David Z. Morris

David Z. Morris was CoinDesk's Chief Insights Columnist. He has written about crypto since 2013 for outlets including Fortune, Slate, and Aeon. He is the author of "Bitcoin is Magic," an introduction to Bitcoin's social dynamics. He is a former academic sociologist of technology with a PhD in Media Studies from the University of Iowa. He holds Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and small amounts of other crypto assets.

David Z. Morris

Latest from David Z. Morris


Opinion

Apple's New Encryption Policy Is a Huge Boon for Crypto

Opt-in end-to-end encryption tools are an immense win for digital privacy – and crypto.

(Jeremy Moeller/Getty Images)

Opinion

Be Patient: Sam Bankman-Fried Could Go to Prison for a Very, Very Long Time

The former wonder boy could be behind bars for life, according to U.S. federal sentencing guidelines.

(Relaxfoto.de/Getty Images)

Consensus Magazine

The Four Horsemen of the Cryptocalypse

Move over, war, famine, pestilence and death. Meet the CEOs of Terraform Labs, Three Arrows Capital, Celsius Network and Voyager Digital. For blowing up crypto, Do Kwon, Su Zhu, Alex Mashinsky and Stephen Ehrlich are four of CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.

"Market Wizards" (Ovie Faruq/CoinDesk)

Opinion

Sam Bankman-Fried's Self-Incrimination Tour

The disgraced man-child’s media apology tour may sway the underinformed. But it can only hurt Bankman-Fried where it counts – in the courtroom.

Sam Bankman-Fried sticking his tongue out while at Crypto Bahamas earlier this year. (Danny Nelson/CoinDesk)

Opinion

FTX’s Collapse Was a Crime, Not an Accident

Sam Bankman-Fried is a con man and fraudster of historic proportions. But you might not learn that from the New York Times, CoinDesk's Chief Insights Columnist David Z. Morris writes.

(Midjourney/CoinDesk)

Opinion

What Is a Crypto Exchange Token and How Did It Help Blow up FTX?

Exchange tokens do not represent a claim on a centralized crypto businesses, but they can have utility.

(Danny Nelson/CoinDesk)

Layer 2

Who Is William MacAskill, the Oxford Philosopher Who Shaped Sam Bankman-Fried’s Worldview?

A prominent voice in the “effective altruism” movement, MacAskill has served as Sam Bankman-Fried’s mentor.

William MacAskill (williammacaskill.com)

Layer 2

Who's Who in the FTX Inner Circle

FTX collapsed. These were the players closest to the implosion.

FTX Inner Circle Composite

Opinion

The FTX Collapse Looks an Awful Lot Like Enron

Alameda and FTX were built on false asset values driven by deceptive self-dealing. So was America's most notorious corporate fraud.

Enron founder and longtime CEO Kenneth Lay, in a mugshot taken July 2004. Lay was convicted of fraud in 2006, but died before being sentenced. (Photo courtesy Bureau of Prisons/Getty Images)