Bitcoin Foundations conflict of interest

gweedo

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Quote from: ?? on ??

Quote from: gweedo on April 08, 2013, 08:38:49 PM

Quote from: kgo on April 08, 2013, 08:35:35 PM

So are you saying:

1) There should not be a Bitcoin Foundation or some other advocacy group for bitcoin.

or

2) There should be a Foundation, but it should be run by people who have absolutely no interest in bitcoin to avoid a conflict of interest.

?

There should be a foundation that is for the greater good of bitcoin but allows everyone to have there say, none of this pay for a say kinda of thing.

The issue that puts most people on alert is that it's pretty obvious if Gavin wants to change something in the code, despite needing to argue sometimes on the forum, he could get away with it with his influence. To have him and the main exchange working together can of course create conflicts of interest. MtGox could influence Gavin etc, I'm not saying that's what's happening, but as mentioned here, when it's all behind a paywall, it becomes a cult and nobody wants to follow. Are there any open source or freedom groups that have a paywall to discuss with them changes in the world and software?

Exactly Or even having Charle and Mark together, they running two businesses that are complementing each other. If that happened in the USA on some big board or congress committee people would riot over that.

gweedo

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Quote from: kgo on April 08, 2013, 08:35:35 PM

So are you saying:

1) There should not be a Bitcoin Foundation or some other advocacy group for bitcoin.

or

2) There should be a Foundation, but it should be run by people who have absolutely no interest in bitcoin to avoid a conflict of interest.

?

There should be a foundation that is for the greater good of bitcoin but allows everyone to have there say, none of this pay for a say kinda of thing.

dave111223

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Quote from: kgo on April 08, 2013, 08:35:35 PM

So are you saying:

1) There should not be a Bitcoin Foundation or some other advocacy group for bitcoin.

or

2) There should be a Foundation, but it should be run by people who have absolutely no interest in bitcoin to avoid a conflict of interest.

?

How about:

3) Have the foundation run by people interested in bitcoin, but not involved in running Bitcoin Exchange related businesses. Certainly the people on the board should not be promoting their own businesses as "Platinum Members", where they pay the membership fee to themselves and then choose how they allocate that member fee (if said fee was even paid at all)

or

4) Run it as it is now but with transparency. Making all accounting public (donations, expenses, etc..)

kgo

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So are you saying:

1) There should not be a Bitcoin Foundation or some other advocacy group for bitcoin.

or

2) There should be a Foundation, but it should be run by people who have absolutely no interest in bitcoin to avoid a conflict of interest.

?

Frozenlock

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Just launch the "Bitcoin consortium" then.
Distribute flyers with your picture on it, describing what you've accomplished for Bitcoin.

Oh wait...

uMMcQxCWELNzkt

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Quote from: bg002h on April 08, 2013, 08:07:36 PM

Quote from: uMMcQxCWELNzkt on April 08, 2013, 08:05:39 PM

Quote from: bg002h on April 08, 2013, 07:40:11 PM

Don't be silly. These are the people that are making your Bitcoins worth something.

This comment made me think of plantation owners telling their slaves at least we give you food.

If you are likening yourself to a slave, what work were you forced to do?

My point was not of being a slave as I do not believe that just yet. It just appears to me the "foundation" has branded itself as the authority and the primary channel for Bitcoin support, the figure heads of Bitcoin even. Perhaps the foundation should start manufacturing physical coins with the "representatives" faces on the coin to remind us who makes our money worth anything.

superduh

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i'm more thinking conflict of interest between mtgox and ripple
although i STILL have no idea what ripples are

dave111223

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Quote from: btbrae on April 08, 2013, 07:55:48 PM

It reeks. This is basically a self-serving enterprise of business owners that will look to shut out competition or anybody that doesn't walk their line using their own list of agendas. I've seen it before. Power corrupts. Let them have their gatherings, but don't donate to it, and take your business elsewhere.

Totally agree.

Do you think that if any one comes along with an idea that is good for bitcoin, but bad for these companies will get promoted by the foundation?

For example a the Bitcoin ATM which utilized Bitstamp exchange; I wonder how the foundation would look upon that; a pretty dim view i would guess.

bg002h

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I outlived my lifetime membership:)

Quote from: uMMcQxCWELNzkt on April 08, 2013, 08:05:39 PM

Quote from: bg002h on April 08, 2013, 07:40:11 PM

Don't be silly. These are the people that are making your Bitcoins worth something.

This comment made me think of plantation owners telling their slaves at least we give you food.

