Kings of Crypto

By: Jeff John Roberts

Narrated by: Scott Aiello

Length: 5 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's Summary

An expert, story-driven account of how Coinbase won the cryptocurrency game and set itself up to lead the future of banking and blockchain-based trading. This is the story of the people who made Coinbase, per PitchBook, “one of the most valuable startups in the US,” including the stoic, preppy founder and CEO Brian Armstrong and the bitcoin-obsessed former lumberjack Olaf Carlson-Wee, who turned their backs on the first generation of wild-eyed Bitcoin prophets to build something more profound and practical — a company poised to be the next generation’s Goldman Sachs or JP Morgan Chase. Founded in 2012, Coinbase today processes billions of dollars’ worth of cryptocurrency every week and has more customers than long-time investment giants Fidelity and Charles Schwab; what Google is to search and Uber is to ride-sharing, Coinbase is to cryptocurrency.

Ranging from Coinbase’s earliest days and the ensuing crypto-mania to the current battle between Silicon Valley and Wall Street for the center of finance, Kings of Crypto uses Coinbase to explore and explain the larger, over-arching disruption and future of finance.

Jeff John Roberts covers IP, blockchain, and cyber security for Fortune and previously reported on technology for Reuters and Gigaom. He is uniquely positioned to report the financial and legal aspects of the Coinbase story given his background as a lawyer and time as a Knight-Bagehot Fellow at Columbia Business School. In 2018, his work on blockchain for Fortune received a national honor from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers. 

©2019 Jeff John Roberts (P)2020 Audible Originals, LLC.

Critic Reviews

"A fun, fast-moving book that offers serious insight into the future of finance. For anyone looking to understand Bitcoin or how cryptocurrency will change Wall Street, Kings of Crypto is an essential read." (Alex Tapscott, co-author of Blockchain Revolution)   

"Kings of Crypto tells the story of ragtag band of rebels who saw the future of finance before anyone else and who wrenched the revolution into their orbit. Listening to/reading this book is like sticking a stethoscoped ear to the vault containing the cryptocurrency industry's origins. Click, click, click - and a wealth of secrets spills out. Learn what made Coinbase, one of the most improbably successful Silicon Valley startups, hit it big - and what makes its founding 'Vulcan Swiss bankers' tick. As long as Satoshi Nakamoto's identity remains a secret, this is the closest you'll come to understanding the rise of crypto - and where it's all headed." (Robert Hackett, crypto reporter and senior staff writer, Fortune magazine)

"Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase overcame huge obstacles to bring on more customers than Charles Schwab had over five decades. How did brand-new entrepreneurs get 30 million everyday people to buy a new form of money? In Kings of Crypto, Jeff Roberts reveals all in this entertaining, absorbing and surprising story." (Laura Shin, Forbes reporter and host of popular crypto podcast Unchained)

Interesting book -- fascinating stories

This was a really interesting book about the history of Coinbase, the most well-known company in the cryptocurrency space. It was a great read, even though the voiceover artist mispronounces Satoshi Nakamoto. If you're interested in cryptocurrency and the future of finance, this book is well worth the read.

great listen

Besides the narrator mispronouncing a few things, it was a great listen and a great performance. But come on man, you pronounced ‘Tor’ as ‘Tror’ and you said ‘Sat-AH-shi’ instead of ‘Satoshi’ about 100 times. Other than those annoyances, great book.

All Books Should Be Narrated by Scott Aiello

This was a genuinely intriguing listen for a number of reasons, but most of all because of Scott Aiello's narration which keeps the listener really engaged, even when the book necessarily turns toward explaining the crypto business of coding, math and the politics of nerddom. The book is well-crafted and there is a good amount of intrigue woven into this true-story education on crypto (and really, particularly on Coinbase). But over and over, it is Scott's rich voice, engaging choices and his own obvious grasp of the material that both help you understand what you're hearing and draw you in and keep you interested. A great listen for anyone interested in crypto-- its history, the basics, where's it's been and where it's potentially headed.

Brisk, listenable tour of crypto

This perspective (of a startup) works well. There was enough balance to satisfy me. Many crypto concepts and the major events are introduced and told in a readily understandable way. Some detail is ignored for the flow -- but that works well for this panoramic tour, and supports the listener's overall competence and comprehension. I disagree with the few obsessive propeller-heads who sought to elevate themselves by micro-criticizing tiny marginal aspects of this -- the overall effect is high-information. The narrator was competent with a few tiny mispronunciations.

A quick and slightly-interesting history

4 of 5 stars.

The historical account of Coinbase and its Silicon Valley culture follows the same trajectory of other start-ups who rose to prominence - amazing creative drive with a lack of oversight, respect for regulation and real world business experience. Ultimately, Coinbase prevails after going through many ups and downs.

Worth a read if one is into Crypto and wants to understand how these exchanges developed within the context of the broader Crypto movement.

The performance is solid.

Decent, but very sterile and doesn’t explain DeFi nor Ethereum

The author is well researched on the history of Coinbase. Unfortunately, Ethereum is a passing thought and mentioned as “Bitcoin 2.0”. That’s far from accurate and none of the Ethereans have tried to make it Bitcoin 2.0.

In addition, at one point the readers says “TROR” instead of “TOR” when mentioning the privacy technology. It’s a fundamental lack of familiarity with technology. It feels like the author had to go learn privacy and crypto for the first time to write this book and therefore does not have a deep understanding of the protocols.

I’ll give it to the author that the history of Coinbase itself is well told! Would recommend if you love coinbase but not if you are trying to learn about DeFi or the technical side of this world changing innovation.

Smells like paid PR job for Coinbase and Armstrong

This book is brief bitcoin history recap from Coinbase and Armstrong point of view. I would guess it is a paid PR job. Informative for beginners but lacks critical point of view, therefore misleading.

Narrator performance if excellent.

Seriously?

DeFi is CZ on a boat? Seriously? This book is filled with CB political infighting, and pretty much nothing else of real value.. Except if you agree that DeFi is CZ on a boat..

NOT worth your time or money..

Behind the curtains of Coinbase

This story let’s you dive into the background of the CEO Brian A. Alongside many of the early Coinbase team members and all that entailed from the beginning to current times. Must read for a Crypto enthusiasts.

Brilliant overview of industry...

Greatly increased my understanding of Crypto and my ability to benefit from it financially.