[ANN] BitPay Hires Bitcoin Core-Developer Jeff Garzik

[BitPay Business Solutions]

http://uptweet.com/viewStory?id=1257

ATLANTA -- May 14, 2013 -- BitPay Inc, the world’s leading payment processor for bitcoin, announces it has hired Bitcoin core-developer Jeff Garzik. Jeff has been working part-time on Bitcoin for the past three years, contributing to the core Bitcoin protocol, while he worked full-time for Red Hat in North Carolina. The job at BitPay will allow him to work full-time on Bitcoin, BitPay, and related open-source projects to benefit the Bitcoin community.

“BitPay recognizes the need for more resources and developments in the core Bitcoin protocol, especially in the areas of scalability and reliability,” says Tony Gallippi, co-founder and CEO of BitPay. “We strongly encourage other Bitcoin companies to do the same, either through crowdfunding efforts or direct contracts, grants, or scholarships.”

[crazy_rabbit]

Cool! Bitpay should be making some awesome stuff then!

[procrypto]

Surely can only be a good thing for BTC to have one of the core devs involved with Bitcoin full time, even if it is on the commercial end of things. Congrats to BitPay and Jeff Garzik!

[acoindr]

Congrats both of you! Sounds like a win win!

[kfreds]

Well done. Congratulations to BitPay and Jeff Garzik

[Melbustus]

Congrats, guys. The more talented devs spending all of their time on bitcoin, the better.

[jimbobway]

Is this a full-time position?  Meaning, he quit red hat and now working on bitpay 100%?

[kfreds]

Is this a full-time position?  Meaning, he quit red hat and now working on bitpay 100%?

Sure sounds like it.

The job at BitPay will allow him to work full-time on Bitcoin, BitPay, and related open-source projects to benefit the Bitcoin community.

[wopwop]

bitpaycoin

[abbyd]

Finally a smart bitcoin company...

I would've thought it'd be obvious that any worthwhile startup needs a core dev onboard...

[mc_lovin]

wow, congrats BitPay and congrats Jeff!!

[dhenson]

I don't know if I should be scared of or happy for bitpay. I hope Jeff signed like an independent clause in his contract otherwise, I can see the genius of having your own core developer, in your pocket.

I have to laugh a little at gweedo's ability to turn anything into a negative.  You have a talent sir.


This is great news for bitcoin. Congrats Jeff!

[itsgoldbaby]

BitPay = Awesome. 

[conv3rsion]

This is a very good thing. Since bitpay is a payment processor, Jeff can work directly on helping Bitcoin scale and keeping transaction costs low.

Congrats everybody.

[uuidman]

This is good news, bad for redhat though   Congrats Jeff, I remember when I first heard of bitcoin, surely it was innovative, but still. Then I saw some names from the linux scene and I knew it was time for some serious reading.  Never looked back.

[boonies4u]

Tony and BitPay are taking over! lol

Congrats to both BitPay and Jeff!

[farlack]

I love bitpay, but this is a really bad thing. Now bitpay has control over how bitcoin will work. I'm not sure if anyone noticed, but what ever the devs put in the code, is whats in everyones bitcoin. It will now be what bitpay wants to see changed, not what the users want, because of course, no one is going to download the latest version from johnjoe who no one knows, over the dev for the past 3 years.

Other than that worry, congrats. I'm curious, are you being paid in bitcoin?

[Herbert]

This sounds good. Wish Jeff all the best 

[tjohej]

I love bitpay, but this is a really bad thing. Now bitpay has control over how bitcoin will work.

You are free to hire whomever you want to review the source code and see to it that nothing bad happens to it, if you are worrying about it.

[farlack]

I love bitpay, but this is a really bad thing. Now bitpay has control over how bitcoin will work.

You are free to hire whomever you want to review the source code and see to it that nothing bad happens to it, if you are worrying about it.

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=196138.0
News: All users of Bitcoin-Qt/bitcoind versions 0.7.2 and earlier are required to upgrade to 0.8.1 or apply a manual workaround by May 15. More info.


P.S. I'm not here to bitch about him being hired, I just wanted to bring to light how it might not be good, and to make sure it doesn't become a bad thing for it happening, such as bitpay doing what bitpay wants for themself.

[dree12]

I love bitpay, but this is a really bad thing. Now bitpay has control over how bitcoin will work. I'm not sure if anyone noticed, but what ever the devs put in the code, is whats in everyones bitcoin. It will now be what bitpay wants to see changed, not what the users want, because of course, no one is going to download the latest version from johnjoe who no one knows, over the dev for the past 3 years.

Other than that worry, congrats. I'm curious, are you being paid in bitcoin?

Did you know that Gavin once worked for CoinLab? Did you know he now works for Bitcoin Foundation?

Linux development is partially from paid workers for RedHat, SUSE, etc. There's no reason Bitcoin should be different.

[N12]

Wow. Bitcoin is turning into the very thing its community used to be against. I'm looking forward to SatoshiDice and BitPay lobbying the devs and mining pools to include, exclude or modify changes. Perhaps they are already doing it.

