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

21 Predictions for Crypto and Beyond in 2022

What comes after crypto’s biggest year ever?

Putting the "woo" in 2022. (Rob Kim/Getty Images)

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What Jack Dorsey’s Beef With 'Web 3' Is Really About

The Bitcoin-loving CEO’s feud with VCs is just the latest round of a fight that has been raging for nearly a decade: Bitcoiners vs. “crypto.”

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How NFTs Put Generative Artists on the Map

Profile avatars emerged from a long tradition of artists expressing themselves through code, math and randomness. This article is part of CoinDesk’s Culture Week.

Artist Sol LeWitt with one of his instruction-based wall drawings in 1978. LeWitt is widely credited for his influence on the field of "generative art," which has benefited from NFT technology.

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10 Great Novels About Money (and Crypto)

A roundup of books worth reading for Culture Week.

BOLOGNA, ITALY - MARCH 30:  French writer Daniel Pennac poses at Arena Del Sole Theater on March 30, 2010 in Bologna, Italy.  (Photo by Roberto Serra - Iguana Press/Getty Images)

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Behind the Scenes of El Salvador’s Bitcoin Bond With the Man Who Designed It

Samson Mow reveals the fast-moving process behind a radical financial experiment.

Construction workers, who are paid in Bitcoin, work on a building outside the Bitcoin Beach office in El Zonte, El Salvador, on Monday, June 14, 2021. El Salvador has become the first country to formally adopt Bitcoin as legal tender after President Nayib Bukele said congress approved his landmark proposal.

Opinion

Can NFT Art Survive Its Own Addiction to Elitism?

The fine art world has long since learned the value of inviting the world in. NFT entrepreneurs still haven’t taken the hint.

A crowd dances at Area nightclub decorated with paintings by artist Keith Haring.   (Photo by Nick Elgar/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images)

Finance

Why Is Bitcoin Dropping if It’s an ‘Inflation Hedge’?

Someday, the orange coin’s fixed supply may make it a safe haven. Today is not that day.

Monedas. (Adam Gault/Getty Images)

Finance

There Was No ‘Satoshi Nakamoto’ Lawsuit

Depending on what you read, you might get the real story, or ... not.

Actor Adrian Grenier and Chief Scientist at nChain Dr. Craig Wright attend CoinGeek Cocktail Party at Gustavino's on October 4, 2021, in New York City. (Photo by Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for CoinGeek)

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Most Influential 2021: Jack Mallers

The CEO of Bitcoin payments app Strike helped birth El Salvador’s BTC move this year. He still sees himself as a “pleb,” not an influencer.

(“The Last Confirmation” - a collaboration between Norman & Robness/CoinDesk)

Policy

Money at the Speed of Thought: How ‘Fast Money’ Will Shape the Future

The sheer speed of crypto is creating a new rhythm to collective financial projects, and it is going to be truly wild.

(Yunha Lee/CoinDesk)