David Z. Morris

Chief Insights Columnist

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.

Latest from David Z. Morris

Opinion

Why on Earth Would Land Be Scarce in the Metaverse?

With their “skeuomorphic” approach to real estate, Web 3 metaverse projects may have fallen into a trap of their own making.

May 6, 2022

In the real world, there's only one Lombardy, Italy. But that's not quite how "land" works in the metaverse. (Michele Rossetti/Getty Images)

Opinion

An Ape Ain’t Free: In Defense of Ethereum’s Fees

Pick your poison: low fees on a chain that could collapse when transaction demand outstrips blockspace (Solana), or unpredictable, sometimes very high fees on a stable chain (Ethereum).

May 3, 2022

(Bored Ape Yacht Club, modified by CoinDesk)

Opinion

Wall Street’s Latest ‘Market Manipulation’ Scandal Should Be a Wake-Up Call for Crypto

Archegos levered a small basket of equities to the moon before it imploded - and took big stocks down with it. Similarly overlooked risks in crypto could leave traders holding the bag.

Apr 29, 2022

Archegos Capital management owner Bill Hwang was arrested for fraud and conspiracy. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Layer 2

Bitcoin's Unfinished Business: Why Micropayments Still Matter

Tiny, cheap-to-deliver payments can open new markets for small digital goods. Can a new wave of crypto-inflected startups plug a longstanding gap in the internet? This piece is part of CoinDesk's Payments Week.

Apr 28, 2022

Opinion

Mark Zuckerberg to Investors: Expect Nothing From the Metaverse

In setting a 10-year timeline for returns from Reality Labs, Zuck raised as many questions as he answered.

Apr 28, 2022

Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive officer and cofounder of Meta (formerly Facebook Inc.), during the announcement of the corporate rebrand on Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021. Just months later, Meta seems to be downplaying the promise of its metaverse ambitions. (Michael Nagel/Getty Images)

Opinion

The Downfall of 'Shadow Banker' Reggie Fowler and Crypto's Rising Legitimacy

A lead figure in the storied Crypto Capital saga has declared he’s effectively broke. Now, he wants to give up his right to a trial.

Apr 22, 2022

Reggie Fowler in happier times, on the sidelines of a January 1, 2006 matchup between the Minnesoat Vikings and Chicago Bears at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. Fowler now faces decades in prison for his role in the shadow bank Crypto Capital. (Mark Brettingen/Getty Images)

Opinion

‘Built to Fail’? Why TerraUSD’s Growth Is Giving Finance Experts Nightmares

The Terra/Luna blockchain is growing at a blinding pace. At its heart, according to some critics, is a ticking time bomb.

Apr 22, 2022

A bank run in progress at New York City's American Union Bank on April 26, 1932. A run on an algorithmic stablecoin would similarly leave some depositors empty-handed. (Wikimedia)

Opinion

Will Rising Interest Rates Sink the Crypto Ecosystem?

Competition for capital is clobbering speculative investments like tech stocks. Digital assets have held up comparatively well – so far.

Apr 20, 2022

Crypto investors may be in for rough sailing as interest rates rise. Charles Turner's "A Shipwreck," 1805, from the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Opinion

Ethereum’s Dark Underbelly Shows That Even in Crypto, Trust Matters

Laura Shin’s book “The Cryptopians” drives home the reality that the human element is at least as important as it is in traditional fields.

Apr 18, 2022

Though he was one of many Ethereum cofounders, Vitalik Buterin's contributions - including surprisingly careful management - were pivotal. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg/Getty)

Opinion

Elden Ring Has Outlasted Its Critics, and So Will Bitcoin

From Software never bowed to misguided attacks on its Souls games. That purity of vision has made them legends.

Apr 13, 2022

From Software's Elden Ring, which became a huge hit after the studio had labored over its systems in relative obscurity for more than a decade.

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