HHCIB 032 Bitcoin Foundation CoFounder Patrick Murck

How Hard Can It Be?

You could say Patrick Murck is the man who made Bitcoin respectable. The cryptocurrency’s journey from preferred medium of exchange for mail-order cocaine to Next Big Thing was a long, strange trip indeed, and my guest this week was right there the whole way. Meet Patrick Murck, Bitcoin insider and Special Counsel at the international law firm Cooley LLP, where his practice focuses on regulatory and legal issues facing the fintech industry. Patrick is probably best known as Executive Director of The Bitcoin Foundation, which he co-founded in 2012. A prominent, early figure in world of cryptocurrency, Patrick has also held roles in a multiple digital startups and served as an expert for US and European regulators and policymakers. In 2014, he was named among America’s 50 Outstanding General Counsel for 2014. Today Patrick serves as a fellow at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, and his research focuses on the law and policy implications of Bitcoin, distributed ledgers, and smart contracts. He also serves as President Board Member for the BitGive Foundation, a philanthropic representative for the Bitcoin and Blockchain Industry, aimed at leveraging this technology to improve public health and the environment worldwide.