If you are likening yourself to a slave, what work were you forced to do?

uMMcQxCWELNzkt

sr. member

Activity: 406

Merit: 250

Quote from: bg002h on April 08, 2013, 07:40:11 PM

Don't be silly. These are the people that are making your Bitcoins worth something.

This comment made me think of plantation owners telling their slaves at least we give you food.

dave111223

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Merit: 1001

Quote from: bg002h on April 08, 2013, 07:59:54 PM

Quote from: dave111223 on April 08, 2013, 07:49:27 PM

Quote from: bg002h on April 08, 2013, 07:40:11 PM

Don't be silly. These are the people that are making your Bitcoins worth something.

So your contention is that without these 3 companies bitcoin would be worthless?

No. My contention is that these guys made you money. Without them, you would have less.

Don't forget, the main goal of the foundation is to pay the devs. The Foundation has no authority. It's basically setup to take handouts and give them to clever people who otherwise could not afford to quit their jobs to work on Bitcoin.

I doubt any of us realize how many nights, weekends, and vacations have been spent on making the protocol actually work. For free. That's why there is a foundation.

And which devs have been paid? How much were they paid? When where they paid? Who decided how much they were paid?

It seems to me like most of the devs are actually donating members, so money flowing in the exact opposite direction that you claim:
https://bitcoinfoundation.org/members

bg002h

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I outlived my lifetime membership:)

Quote from: dave111223 on April 08, 2013, 07:49:27 PM

Quote from: bg002h on April 08, 2013, 07:40:11 PM

Don't be silly. These are the people that are making your Bitcoins worth something.

So your contention is that without these 3 companies bitcoin would be worthless?

No. My contention is that these guys made you money. Without them, you would have less.

Don't forget, the main goal of the foundation is to pay the devs. The Foundation has no authority. It's basically setup to take handouts and give them to clever people who otherwise could not afford to quit their jobs to work on Bitcoin.

I doubt any of us realize how many nights, weekends, and vacations have been spent on making the protocol actually work. For free. That's why there is a foundation.

mjsbuddha

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yung lean

define "the betterment of bitcoin"

btbrae

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It reeks. This is basically a self-serving enterprise of business owners that will look to shut out competition or anybody that doesn't walk their line using their own list of agendas. I've seen it before. Power corrupts. Let them have their gatherings, but don't donate to it, and take your business elsewhere.

dave111223

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Activity: 1190

Merit: 1001

Quote from: bg002h on April 08, 2013, 07:40:11 PM

Don't be silly. These are the people that are making your Bitcoins worth something.

So your contention is that without these 3 companies bitcoin would be worthless?

bg002h

donator

Activity: 1466

Merit: 1048

I outlived my lifetime membership:)

Don't be silly. These are the people that are making your Bitcoins worth something.

ElectricMucus

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Marketing manager - GO MP

I for one welcome our new corporatist overlords!

dancingnancy

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Quote from: dave111223 on April 08, 2013, 06:56:51 PM

Doesn't anyone else smell a rat when they view the bitcoin foundation board members?

https://bitcoinfoundation.org/about/board
Mark Karpeles -> Owner Mtgox
Charlie Shrem -> Owner Bitinstant
Peter Vessenes -> Owner Coinlab

So they are collecting donations for the betterment bitcoin? Seems to me like they are collect donations to fund their own interests?

While at the same time all these guys have their companies listed as Platinum/Silver members? But don't list any financials of how much they donated, or where the donations are specially being spent.

Don't get me wrong I have nothing against these people; they are running great and useful businesses. And I wish them all success in their business ventures.

But seriously wtf are people donating coins to this foundation?

It like Benanke, Dimon and Madoff setting up a "Dollar Foundation" and people donating to it to help improve the image of the dollar.

The same Mark Karpeles that is holding all of bitcoinica's creditors BTC hostage for the past 10 months?

dave111223

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Merit: 1001

Doesn't anyone else smell a rat when they view the bitcoin foundation board members?

https://bitcoinfoundation.org/about/board
Mark Karpeles -> Owner Mtgox
Charlie Shrem -> Owner Bitinstant
Peter Vessenes -> Owner Coinlab

So they are collecting donations for the betterment bitcoin? Seems to me like they are collect donations to fund their own interests?

While at the same time all these guys have their companies listed as Platinum/Silver members? But don't list any financials of how much they donated, or where the donations are specially being spent.

Don't get me wrong I have nothing against these people; they are running great and useful businesses. And I wish them all success in their business ventures.

But seriously wtf are people donating coins to this foundation?

It like Benanke, Dimon and Madoff setting up a "Dollar Foundation" and people donating to it to help improve the image of the dollar.

Topic: Bitcoin Foundations conflict of interest (Read 1764 times)