[farlack]

I love bitpay, but this is a really bad thing. Now bitpay has control over how bitcoin will work. I'm not sure if anyone noticed, but what ever the devs put in the code, is whats in everyones bitcoin. It will now be what bitpay wants to see changed, not what the users want, because of course, no one is going to download the latest version from johnjoe who no one knows, over the dev for the past 3 years.

Other than that worry, congrats. I'm curious, are you being paid in bitcoin?

Did you know that Gavin once worked for CoinLab? Did you know he now works for Bitcoin Foundation?

Linux development is partially from paid workers for RedHat, SUSE, etc. There's no reason Bitcoin should be different.

Payment processors are the closest thing you get to a bank. Banks are in control right now, why would you want the next best thing in charge? That's what bitcoin is against.

I'm not saying this has to be a bad thing, it could really benefit, but the possibility is still there. Geed is in human nature.

[boonies4u]

I love bitpay, but this is a really bad thing. Now bitpay has control over how bitcoin will work. I'm not sure if anyone noticed, but what ever the devs put in the code, is whats in everyones bitcoin. It will now be what bitpay wants to see changed, not what the users want, because of course, no one is going to download the latest version from johnjoe who no one knows, over the dev for the past 3 years.

Other than that worry, congrats. I'm curious, are you being paid in bitcoin?

Did you know that Gavin once worked for CoinLab? Did you know he now works for Bitcoin Foundation?

Linux development is partially from paid workers for RedHat, SUSE, etc. There's no reason Bitcoin should be different.

They don't have control of the bitcoin protocol even me with my tin foil hat against the devs doesn't believe that. I do believe that it gives them a huge edge against other payment processors, they can have bitcoinds built for the purpose of being an enterprise solution and they can license that out, for another income. That would allow them to crush more companies out of the space. That is what scares me, cause if Jeff was smart, he write in the contract that everything he develops for them has to be open source and independent from bitpay's control.

Why shouldn't BitPay control the bitcoind that they pay him to make?

[boonies4u]

I love bitpay, but this is a really bad thing. Now bitpay has control over how bitcoin will work. I'm not sure if anyone noticed, but what ever the devs put in the code, is whats in everyones bitcoin. It will now be what bitpay wants to see changed, not what the users want, because of course, no one is going to download the latest version from johnjoe who no one knows, over the dev for the past 3 years.

Other than that worry, congrats. I'm curious, are you being paid in bitcoin?

Did you know that Gavin once worked for CoinLab? Did you know he now works for Bitcoin Foundation?

Linux development is partially from paid workers for RedHat, SUSE, etc. There's no reason Bitcoin should be different.

They don't have control of the bitcoin protocol even me with my tin foil hat against the devs doesn't believe that. I do believe that it gives them a huge edge against other payment processors, they can have bitcoinds built for the purpose of being an enterprise solution and they can license that out, for another income. That would allow them to crush more companies out of the space. That is what scares me, cause if Jeff was smart, he write in the contract that everything he develops for them has to be open source and independent from bitpay's control.

Why shouldn't BitPay control the bitcoind that they pay him to make?

BitPay can do whatever they want, I just said if Jeff was smart, he think with the mindset of helping the greater good, then just filling his pockets like some people on the dev team.

Best of luck in finding a dev that will make a vow of poverty. Because who knows... maybe secretly the (hypothetical) pizza delivery guy is a bitcoin developer and Domino's is actually telling him what to do. 

[ElectricMucus]

This is getting on my nerves.

[uMMcQxCWELNzkt]

What happens if all the companies buy up all the core devs?

I figured the Dev's would be full time anyway as they would have been mining and in Bitcoin for a long time?

[solex]

Good news.

People with talent + people with money = success

[marcus_of_augustus]

Jeff has a long history of Open Source development work .... I can't see him introducing code contributing to nefarious forks that only work in BitPay's favour ... and anyway he has to get Gavin to sign off on commits ... and worse comes to worse you could always use that branch of the code produced by the development monk sect who took a vow of poverty and study arcane crypto-math as a pastime (last seen in an enclave in the swiss alps some say) and only deliver their source code by USB sticks attached to the legs of carrier pigeon

[finway]

Good news. Congrats to BitPay and Jeff.

[oakpacific]

Linus worked in Transmeta for a few years, and the community never had a problem. Conspiracy theorists need to get real.

[bg002h]

Wait...you mean the devs need to eat? I thought they just ate code and went around giving gifts to people like Santa Claus all year round...

My whole belief system is ruined. I feel your pain Gweedo.

[cypherdoc]

Devs are "allowed" to make money you know.

Congratulations.

[N12]

Devs are "allowed" to make money you know.

Congratulations.

It can certainly represent a conflict of interest. But it's no problem, I've long realized Bitcoin won't change anything fundamentally. Even in a success scenario, the block chain would be limited with extraorbitant fees for transactions, making it only possible for crypto fat cats to make use of Bitcoin's actual properties. The plebs would again be exposed to centralization and "banks", necessarily. Trust is not removed, only shifted.

