Andreas Antonopoulos represents one of the most prominent advocates of bitcoin, having spent years promoting the cryptocurrency and putting it in the eye-line of thousands. While he is certainly a known name in the Bitcoin community, Antonopoulos hasn’t been on the receiving end of the current Bitcoin boom. Due to debts, family matters, and a loss of work he was forced to sell off his Bitcoin balance much earlier than expected. According to his own words, had he not been forced into a selling position, he would currently be sitting on a small fortune. Not one to miss a chance to rub salt into the wounds, fell advocate and borderline Bitcoin villain Roger Ver couldn’t resist taking a sly dig at Antonopoulos.
In a comment that really did rattle the hornet’s nest, Ver questioned why Antonopolous hadn’t become a Bitcoin success story. Ver tweeted, “He’s a multimillionaire, no? Does he need the money at this point? Why not support a smaller content creator that the money would help more?” Revealing the truth behind his current position, Antonopoulos responded by saying, “I did invest, Roger. Then I sold in 2013 to pay my rent. I didn’t have disposable income to work for two years without pay and invest at the same time. I should’ve gone into more debt, but that would have been irresponsible towards my family who I supported.” Showing it’s generous side, it appears that his words resonated with the Bitcoin community, as they stepped up to support the man that had thrown his weight and voice behind the once fledging cryptocurrency.
Nearly $2 million worth in donations for Andreas.
It wasn’t just words that many offered to Antonopolous, as donations began to flood in. By late Friday, $1.6 million worth of bitcoin has been paid to Antonopolous, with stories of how he helped many reap the rewards of Bitcoin investing being made public. Twitter became a literal love fest for Antonpoulos and the famous road shows that he used to spread the Bitcoin word. Plenty were happy to talk about how he had influenced them and shared his knowledge and – in some instances – even handed out Bitcoin to others from his own back pocket.
“Cryptograffiti” posted a pretty impactful picture of an Antonopolous talk from back in 2013 on Twitter, captioned “Speaking just as passionately about Bitcoin to an empty room in mid-2013 as he does now to thousands. Thank you, Andreas. You motivated me to enter this space full time as an artist. You’re not just one of the best speakers in our industry, you’re one of the best in any industry”.
“SommerzWorld” echoed similar statements when she said, “He’s the reason I got into bitcoin full time too #legend #GameChanger”.
Antonopolous’ story has really shown the generosity of the Bitcoin community. While many gave up small fractions, one user handed over 37 Bitcoin, with another topping that, giving an amount that equalled $659,400. Responding to the outpouring of support, Antonopolous was clearly touched, “I sat reading the responses with tears in my eyes. An outpouring of positivity washed over me. People I have never met jumped to my defense, reminding me that they started their journey after watching my videos, or reading my books.“
In a wave of profit-making and bulging Bitcoin wallets, a feel-good story can certainly go a long way. Remembering those who paved the way for the boom in bitcoin we see today, it’s great to see so many turn out their pockets for Antonopolous. So, if you’re one of the many that has donated to the cause, our hats are well and truly off to you!
