Today marks a decade since Hal Finney’s passing, a distinguished cryptographer and computer scientist who significantly influenced the early days of Bitcoin. Finney, who succumbed to complications from ALS in 2014, is remembered for his invaluable contributions to Bitcoin and his vision for its future possibilities.
10 years ago today, Hal Finney passed away.
Finney was the recipient of the very first Bitcoin transaction, receiving 10 #BTC from Satoshi Nakamoto.
Today, we are all running #Bitcoin 🧡 pic.twitter.com/iRxgwQVNR7
— Bitcoin Magazine (@BitcoinMagazine) August 28, 2024
At the start of his career, Finney worked as a video game developer before joining PGP Corporation, where he was involved in the development of early public-key cryptography software. His passion for digital privacy led him to engage with the cypherpunks mailing list, collaborating with other innovators in the field. In 2004, Finney introduced the world’s first reusable proof-of-work (RPOW) system, which laid the groundwork for the proof-of-work consensus mechanism used in Bitcoin.
However, Finney is likely most recognized for his early involvement in Bitcoin. As one of the first individuals to grasp the revolutionary potential of Satoshi Nakamoto’s innovation, Finney became an enthusiastic contributor to the project. He notably received the first Bitcoin transaction directly from Nakamoto and played a role in advancing the protocol’s development. His historic 2009 tweet, “Running bitcoin,” is considered a landmark moment in Bitcoin’s timeline.
14 years ago today, cryptographer Hal Finney made the first #Bitcoin tweet ever 🧡
RIP Hal 🙏 pic.twitter.com/zsCsKEiGnO
— Bitcoin Magazine (@BitcoinMagazine) January 10, 2023
Despite his 2009 ALS diagnosis, Finney remained committed to Bitcoin, utilizing eye-tracking software to continue coding as the disease progressed. His tenacity and commitment have left a lasting impression on the community and those passionate about Bitcoin. “Today, I am essentially paralyzed. I am fed through a tube, and my breathing is assisted through another tube,” Finney shared on the Bitcoin Talk Forum on March 19, 2013. “It’s been an adjustment, but my life is not too bad… I still love programming and it gives me goals… I’m comfortable with my legacy.”
As the community reflects on his impact, here is one of the rare recorded videos of Finney speaking at the Crypto 98 conference, where he discussed zero-knowledge proofs and illuminated his groundbreaking work on cryptographic protocols.
✨New video of #Bitcoin pioneer Hal Finney unearths a 25-year-old talk on zero-knowledge crypto
The 1st time I’ve ever heard him speak 🧡 pic.twitter.com/SkGrnae81L
— The Bitcoin Historian (@pete_rizzo_) September 20, 2023
