In this episode of Crypto Cuts, we’re diving into the chaos shaking the crypto world from Epstein files drama and kidnappings to CEOs defending themselves on Twitter, and even the Super Bowl turning into a full-blown crypto spectacle.
The Epstein effect on crypto
Newly released DOJ files reveal that Jeffrey Epstein wasn’t just connected to politics and finance, he was also actively engaging with early cryptocurrency circles.
There’s no evidence he was Satoshi Nakamoto, despite online rumors, but emails show that in 2016 he claimed to have spoken with Bitcoin’s creators and proposed ideas like a Sharia-compliant digital currency.
He was in contact with major Silicon Valley figures including Boris Nikolic and Bill Gates, discussing Bitcoin’s rise and libertarian finance. He received early Bitcoin analysis shared among top investors and followed debates around Ripple, Stellar, and other early crypto projects.
Epstein didn’t just observe, he invested. He had involvement with Zcash, received tax documents from token sales, insisted on holding his own private keys, and reportedly invested $3 million in Coinbase in 2014, long before it became a public giant.
Epstein wasn’t on the sidelines, he was actively embedding himself into the early crypto ecosystem, raising new questions as more details continue to surface.
Crypto kidnappings: when digital wealth turns physical
French authorities arrested six people after a city magistrate and her mother were kidnapped and held for 30 hours. The ransom demand? Cryptocurrency.
The case exploded when the magistrate’s partner, an executive at a crypto startup, received a message and a photo demanding payment. A 160-officer operation followed. The victims were rescued alive, injured but breathing.
Earlier this year, Ledger co-founder David Balland was kidnapped. One of his fingers was severed. Ransom demanded. Months later, the father of another crypto executive was abducted and mutilated before being rescued.
Super Bowl 60: when crypto became karaoke
Coinbase hijacked Las Vegas’ Sphere, a 60,000-square-foot LED monster, and turned America’s biggest sports event into a karaoke session. Lyrics flashed. Millions sang. Every song ended with “Crypto for everybody.”
Brian Armstrong called it an antidote to polarization. Honestly, Compared to the rest of the week, it felt wholesome.
Elon Musk rolled out Starlink ads. Anthropic subtly threw shade at OpenAI. Meta pushed AI glasses. Google flexed new models. Crypto.com teased personal AI assistants.