Before the bull markets, the conferences, the ETFs, and the institutions… there was Hal.
Hal Finney was the first person—aside from Satoshi Nakamoto—to run the Bitcoin software, receive a Bitcoin transaction, and publicly promote its promise.
A cryptographer, a cypherpunk, and a visionary — Hal believed in freedom through technology. And he helped turn that vision into code.
Who Was Hal Finney?
- A software developer and cryptographic expert.
- An early contributor to the PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) project—software that brought strong encryption to the masses.
- A longtime member of the cypherpunk mailing list, where ideas of digital privacy and freedom flourished.
Hal had been preparing for something like Bitcoin for decades—long before it had a name.
The First Bitcoin Transaction
On January 12, 2009—just 9 days after the Bitcoin network launched—Satoshi Nakamoto sent 10 BTC to Hal Finney.
This wasn’t just a test—it was history.
Hal was the first person to receive Bitcoin, making him the world’s first Bitcoin user.
Hal’s Famous Post (and Faith)
He famously wrote:
“Every day that goes by and Bitcoin hasn’t collapsed due to legal or technical problems, that brings new information to the market. It increases the chance of Bitcoin’s eventual success…”
Hal understood that Bitcoin was antifragile — growing stronger in the face of doubt.
Fighting for the Future
In 2009, Hal was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease).
Even as his body failed, he continued working on cryptography, Bitcoin, and writing.
He passed away in 2014, but his impact lives on.
In fact, Hal is cryonically preserved—his body stored in the hope of revival in a future world. One that, if Bitcoin succeeds, he helped build.
Why Hal Matters
Hal Finney wasn’t just a coder.
He was a true believer.
- He saw Bitcoin not just as money, but as a movement.
- He helped test and debug the early protocol.
- He helped legitimise Bitcoin before anyone else took it seriously.
He was a bridge between Satoshi’s code and the real world.
“Running bitcoin.”
That’s all Hal tweeted on Jan 11, 2009. Just two words.
And yet, it was the beginning of a financial revolution.