In crypto you always hear about how it is meant to be trustless. “Don’t trust, verify,” they say. I get it, crypto is all about enabling us to no longer have to rely on trusted third parties because every transaction and UTXO can be verified on the blockchain, but I also believe this message is a bit misleading.
It’s almost like it pushes this idea that we shouldn’t trust anyone. The truth is a society without trust wouldn’t be able to function. We all trust one another countless times a day. When we’re driving, when we visit the doctor, when we drop our kids off at daycare. The key is knowing who you can trust and who you can’t.
I remember when I first got into crypto I didn’t know the first thing about blockchain or computer science so I had no choice but to find people I could learn from. I had to quickly figure out who I could trust was giving me good information, and who wasn’t. And if there’s one person I trust more than anyone in crypto, it’s Deadalnix.
For those who don’t know, Deadalnix is Amaury Séchet, benevolent dictator and lead developer of Bitcoin ABC. He is the person responsible for the creation of Bitcoin Cash and now eCash, which has recently surpassed $1B in market cap, making him the only person other than Satoshi himself to be behind multiple cryptocurrency projects that are valued greater than $1B without ever holding an ICO.
I have come to respect and trust Deadalnix because I believe he is one of the most knowledgeable people in the entire industry and someone who doesn’t make false statements or exaggerate the truth like so many others.
While there are no guarantees in life, and no one can see the future, I support people who have demonstrated through their proof of work that they are someone worth believing in. Deadalnix definitely fits into that category, and there is no one who has changed my perspective more than he has.
Without further ado, here are 5 of my favorite Deadalnix quotes:
“I’ve been pushed really hard many times in my life, and every time it was worth it, even if it felt pretty bad while it happened. The truth is that growth is out of your comfort zone.”
This is perhaps the most obvious of the five, but like most of the things Deadalnix says, it’s something that rings so true and yet something many of us never stop to think about. I recently wrote about how I was promoted at my job. Even though my job can be demanding at times, I’m probably still more comfortable there than I would be anywhere else. Amaury’s quote made me realize that if I really want to grow, I will need to get out of my comfort zone or I could easily find myself 30 years from now asking what I have I done with my life.
“You cannot reduce the number of bozo, but you can avoid putting them in position of influence.
For me, if anything encapsulates the eCash culture, it’s the above quote. For years I have heard Deadalnix preach the importance of avoiding a bozo explosion. The phrase comes from Guy Kawasaki who was Apple’s chief evangelist for years. To put it succinctly, according to him A players by definition always look to hire other A players. B players, however, look to hire C players, C players look to hire D players, and so on until eventually all you’re left with are Z players. He calls this stage the bozo explosion. Anyone who has been part of a large organization has probably seen this happen first hand. And while I’m optimistic that maybe there is a way you can reduce the number of bozos, I certainly agree that what’s most important is to avoid putting them in positions of influence where they can derail a project.
“If you are arguing, you are losing.”
This quote is less obvious than the others, and I had to actually think about it before coming to the same conclusion. Because isn’t it sometimes worth arguing with someone to try and win them over? To have them see your point of view? But I realized that almost never happens. That if you’re arguing with someone, most likely you are only wasting your time. Another way to think of it is the opposite. If you were winning, would you be arguing with someone? Personally, I’ve decided to try my best to never waste my time arguing with people whenever possible. So if you ever find yourself arguing about something like the color of a logo, or the denomination of a currency, you are probably losing so stop wasting your time.
“The best we can do is try.”
Early in the year I asked Deadalnix what he thought the chances were for eCash succeeding. His response was classic Amaury and as usual I couldn’t help but smile. Rather than tell me what he thought I might want to hear, he told me the most basic truth. Like many of the other quotes, it’s something so obvious and yet I believe it also says a lot more than you might at first think.
“You’ve got to prepare for success.”
Last year before the BCH/BCHA split, I was excited when I noticed ABC had hired several new people. The team was larger than I’d ever seen it and so I mentioned it to Amaury on telegram. He responded with the above quote, causing me to smile like usual. So often most of us are too focused on what we’re going to do if something doesn’t work out and not enough on what we plan to do if we succeed. Now I find myself thinking how should I prepare for my own success. If eCash succeeds, what will you do?
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These are just five quotes that quickly came to mind when putting this article together, but the truth is I could probably write a dozen more articles like this. I’ve been accused of being in the Amaury cult (and much worse), but the fact is I’m an individualist more than anything, and that includes not being afraid to learn from people who I consider more knowledgeable than me or to give credit where credit is due.
Ultimately, I want to passionately support those who share my goals and have no problem trusting those who have earned my respect. I choose to see the best in people, not the worst. With that said, I’d like to believe I will always think for myself and not be afraid to speak out if I disagree with someone no matter who it is, benevolent dictator or not.