On the Cipher

In 2013, Ethereum was merely a fantasy of nineteen-year-old student Vitalik Buterin, who lived in a room resembling a prison cell and wrote articles for Bitcoin Magazine. Today, it is a $240 billion ecosystem that has become the foundation of all major blockchain trends. If Bitcoin is the gold of the cryptocurrency world, then Ethereum is its oil. Laura Shin, a journalist and writer who hosts the cryptocurrency podcast Unchained, recounts the tumultuous years of Ethereum's formation (2014-2018), when 'crypto' transformed from a hobby of a small group of enthusiasts into a widespread phenomenon that forever changed the global financial system. 'On the Cipher' is a documentary tech thriller in which developers, investors, IT moguls, and hackers compete for money and power; a mistake in code becomes a reason for drama of Shakespearean proportions; and utopian dreams can either shatter someone's life or turn into incredible success.