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


Policy

Biden’s Orwellian Tax Surveillance Policy

It’s political suicide for the Democrats, and a dark sign for America.

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 08: U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the September jobs numbers in the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on October 08, 2021 in Washington, DC. According to the U.S. Labor Department, the economy added a disappointing 194,000 jobs in September as the COVID-19 Delta variant negatively impacted the usual annual hiring patterns. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Policy

Sign-In With Ethereum Is Coming

The dangers of letting Facebook control your online identity are clear. One alternative would use your Ethereum wallet instead, and let you control your own data.

Digital background depicting innovative technologies in security systems, data protection Internet technologies 3d rendering

Policy

What Iceland’s Spectacular Banking Collapse Teaches Us About Tether

Iceland’s surreal banking bubble led to one of the biggest blowups of the 2008 financial crisis. The story holds important lessons – including a possible scenario for Tether’s collapse.

Iceland's famed Fagradalsfjall Volcano. The small nation's banks are also well known for their tendency to explode. (Sophia Groves/Getty Images)

Policy

How to Talk to Your Legislator About the Crypto Safe Harbor

The Peirce/McHenry proposal is a healthy middle ground for regulation.

Illustration by Cheryl Thuesday

Finance

The Pandora Papers Show Why People Love Crypto: You Can’t Trust the Powerful

The same offshore fig leafs helping elites to dodge taxes have underpinned decades of rampant state-backed abuse.

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 06: Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair speaks at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), a defence think tank, on September 6, 2021 in London, England. Mr Blair, who served as prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007, reflected on the roots of Islamist extremism and the consequences of the Afghanistan withdrawal. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Policy

Do You Need to Go to College to Work in Crypto?

College dropouts sometimes become world-changing legends, including in crypto. But the big picture is a lot more complicated.

PALO ALTO, CA - OCTOBER 7:  A general view of the Stanford University campus including Hoover Tower and Green Library taken on October 7, 2019 in Palo Alto, California.

Finance

Is Mozilla Trying to Sabotage Distributed Identity?

The browser developer’s straw-man objections to the W3C standard raise questions of motive.

Disputed Game, 1850. Artist Thomas Hewes Hinckley. (Photo by Heritage Art/Heritage Images via Getty Images)

Policy

We Can Use as Much Energy as We Want, Forever

Show this documentary to anyone worried about Bitcoin’s environmental impact.

Onshore wind turbines on the Bradwell Wind Farm near Bradwell on Sea, U.K., on Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021. U.K. Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng warned the next few days will be challenging as the energy crisis deepens, and meat producers struggle with a crunch in carbon dioxide supplies. Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Opinion

El Salvador’s Bitcoin Volcano Can Be a Model for Cleaner Crypto

The Central American nation is taking its first steps to harness massive natural power sources to mine Bitcoin. The impacts could stretch far beyond the world of crypto.

An overhead view of a geothermal power plant in El Salvador, the site of a new Bitcoin mining installation.(Government of El Salvador)

Policy

3 Takes About China’s Crypto Ban That Are Wrong

Some common responses to China’s crackdown are missing key context.

An electronic screen displays the Hang Seng Index in the Central district of Hong Kong, China Monday, Sept. 20, 2021.