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

Celsius Looks Sloppy in New Lawsuit, but So Does the DeFi Legend Suing It

While underscoring Celsius’s disregard for risk and weak controls, KeyFi’s lawsuit also casts new, unflattering light on the crypto whale known as @0x_b1.

In a new dispute between Celsius and a trading partner, both parties seem to have helped fumble depositors' bags. (Getty Images)

Opinion

Nic Carter vs. The Bitcoin Maximalists

If maximalism has become nothing but a refusal to think through bitcoin’s actual usefulness, it has become an intellectual dead end. No surprise, then, that the intellectuals are jumping ship.

Nic Carter at Consensus 2022 (Suzanne Cordeiro for CoinDesk)

Opinion

From One to Zero: BlockFi’s Fire Sale Shows the Uber Startup Model Is Disastrous for Finance

Peter Thiel’s monopolistic theories about building companies have clearly hit their limit: banking.

Subsidizing shadow-banking yields turns out to be a really, really bad idea. (Getty Images/wakila)

Opinion

Why the Crypto Unwind Wasn’t Contagious (This Time)

Crypto's interconnection to traditional finance hasn't proven toxic ... yet.

"The Triumph of Death" (Detail), a depiction of infectious plague, war, and pestilence, by Peter Breughel the Elder, ca. 1562. Collection of the Museo del Prado, Spain. (Wikimedia Commons)

Layer 2

How I Made It: From Pro Baller to Master of DAOs

Gnosis Guild co-founder Auryn Macmillan on obsession, focus, curiosity – and the case for working for free as a career leg up. This post is part of CoinDesk's Future of Work Week.

(Auryn MacMillan, modified by Melody Wang/CoinDesk)

Opinion

The Case for Suing Celsius, Terraform Labs

A securities lawyer discusses the duty of care crypto lenders may have for customer deposits and whether UST's founders misled the public.

If Celsius or Luna took your money, can you sue? (Tingey Injury Law Firm/Unsplash, modified by CoinDesk)

Opinion

What if the Federal Reserve Has Inflation All Wrong?

The dominant U.S. inflation narrative has blamed pandemic stimulus for rising prices. But what if the money supply isn’t the real problem anymore?

(Jp Valery/Unsplash)

Layer 2

Crypto Winter Is Here. The Weak Will Die, and the Strong Will Eat Their Bones

The crypto market is entering very rough waters. But the industry and its creative energies are here to stay.

(Nikola Johnny Mirkovic/Unsplash)