Author: Fairy, ChainCatcher
Editor: TB, ChainCatcher
Special Note: This list is based on subjective assessments of public information, intended for fun discussions and does not constitute investment advice or industry certification. Please refer to it rationally and enjoy reading. If you have questions or leads, feel free to contact us, and we will continue to update.
Since Laszlo purchased two pizzas for 10,000 Bitcoins on May 22, 2010, Bitcoin has grown from an experimental project for programming enthusiasts to a 'major asset' valued by global institutions, sovereign funds, and even nations. Behind this is a group of key figures and institutions driving it forward—some have been evangelizing for over a decade, while others have brought hundreds of billions in capital to BTC.
As Pizza Day approaches, we review the key drivers of Bitcoin's rise over the past 16 years. This list evaluates their actual contributions to the mainstreaming of BTC from multiple core dimensions and visually presents the profound impact of each driver through 'star ratings'.
Judgment Dimensions Include:
Technical and Ideological Contribution: Whether it has promoted the technological advancement or ideological development of Bitcoin.
Market Influence: Whether it has significantly impacted Bitcoin's price or adoption rate through investments, products, or policies.
Community and Education: Whether it has enhanced the awareness of Bitcoin through media, speeches, or community activities.
Sustainability and Reputation: Whether it has persistently promoted Bitcoin and maintained a positive image in the industry.
Let's take a moment to look back, who helped push Bitcoin from 'pizza exchange coupons' to the pinnacle of global assets today?
Protocol Blacksmith
Origin Coordinates: Satoshi Nakamoto
Identity: Founder of Bitcoin
Contribution Dimensions: White Paper Release, Network Launch, Coding Development
Star Rating: ✭✭✭✭✭ (Hall of Fame)
Undoubtedly the 'creator', the seed sower of technology and ideas, directly entering the 'Hall of Fame'. Satoshi Nakamoto holds approximately 1.1 million Bitcoins, accounting for about 5% of the total supply, with his 'sleeping' assets providing a symbol of stability in the market. He spread the idea of Bitcoin through cryptographic mailing lists in the early days and retired after 2010.
Casey Rodarmor (Inventor of the Ordinals Protocol)
Representative Event: Proposed the Ordinals protocol in 2023, triggering the Bitcoin NFT craze.
Impact Dimensions: Unlocked the Pandora's box of 'non-monetary uses' for Bitcoin, activating developers and new narratives.
Star Rating: ✭✭✭✭
Casey Rodarmor released the Ordinals protocol in early 2023, enabling users to inscribe text, images, and other data on the Bitcoin blockchain, also leading to the birth of new asset standards like BRC-20, revitalizing the Bitcoin ecosystem. Despite causing huge controversy within the Bitcoin community, where some core developers believe it 'pollutes' block space, it is undeniable that Ordinals has broken Bitcoin's singular narrative, attracting significant attention from developers, artists, and capital.
Luke Dashjr (Early core Bitcoin developer)
Representative Event: Over a decade of continuous participation in Bitcoin Core code maintenance and upgrades.
Impact Dimensions: One of the most seasoned core developers, guarding the Bitcoin protocol as a 'gatekeeper'.
Star Rating: ✭✭✭
Luke Dashjr is one of the earliest core Bitcoin developers and remains active. He has contributed to Bitcoin core code since 2011, responsible for adding BIP 22 and 23 protocol support, and maintains the Bitcoin Improvement Proposals section on GitHub. He released BFG Miner in 2014, which has become one of the most widely used implementations for Bitcoin mining.
Adam Back (Co-founder & CEO of Blockstream)
Representative Event: Early cryptographer, inventor of Hashcash; later promoted the construction of Bitcoin sidechains, Lightning Network, and other infrastructure.
Impact Dimensions: Dual evangelism of ideas and technology.
Star Rating: ✭✭✭✭
Adam Back is one of the very few explicitly honored individuals in Satoshi Nakamoto's white paper. His invention of Hashcash is used in Bitcoin's proof-of-work mechanism, becoming one of the technical sources of BTC's consensus mechanism, and he has promoted the development of key scaling and privacy tools such as Liquid sidechains and Lightning Network at Blockstream.
Roger Ver (Founder of Bitcoin.com)
Representative Event: Early investments in blockchain startups; later led the push for BCH fork
Impact Dimensions: Early evangelist of Bitcoin, also the most controversial representative of the 'splinter group'
Star Rating: ✭✭✭
Roger Ver, known as 'Bitcoin Jesus', is one of the most radical early evangelists and investors in Bitcoin, making significant contributions to its global popularization and technical ideology dissemination. He supported the Bitcoin Cash (BCH) fork in 2017, opposing Bitcoin Core's small block strategy, which led to a community split and damaged his reputation.
