.com/pub/thephilo...
But the hardest things to protect aren’t stored anywhere.
You carry them.
open.substack.com/pub/thephilo...
11:45 PM on New Year's Eve.
No predictions for 2026.
No price targets.
No resolutions about Bitcoin.
Just one commitment: ask better questions.
Not, Will Bitcoin go up?
But, What kind of person am I becoming while I wait for it to go up?
That's the question I'm taking into 2026.
Happy New Year.
No predictions for 2026.
No price targets.
No resolutions about Bitcoin.
Just one commitment: ask better questions.
Not, Will Bitcoin go up?
But, What kind of person am I becoming while I wait for it to go up?
That's the question I'm taking into 2026.
Happy New Year.
December 31, 2025 at 11:47 PM
11:45 PM on New Year's Eve.
No predictions for 2026.
No price targets.
No resolutions about Bitcoin.
Just one commitment: ask better questions.
Not, Will Bitcoin go up?
But, What kind of person am I becoming while I wait for it to go up?
That's the question I'm taking into 2026.
Happy New Year.
No predictions for 2026.
No price targets.
No resolutions about Bitcoin.
Just one commitment: ask better questions.
Not, Will Bitcoin go up?
But, What kind of person am I becoming while I wait for it to go up?
That's the question I'm taking into 2026.
Happy New Year.
The hardest part of Bitcoin
was never the price.
It’s who waiting turns you into.
That’s what I’ve been sitting with lately.
open.substack.com/pub/thephilo...
was never the price.
It’s who waiting turns you into.
That’s what I’ve been sitting with lately.
open.substack.com/pub/thephilo...
The Hardest Part of Bitcoin Isn’t Volatility
It’s who you become while you wait.
open.substack.com
December 28, 2025 at 7:57 AM
The hardest part of Bitcoin
was never the price.
It’s who waiting turns you into.
That’s what I’ve been sitting with lately.
open.substack.com/pub/thephilo...
was never the price.
It’s who waiting turns you into.
That’s what I’ve been sitting with lately.
open.substack.com/pub/thephilo...
I used to check Bitcoin prices on Christmas morning.
Then I realized what that said about me.
Not that I was greedy.
I was terrified of missing something.
The price will still be there on December 26th.
Your nervous system needs the break more than you need the update.
Then I realized what that said about me.
Not that I was greedy.
I was terrified of missing something.
The price will still be there on December 26th.
Your nervous system needs the break more than you need the update.
December 23, 2025 at 5:28 PM
I used to check Bitcoin prices on Christmas morning.
Then I realized what that said about me.
Not that I was greedy.
I was terrified of missing something.
The price will still be there on December 26th.
Your nervous system needs the break more than you need the update.
Then I realized what that said about me.
Not that I was greedy.
I was terrified of missing something.
The price will still be there on December 26th.
Your nervous system needs the break more than you need the update.
I assumed being right would make the waiting easier,it didn’t.
I wrote about what success did to my patience: open.substack.com/pub/thephilo...
I wrote about what success did to my patience: open.substack.com/pub/thephilo...
December 21, 2025 at 8:54 AM
I assumed being right would make the waiting easier,it didn’t.
I wrote about what success did to my patience: open.substack.com/pub/thephilo...
I wrote about what success did to my patience: open.substack.com/pub/thephilo...
A struggling market doesn’t mean the thesis failed.
It means the noise got louder than the signal.
It means the noise got louder than the signal.
December 17, 2025 at 7:43 PM
A struggling market doesn’t mean the thesis failed.
It means the noise got louder than the signal.
It means the noise got louder than the signal.
Conviction doesn’t always sound loud. Sometimes it sounds like restraint.
December 16, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Conviction doesn’t always sound loud. Sometimes it sounds like restraint.
I used to explain Bitcoin.
Now I mostly stay quiet.
Some questions aren’t curiosity, they’re extraction.
open.substack.com/pub/thephilo...
Now I mostly stay quiet.
Some questions aren’t curiosity, they’re extraction.
open.substack.com/pub/thephilo...
WHY I DON'T TELL PEOPLE I HOLD BITCOIN ANYMORE
So how much do you have? The question that ended my evangelism.
open.substack.com
December 14, 2025 at 9:01 AM
I used to explain Bitcoin.
