Nathaniel Popper
Nathaniel Popper is a journalist and the author of two books on financial technology, most notably Digital Gold: Bitcoin and the Inside Story of the Misfits and Millionaires Trying to Reinvent Money. Popper is an experienced reporter and was most recently an editor at the New York Times’ DealBook before joining the Los Angeles Times.
Nathaniel Popper grew up in the suburbs of Southern California and attended Brandeis University where he majored in American Studies. His career as a writer began with an internship at the Los Angeles Times, where he learned basic skills like editing, gathering facts and writing stories. He then moved to New Jersey to work for a political and investigative newspaper, the Bergen Record. After that he worked for a online chatting site and eventually began freelancing for The New Yorker, Technology Review and others.
In 2009, Popper wrote a story for Forbes entitled Lost in the Bitcoin Forest, discussing how over 400 Japanese investors had invested in a company called Mizuho Bank, which was created to leverage Bitcoin technology. The story helped spark interest in Bitcoin and Popper was subsequently invited to speak on the topic at various conferences.
Inspired by this experience, he decided to write his first book, Digital Gold: Bitcoin and the Inside Story of the Misfits and Millionaires Trying to Reinvent Money in 2015. Popper spent four years researching and writing the book, a feat which earned him both the Financial Times and McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award, as well as the National Award for Arts and Letters from the National Book Critics Circle.
In Digital Gold, Popper gives an inside look into the world of Bitcoin and its subsequent rise in prominence in financial, technological and social spaces. He examines the characters involved in the development of Bitcoin such as the unknown, secretive creator known only by the pseudonym ‘Satoshi Nakamoto’ and computer programmer, Hal Finney. Popper discusses the many ups, downs and moral ambiguities that come along with developing and investing in this crypto currency.
The book also provides a historically deep look into Bitcoin’s emergence, exploring the skill and tenacity of the developers and early supporters of the currency. Popper also provides recommendations for how to navigate the risks and rewards associated with digital money.
In 2016, Popper published his second book, New Laws of Investing, a collection of essays on the financial services and technology investments of the 21st century. The book is an exploration of the risks and rewards of modern-day investing, particularly in the digital currency markets.
Nathaniel Popper is also an active contributor to The New York Times’ DealBook and his articles have been featured in The Atlantic, Wired, Fortune, and Slate. He has been cited as an expert on digital currency by The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, BBC, and CNBC, among others.
While his writing often focuses on technology and financial topics, Popper is also a self-described “connoisseur of the internet.” He has voiced his desire to explore the internet’s impact on politics, culture, and society.
Nathaniel Popper is an award-winning financial journalist and a well-respected author in the space of Financial Technology. His two books, Digital Gold: Bitcoin and the Inside Story of the Misfits and Millionaires Trying to Reinvent Money, and New Laws of Investing, provide insightful and historically deep understanding of the currency and investing markets of the 21st century.
