A cryptic crypto explainer
By Alex Beam Contributor,Updated April 30, 2021, 3:00 a.m.
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Stacks of bitcoins sit near green lights on a data cable terminal in an office in London office.Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg
Q. Alex, you were a business reporter for many years. Surely you can explain bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to us.
A. Donât call me Shirley.
Q. Thatâs not an explanation.
A. Cryptocurrencies are hard to understand. The purported creator of bitcoin is Satoshi Nakamoto, a pseudonym for the person or people who invented a digital currency that is almost impossible to counterfeit. Fresh crypto is âminedâ by heavy-duty computer users, who over-consume electricity, but letâs leave that aside for now.