Institutional Evangelist & Wall Street Pathfinder
Michael Saylor (Co-founder of Strategy)
Representative Event: Invested corporate assets in Bitcoin, holding over 150,000 Bitcoins.
Impact Dimensions: Pioneer of asset allocation paradigms for public companies, promoting BTC 'corporate treasury' approach
Star Rating: ✭✭✭✭✭
Since 2020, Michael Saylor has led Strategy to accumulate approximately 560,000 Bitcoins (about 2.6% of total supply), driving a wave of corporate investments, and his Bitcoin strategy has caused the company's stock price to soar. Through interviews, Twitter (X), and crypto event summits, Saylor has become a global evangelist for Bitcoin, attracting institutional investors.
Larry Fink (CEO of BlackRock)
Representative Event: Promoted the application for Bitcoin spot ETF, successfully approved
Impact Dimensions: Brought BTC to the institutional investment 'compliance threshold', renaming it in the context of global asset allocation
Star Rating: ✭✭✭✭✭
Fink once called Bitcoin a 'money laundering tool' in 2017, but by 2023 he had rapidly embraced Bitcoin ETFs. BlackRock's spot Bitcoin ETF (IBIT) was approved in 2024, becoming the fastest-growing ETF in history, managing over $63.7 billion in assets, attracting traditional investors, and pushing Bitcoin prices above $100,000.
Barry Silbert (Founder of DCG)
Representative Event: Created the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust GBTC, guiding institutional funds to enter the market early.
Impact Dimensions: Built a 'trust channel' for Bitcoin, becoming an important transition on the eve of ETFs.
Star Rating: ✭✭✭✭
Barry Silbert's Grayscale was once the most important channel for promoting institutional compliance for holding Bitcoin. In 2013, he launched Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC), providing investment channels for institutions and retail investors without directly holding Bitcoin, transitioning to an ETF by 2024, managing nearly $20 billion in assets.
Jack Dorsey (Founder of Block, former Twitter CEO)
Representative Event: Enabled Bitcoin trading through Cash App in 2018, promoting Block (formerly Square) to purchase and hold Bitcoin long-term, initiated the Btrust fund.
Impact Dimensions: A BTC disseminator in Silicon Valley and the internet circle.
Star Rating: ✭✭✭✭
Jack Dorsey is a staunch believer in Bitcoin ideals, and Block's Cash App has become an important entry point for millions of users to access BTC, actively developing open-source self-custody wallets and mining hardware, promoting the construction of Bitcoin's decentralized infrastructure. The Btrust fund he initiated supports developers worldwide, initially focusing on teams in Africa and India.
Cathie Wood (Founder of ARK Invest)
Representative Event: Continuously applied for Bitcoin ETFs, publicly supporting Bitcoin's long-term value.
Impact Dimensions: Encouraging the next generation of growth investors (especially tech stock investors) to focus on BTC.
Star Rating: ✭✭✭
ARKW ETF of ARK Invest has been investing in Bitcoin-related companies (like Grayscale, Coinbase) since 2018. It started applying for Bitcoin spot ETFs in 2021, and the Bitcoin spot ETF ARKB, approved in 2024, manages over $5 billion in assets.
Elon Musk (Founder of Tesla, X, SpaceX)
Representative Event: In 2021, Tesla announced the purchase of $1.5 billion in Bitcoin and later announced acceptance of Bitcoin payments (paused due to energy consumption issues).
Impact Dimensions: One of the most influential entrepreneurs globally, whose every move directly affects crypto market sentiment.
Star Rating: ✭✭✭✭
Musk plays the role of an 'emotional pusher' and 'circle amplifier' in Bitcoin's history. In 2021, Tesla's decision to purchase Bitcoin sparked a wave of institutional follow-ups, pushing BTC prices to new highs. Additionally, his support for the meme coin DOGE helped bring meme culture into the core stage of crypto assets.
Paul Tudor Jones (Legendary Hedge Fund Manager)
Representative Event: Publicly invested in Bitcoin in 2020, calling it 'the best asset for hedging inflation'.
Impact Dimensions: Opened the cognitive gateway for traditional Wall Street capital, marking one of the turning points for Bitcoin institutionalization.
Star Rating: ✭✭✭✭
Paul Tudor Jones is one of the key proponents of Bitcoin institutionalization, accelerating Bitcoin's mainstream acceptance with his macro investment vision and Wall Street influence. His investments incentivized institutions like Bridgewater and JPMorgan to follow suit, attracting Wall Street capital inflow.
Policy Coordinate Adjuster
Nayib Bukele (President of El Salvador)
Representative Event: Promoted El Salvador to become the first country globally to designate Bitcoin as legal tender.
Impact Dimensions: Elevated Bitcoin from 'asset' to 'currency' status, opening the paradigm for national-level adoption.
