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

Trudeau Proved Bitcoin's Value, so Why Is It Trading Sideways?

Financial censorship in Canada is creating new crypto converts. But BTC's price isn't following - yet.

Feb 23, 2022

Truckers line up their trucks on Albert Street as they honk their horns on February 5, 2022 in Ottawa, Canada. The trucker blockade has since been dispersed - in part through the use of financial seizures and censorship. (Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

Opinion

ETHDenver Shows Not All Crypto Communities Are the Same

In a day focused on reforming economics and society, ETHheads discussed "public goods," Schelling Points and how DAOs can return power to the people.

Feb 18, 2022

The registration line for ETHDenver stretches down the block on Thursday, February 17, 2022 (David Z. Morris/CoinDesk)

Opinion

ETHDenver Day 2: NFTs, Gaming the Future and COVID Fantasists

And why isn't blockchain being used for coronavirus check-ins?

Feb 16, 2022

Opinion

ETHDenver Agenda: 3 Big Themes in 2022

What you need to know about Ethereum’s big event this winter.

Feb 15, 2022

Opinion

4 Unanswered Questions About the Bitfinex Hack

Even after high-profile arrests, we don't have the full story behind the $4.6 billion crypto heist.

Feb 9, 2022

Heather Morgan, who along with her husband Ilya "Dutch" Lichtenstein, is accused of attempting to launder more than $4 billion worth of stolen bitcoin. (Heather Morgan/Facebook)

Opinion

Your Right to Anonymity Ends Where Risk to My Money Begins

Privacy is a key value of crypto, and of a healthy society. But it ends when you seek wealth and influence – for good reason.

Feb 8, 2022

Anonymity is highly valued in crypto and hacker culture. But a higher standard of transparency may apply for those with power over others' fates. (Boy_Anupog/Getty Images)

Opinion

A Bridge Too Far: Does the Wormhole Hack Mean the Multi-Blockchain Dream Is Dead?

Bridges and other connections between blockchains present inherent security challenges. Whether those can be solved will determine the future of the entire ecosystem.

Feb 4, 2022

A collapsed bridge along Forbes Avenue near Frick Park in Pittsburgh on Jan. 28, 2022. Just a few days later, a Solana-Ethereum cryptocurrency bridge called Wormhole met a similar fate. (Justin Merriman/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Opinion

A Crypto Wallet by Any Other Name…

“Unhosted”? “Self-hosted”? “Non-custodial”? What you call a crypto wallet may seem trivial but it has huge stakes for shaping public perception of cryptocurrencies – and, in turn, for regulation.

Feb 2, 2022

Opinion

This Super Bowl, Don’t Trust Celebrity Crypto Endorsements (Don’t Trust Yourself, Either)

Sure, you can “do your own research." But first make sure you understand what that actually means.

Feb 2, 2022

Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat, who will reportedly appear in a commercial for crypto exchange Binance during Super Bowl LVI on Feb. 13, 2022. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images)

Opinion

Reflecting on Facebook's Hilarious, Well-Deserved Crypto Failure

Diem: derailed, deferred, now dead.

Jan 28, 2022

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg during testimony about the Libra digital currency project before the House Financial Services Committee on October 23, 2019.

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