Wolf von Laer, the CEO of Students for Liberty, spoke with Cointelegraph about the nature of the Bitcoin community and the need for more openness.
Interview
Throughout recent years, the world of crypto has been subject to as much scrutiny and volatility as it has innovation and growth.
A significant component of the industry’s resilience has been the community that supports the technology and its utility to transform digital finance. One of the most prominent crypto communities in the space surrounds Bitcoin (BTC), with millions of users in Reddit groups and conferences across the globe.
At the Bitcoin Prague 2023 conference, Students for Liberty CEO Wolf Von Laer spoke with Cointelegraph about the nature of the Bitcoin community and how there is a place for anyone.
Von Laer says the Bitcoin community might not be “as welcoming,” as people at events can often come off too technical or even “hardcore.”
“I’ve seen people walk away and say, oh, this doesn’t seem like my tribe.”
“We need to be more self-reflective and mature,” he said. “If somebody wants to create a community, we need to be careful and ask do we know people that know Bitcoin? Can they explain Bitcoin well?”
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Instead, von Laer stressed how everyone has the ability to contribute to the ecosystem and that the “openness of the network” is reflected in the opportunities for people to join the network.
“It’s a marvelous thing to realize how everyone actually can produce value within the Bitcoin ecosystem. Anyone can make a contribution.”
Others in the broader crypto industry have also spoken out on the importance of community within the space, especially in times of volatility or uncertainty.
Recently the new vice president of marketing at Binance spoke with Cointelegraph saying crypto needs to “double down” on community support.
During its fifth anniversary celebration, the team behind the EOS network used the moment to also highlight the importance of its community in light of its recent challenges.
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