Star Rating: ✭✭✭✭✭
Nayib Bukele pushed for the (Bitcoin Law) in June 2021, making El Salvador the first country to designate Bitcoin as legal tender, allowing it for tax payments, payments, and debt settlements. The government launched the Chivo wallet, planned to build a 'Bitcoin City', and utilized volcanic geothermal energy for Bitcoin mining. This national-level practice, though controversial, undoubtedly became a transformative milestone in Bitcoin's history.
Trump (President of the United States)
Representative Event: Promoted the inclusion of Bitcoin in the national strategic reserve, promising to 'make America the capital of crypto'.
Impact Dimensions: Strengthened Bitcoin's status with national administrative power, opening a new era of 'sovereign Bitcoin' narrative.
Star Rating: ✭✭✭✭✭
During Trump's 2024 campaign, he made high-profile promises to 'make America the capital of Bitcoin'. In the early days of his administration in 2025, he signed an executive order requiring the Treasury to study incorporating Bitcoin into the strategic reserve, accelerating a shift towards a friendly regulatory environment. His policy stance not only reshaped the U.S. Bitcoin regulatory framework but also heated global policy discussions, prompting other countries to explore Bitcoin reserve plans.
Gary Gensler (Former SEC Chairman)
Representative Event: Approved the first batch of Bitcoin spot ETFs in the U.S. during his term, ending a decade of rejection.
Impact Dimensions: The 'final liberator' on the regulatory front.
Star Rating: ✭✭
Gary Gensler played a complex and controversial role in promoting Bitcoin policy. Between 2021 and 2023, he led lawsuits against exchanges like Coinbase and Binance, accusing them of unregistered securities trading, indirectly forcing Bitcoin-related businesses to strengthen compliance and promote industry standardization. In 2024, under market and political pressure, Gensler approved 11 spot Bitcoin ETFs, marking a turning point in the mainstreaming process of Bitcoin.
Cynthia Lummis (Chair of the U.S. Senate Digital Assets Subcommittee)
Representative Event: Proposed the 'Bitcoin Strategic Reserve Act', pushing for legislative reforms in cryptocurrency regulation.
Impact Dimensions: Supporter of Bitcoin legislation, dedicated to formulating clear policy frameworks to protect the crypto market.
Star Rating: ✭✭✭
Cynthia Lummis promotes the normalization of Bitcoin policy through legislation and regional experiments, being a leader in the U.S. policy circle. Under her push, Wyoming has become a crypto-friendly state, set to issue the first state-level stablecoin in the U.S. in July.
Hester Peirce (SEC Commissioner)
Representative Event: Advocated for a clearer regulatory framework for the cryptocurrency market, supporting the launch of Bitcoin ETFs.
Impact Dimensions: Advocate for regulatory reform, arguing for a more lenient and flexible regulatory environment for the crypto market.
Star Rating: ✭✭✭
Hester Peirce is known as the 'crypto mom', having long supported the legalization of cryptocurrency assets within the SEC, promoting the approval of Bitcoin ETFs and other innovative financial products. Peirce's views have strong influence in the industry, becoming an important force in the push for the legalization of the crypto sector.
Leung Fung-yi (CEO of Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission)
Representative Event: Promoted the licensing system for virtual asset platforms in Hong Kong, strengthening cross-border regulatory cooperation.
Impact Dimensions: Guiding crypto regulatory policies in the Asia-Pacific region, balancing innovation and risk control.
Star Rating: ✭✭✭
Leung Fung-yi established Hong Kong's position as a global crypto hub with a clear regulatory framework and forward-looking policies. She led the implementation of a licensing system for virtual asset trading platforms, approved the first batch of spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs in Asia in April 2024, and plans to introduce a stablecoin regulatory framework.
Wu Jiezhang (Hong Kong Legislative Council Member)
Representative Event: Proposed the establishment of a 100 million HKD fund to support the Web3 industry, advocating for 'Digital Pass' to allow mainland investors to buy and sell digital assets recognized in Hong Kong.
Impact Dimensions: Advocating for compliant innovation in the virtual asset field, promoting Hong Kong's crypto ecosystem.
Star Rating: ✭✭✭
Wu Jiezhang is one of the key figures in Hong Kong's political and business circles promoting digital economy and virtual asset development. He is the chairman of the Hong Kong Legislative Council's Web3 and Virtual Asset Development Subcommittee, and has proposed the establishment of a 100 million HKD fund to support the Web3 industry, advocating for 'Digital Pass' to allow mainland investors to buy and sell digital assets recognized in Hong Kong.
Crypto OG and Platform Promoter
Brian Armstrong (Co-founder of Coinbase)
Representative Event: Founded Coinbase, built it into the largest compliant crypto trading platform in the U.S., successfully went public, and was included in the S&P 500 index.
