Andreas Antonopoulos resigns from Bitcoin Foundation

There are few people in the bitcoin world with as much name recognition as Andreas Antonopoulos. As an advocate for the technology and cultural force of bitcoin, Antonopoulos has been given countless presentations, lectures and interviews explaining what the crytocurrency revolution is, why it matters, and how everyday people can participate. When the mainstream looks for the person who “wrote the book on bitcoin,” Antonopoulos is the person they think of. When someone with his profile abruptly resigns from the Bitcoin Foundation, the organization tasked with developing both the code and the community, it’s hard not to wonder why.

Yesterday, Antonopoulos posted the following message to his Twitter account:

I can no longer have even the smallest association with the Bitcoin Foundation, because of the complete lack of transparency

— AndreasMAntonopoulos (@aantonop) July 9, 2014

Antonopoulos announced in another tweet that he had resigned from the organization altogether. It’s not known exactly what sparked Antonopoulos’ resignation, although the bitcoin rumor mill immediately sprang to life with theories. A few hours after his resignation tweet, he posted another, declining to elaborate: “No further comment, drama or dirt. Just not happy with BF mgt. Please stop trying to use this to push other agendas.”

For those who have been following Antonopoulos’ public comments for the last several months, the move is not entirely surprising. Antonopoulos has been sharply critical of the Bitcoin Foundation’s lack of transparency for months, expressing serious concern and frustration with the leadership in an often-cited Let’s Talk Bitcoin podcast episode from March. In that podcast, Antonopoulos suggested that the Bitcoin Foundation’s financial information was murky at best, and that he “would not be surprised” to see the foundation itself “implode” in an embezzlement scandal.

His dramatic exist may also be related to his equally abrupt resignation as the head of the foundation’s anti-poverty commission in June.

Thus far, there has been no comment on the matter from the Bitcoin Foundation.