Billy Markus – the man who co-created Dogecoin as a joke in 2013 – has just revealed how much he holds. He said he owned around 220,000 DOGEs, worth around $ 42,000 at today’s prices.
Shibetoshi Speaks
Markus (currently “Shibetoshi Nakamoto” on Twitter) dropped the number in a tweet earlier today while clarifying his current role within the Dogecoin space. He said that he does not speak for Dogecoin, nor work on the project anymore – but is simply a community member.
That’s not to say it’s not favorable, however:
“I will defend those who I feel are actively making the space better. I will discourage those who I feel aren’t.”
Markus’ more laid back attitude differs from that of his creative partner Jackson Palmer, who has repeatedly shown his distaste for both Dogecoin and crypto. In July, he said the whole of space amplifies the worst aspects of capitalism, further enriching wealthy figures while allowing them to unfairly evade taxes.
Dogecoin distribution is indeed highly concentrated in the hands of a few wealthy holders, even relative to other cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. However, Markus’s numbers would indicate that he is not one of them. Though not negligible, his holdings lack the power to swing the market through a selloff, nor make him a massive fortune.
Ultimately, the creator seeks to clear their leadership role with the community, both in terms of influence and responsibility.
“I do not owe a single person in this space anything at all… I like the fun people though.”
Dogecoin: Just for memes
Following a recent Twitter debate sparked by Block CEO Jack Dorsey Markus added that it lacks great ambitions in space. He doesn’t think “meaningful breaks with the corporate establishment” is possible, as many in the crypto community tend to believe. Rather, he is only concerned with “building stuff, making money and having fun”.
Elon Musk echoed this opinion, saying he’s pro-Doge for that same reason. The Tesla CEO has repeatedly mocked both “Metaverse” and “Web 3.0” as buzzwords, implying that they don’t really exist and should not be taken seriously.