Impact Dimensions: Coinbase represents the path of regulatory compliance in the U.S., providing an entry point for retail and institutional investors.
Star Rating: ✭✭✭✭✭
Brian Armstrong is one of the key figures in the crypto world moving towards compliance and capital markets. In 2021, Coinbase went public, and recently Coinbase's stock was included in the S&P 500 index, marking an important milestone in the integration of the industry with Wall Street. He has also supported spot Bitcoin ETFs for BlackRock, Fidelity, and others through Coinbase Prime and custody services, solidifying Bitcoin's institutionalization process.
Wu Jihan (Founder of Bitmain and Matrixport)
Representative Event: Founded Bitmain, Bitdeer, and Matrixport, leading the mining industry landscape.
Impact Dimensions: By providing efficient mining equipment, he promoted the security and hash rate growth of the Bitcoin network.
Star Rating: ✭✭✭✭
Wu Jihan is known for translating Satoshi Nakamoto's original Bitcoin white paper and is an important figure in promoting Bitcoin's industrialization. His company Bitmain once controlled over 70% of global hash power and was one of Bitcoin's earliest capital promoters. However, he insisted on a large block approach and supported the BCH fork, causing a community split. Internal strife at Bitmain led to his exit from management in 2021.
Li Lin (Founder of Huobi)
Representative Event: Founded Huobi, promoting early popularization of the Chinese crypto market.
Impact Dimensions: Huobi was once one of the largest trading platforms by volume globally, promoting Bitcoin's popularity in Asia.
Star Rating: ✭✭✭
Li Lin played an important role in promoting the early cryptocurrency market in China. In 2014, he shared the stage with NPC Standing Committee member Wu Xiaoling at the Sanya Financial International Forum, presenting (Development and Prospects of Cryptocurrency), promoting Bitcoin's financial potential. He was investigated in 2020 due to regulatory pressure and exited from Huobi's shareholders and management in 2022.
Zhao Changpeng CZ (Founder of Binance)
Representative Event: Founded Binance, rapidly developed into the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange.
Impact Dimensions: Provided diverse trading services, promoting the circulation and adoption of Bitcoin globally.
Star Rating: ✭✭✭✭✭
Zhao Changpeng is renowned for his significant contributions to global exchange construction and Bitcoin's popularity. He founded Binance in 2017, establishing a complete ecosystem including public chain, wallet, incubator, and stablecoin. Although he resigned as CEO of Binance under regulatory pressure, CZ has long promoted the popularization of Bitcoin and crypto assets, with his personal influence spanning retail, project parties, and regulatory circles.
Xu Mingxing Star Xu (Founder of OKX)
Representative Event: Founded OKX, providing diversified cryptocurrency trading services.
Impact Dimensions: Innovator of the Asian crypto trading structure, promoting the development of contracts and derivatives business.
Star Rating: ✭✭✭✭
Star Xu founded OKCoin in 2013 (later developed into OKX), becoming one of the world's largest Bitcoin trading platforms in 2014. He has authored books such as (Blockchain Illustrated) and (Token Economics). In 2020, he was restricted due to equity merger investigations and exited from OK Group's board in 2022.
Marty Bent (Podcast Host)
Representative Event: Managing Partner at Ten31, operating the podcast (Tales from the Crypt), promoting the deep dissemination of Bitcoin ideas.
Impact Dimensions: Spreading Bitcoin culture through podcasts, media, and educational content, having a profound impact on the grassroots community and developer ecosystem in the U.S.
Star Rating: ✭✭
Marty Bent conveys the values of Bitcoin through words and a microphone, being an important guardian of the Bitcoin spirit. Marty Bent was the former head of Great American Mining, actively promoting Bitcoin mining using wasted energy and advocating for the combination of energy reuse and decentralized network security.
Jimmy Song (Bitcoin educator, developer, and entrepreneur)
Representative Event: Speaking globally, publishing multiple books on Bitcoin.
Impact Dimensions: A bridge figure for technology popularization and idea dissemination, connecting developers and the public.
Star Rating: ✭✭
Jimmy Song was once a Bitcoin Core contributor, later focusing on education and advocacy, publishing books like (Programming Bitcoin) and (Thank God for Bitcoin), and has been a speaker at global conferences promoting Bitcoin.
Andreas M. Antonopoulos (Bitcoin educator, writer)
Representative Event: Published classic works like (Mastering Bitcoin) and (Internet Money), touring globally to popularize Bitcoin ideas.
Impact Dimensions: A cornerstone figure in building public awareness of Bitcoin.
Star Rating: ✭✭✭✭
Andreas M. Antonopoulos is one of the most influential educators in the Bitcoin community. He has written over 200 Bitcoin popular science articles and has done dozens of lectures worldwide, promoting the idea that 'Bitcoin is the cornerstone of decentralized finance', influencing global policy discussions.
