People

Jimmy Song

Jimmy Song

Formal First Name
Jimmy
Nick Name
송재준
Location

Jimmy Song is a prominent Bitcoin advocate, core developer, entrepreneur and author. Song has been contributing to Bitcoin projects since 2013, and is one of the most outspoken people in Bitcoin. He has been a vocal critic of permissioned blockchains, alternative cryptocurrencies, and the argument that Ethereum will decentralize the internet. Song has over 20 years of extensive experience in technical, programming, and development expertise. He started off as a software developer for a wide array of companies in different industries including entertainment, healthcare, and e-commerce. Today, Song is an instructor at Programming Blockchain, an advisor at Unchained Capital, and a lecturer at the University of Texas. He is the editor and author of the popular blog, Bitcoin Tech Talk and YouTube Off Chain with Jimmy Song. In addition, he is an open-source contributor to various Bitcoin projects, and is a frequent contributor to CoinDesk and Bitcoin Core, among others. Previously, he was a Bitcoin Fellow at Blockchain Capital, a company funding projects based on blockchain technology.

CAREER IN BITCOIN

  • Song caught the Bitcoin bug back in 2011. He started Bitcoin development in 2013.

  • In 2014, he joined Monetas where he led the development of bitcoin integration with open transactions for almost a year.

  • He was VP of Engineering at Armory, a Bitcoin wallet management platform, where he developed a wallet intended for enterprise business.

  • He then became the principal architect for Paxos, a New York-based financial institution and stablecoin issuer, where he created blockchain solutions.

  • Song is well known for arguing the blockchains have limited use cases.

  • He has argued that the blockchain’s sole use case is for “sound money” – which is how he characterizes Bitcoin.

  • Song writes a weekly newsletter, Bitcoin Tech Talk and has a podcast Bitcoin Fixes This.


ENGINEERING CAREER

  • Song started his career as a product technologist at Idiom Technologies, then a Senior Developer at Lifetime Entertainment.

  • He then joined athenahealth as a Senior Developer, where he was involved in physician management information systems.

  • He was Lead Software Developer at Endurance International Group, then later joined Gramify as VP of Engineering.

  • He was an R&D Lead at Elysium focused on internal applications, and a Senior Software Engineer at RetailMeNot focused on in-store coupon products.


MEDIA & APPEARANCES

  • Song has been on hundreds of podcasts and TV shows to explain the inner workings of Bitcoin.

  • Song also serves as an expert witness in certain events involving Bitcoin, and has spoken at dozens of conferences.

  • He has appeared as a guest on Real Vision.