Now I mostly stay quiet.
Some questions aren’t curiosity, they’re extraction.
open.substack.com/pub/thephilo...
Now I mostly stay quiet.
Some questions aren’t curiosity, they’re extraction.
open.substack.com/pub/thephilo...
Most people don’t lose money in Bitcoin.
They lose confidence.
Usually right before they would have been right.
They lose confidence.
Usually right before they would have been right.
December 11, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Most people don’t lose money in Bitcoin.
They lose confidence.
Usually right before they would have been right.
They lose confidence.
Usually right before they would have been right.
Bitcoin has a way of revealing something uncomfortable.
Most people don’t struggle with volatility, they struggle with being alone in their conviction.
It’s not the price swings that break them, it’s the silence when everyone else disagrees.
Most people don’t struggle with volatility, they struggle with being alone in their conviction.
It’s not the price swings that break them, it’s the silence when everyone else disagrees.
December 9, 2025 at 8:39 PM
Bitcoin has a way of revealing something uncomfortable.
Most people don’t struggle with volatility, they struggle with being alone in their conviction.
It’s not the price swings that break them, it’s the silence when everyone else disagrees.
Most people don’t struggle with volatility, they struggle with being alone in their conviction.
It’s not the price swings that break them, it’s the silence when everyone else disagrees.
“You were lucky, not smart.”
I still hear those words.
They ended a 15-year friendship.
Full story: open.substack.com/pub/thephilo...
I still hear those words.
They ended a 15-year friendship.
Full story: open.substack.com/pub/thephilo...
The Conversation That Cost Me a Friendship
And the four words I still hear: You were lucky, not smart.
open.substack.com
December 7, 2025 at 8:37 AM
“You were lucky, not smart.”
I still hear those words.
They ended a 15-year friendship.
Full story: open.substack.com/pub/thephilo...
I still hear those words.
They ended a 15-year friendship.
Full story: open.substack.com/pub/thephilo...
Interesting watching the UK move toward formal crypto regulation.
The pattern is familiar:
institutions arrive at the point where individuals have already taken the risk, made the mistakes,
and paid the social cost.
Conviction is always early and lonely. Legitimacy always comes late and crowded.
The pattern is familiar:
institutions arrive at the point where individuals have already taken the risk, made the mistakes,
and paid the social cost.
Conviction is always early and lonely. Legitimacy always comes late and crowded.
December 3, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Interesting watching the UK move toward formal crypto regulation.
The pattern is familiar:
institutions arrive at the point where individuals have already taken the risk, made the mistakes,
and paid the social cost.
Conviction is always early and lonely. Legitimacy always comes late and crowded.
The pattern is familiar:
institutions arrive at the point where individuals have already taken the risk, made the mistakes,
and paid the social cost.
Conviction is always early and lonely. Legitimacy always comes late and crowded.
People talk about how hard it is to change your life. But the decision isn’t the hard part.
The hard part is noticing who doesn’t come with you. The people who preferred the earlier version of you.
Change has a social cost nobody prepares you for.
The hard part is noticing who doesn’t come with you. The people who preferred the earlier version of you.
Change has a social cost nobody prepares you for.
December 2, 2025 at 6:41 PM
People talk about how hard it is to change your life. But the decision isn’t the hard part.
The hard part is noticing who doesn’t come with you. The people who preferred the earlier version of you.
Change has a social cost nobody prepares you for.
The hard part is noticing who doesn’t come with you. The people who preferred the earlier version of you.
Change has a social cost nobody prepares you for.
Something I’ve realised over the years, you can recover from being wrong.
But it’s hard to recover from not trusting yourself.
Most people don’t fear loss, they fear responsibility.
Bitcoin makes that very visible.
But it’s hard to recover from not trusting yourself.
Most people don’t fear loss, they fear responsibility.
Bitcoin makes that very visible.
December 1, 2025 at 7:13 PM
Something I’ve realised over the years, you can recover from being wrong.
But it’s hard to recover from not trusting yourself.
Most people don’t fear loss, they fear responsibility.
Bitcoin makes that very visible.
But it’s hard to recover from not trusting yourself.
Most people don’t fear loss, they fear responsibility.
Bitcoin makes that very visible.