I digress.

[marcus_of_augustus]

Devs are "allowed" to make money you know.

Congratulations.

It can certainly represent a conflict of interest. But it's no problem, I've long realized Bitcoin won't change anything fundamentally. Even in a success scenario, the block chain would be limited with extraorbitant fees for transactions, making it only possible for crypto fat cats to make use of Bitcoin's actual properties. The plebs would again be exposed to centralization and "banks", necessarily. Trust is not removed, only shifted.

I digress.

Don't worry Blitz ... people are out there working on the next layer for the "plebs" to enjoy bitcoin-like freedom too .... trust "noone".

[N12]

Devs are "allowed" to make money you know.

Congratulations.

It can certainly represent a conflict of interest. But it's no problem, I've long realized Bitcoin won't change anything fundamentally. Even in a success scenario, the block chain would be limited with extraorbitant fees for transactions, making it only possible for crypto fat cats to make use of Bitcoin's actual properties. The plebs would again be exposed to centralization and "banks", necessarily. Trust is not removed, only shifted.

I digress.

Don't worry Blitz ... people are out there working on the next layer for the "plebs" to enjoy bitcoin-like freedom too .... trust "noone".

Any concepts out there yet? Interested to see if this could work.

Sorry for the offtopic.

[fuW19dxlim16]

It doesn't give BitPay decision-making power, it gives them the power to make proposals.
God, if I wanted I could contribute to the core development, just as anyone, would that mean I control Bitcoin ? Not more than any of us !
Code's changes still have to be reviewed by the community and other developers, and don't worry, a lot of people cares about that (you can see the polemic on dust outputs).

So chill out, and thank BitPay for their contribution (it's not selfless, but keep in mind they need Bitcoin to be a success for their business to run).

[Herodes]

I don't know if I should be scared of or happy for bitpay. I hope Jeff signed like an independent clause in his contract otherwise, I can see the genius of having your own core developer, in your pocket.

On a serious note: Congrats, great news!

[BitPay Business Solutions]

So chill out, and thank BitPay for their contribution (it's not selfless, but keep in mind they need Bitcoin to be a success for their business to run).

BitPay cannot grow to 100x our size now without bitcoin being able to grow and scale with us.  Jeff is a great developer and can help work on the scaleability issues that bitcoin needs to meet the demands.

[justusranvier]

BitPay cannot grow to 100x our size now without bitcoin being able to grow and scale with us.  Jeff is a great developer and can help work on the scaleability issues that bitcoin needs to meet the demands.

I would consider this to be very encouraging news, if it wasn't for relatively recent comments made by Jeff that indicated a certain hostility on his part to implementing the necessary scaling improvements in Bitcoin.

[solex]

BitPay cannot grow to 100x our size now without bitcoin being able to grow and scale with us.  Jeff is a great developer and can help work on the scaleability issues that bitcoin needs to meet the demands.

I would consider this to be very encouraging news, if it wasn't for relatively recent comments made by Jeff that indicated a certain hostility on his part to implementing the necessary scaling improvements in Bitcoin.

I was going to mention that too, but in due course, when Jeff had at least got his feet under his new desk!
My last reading of his comments was that he's against infinite blocks, which might be interpreted as flexibility on a larger fixed limit...

[oakpacific]

Wait, Jeff needs a job? Isn't his Avalon enough to allow him to retire?

[wumpus]

It can certainly represent a conflict of interest. But it's no problem, I've long realized Bitcoin won't change anything fundamentally. Even in a success scenario, the block chain would be limited with extraorbitant fees for transactions, making it only possible for crypto fat cats to make use of Bitcoin's actual properties. The plebs would again be exposed to centralization and "banks", necessarily. Trust is not removed, only shifted.

A conflict of interest? So, do you think it's better for the devs to be employed by non-bitcoin companies, as most of them are? It looks to me as that's more of a conflict of interest than helping improve Bitcoin at a Bitcoin company.

If Bitpay would start making unreasonable demands he can always quit, it's not like kernel developers have problems finding a job.

Hey, even though the devs do have the greater good in mind, they have to eat and feed their families and pets.

Many people in this community are screaming a lot, but not paying anything for bitcoin development or support. Did you expect a virtual currency to bring a whole new world of altruism?

Wait, Jeff needs a job? Isn't his Avalon enough to allow him to retire?

Retiring is boring It's not that he was forced to do this, I suppose he just wants to be more active with Bitcoin development and found someone that's willing to pay for it and invest in the infrastructure in this way. That's great news for Bitcoin

[Anenome5]

Jeff Garzik is a legend ^_^ Congrats.

[kangasbros]

Finally a smart bitcoin company...

I would've thought it'd be obvious that any worthwhile startup needs a core dev onboard...

Well, they have also money as bitpay has been quite a business success. When/if localbitcoins.com gains enough traction/income, we will be doing the same

[faisalp]

i'm a large bitpay customer and I have everything to gain from the platform getting better...

however this isn't a good state of affairs for bitcoin as a whole

I look forward to some public debate on this at the conference...