Block Operator

Hello.

I'm Andrew Kwon, and you may remember me from                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

In the past, I've worked as a Forensic Accountant. Hardware Exploitation Researcher. Cyber Vulnerability Researcher. Cyber Threat Emulation Operator. Network Security Consultant. Program Interaction Designer. Digital Assets Consultant.

These days, I'm collaborating with educators and groups advocating for a provably fair society. This essentially means encouraging people to think and get excited about the potential of blockchain-based systems. Encouragement might entail making donations in memory of Satoshi Nakamoto and funding classroom equipment for public schools, assisting organizations in the blockchain industry, or investigating incidences of political and/or financial crime.

I didn't get into bitcoin to become wealthy. Quite the opposite really. My experiences during the 1997 Asian financial crisis and the 2007-2009 Great Recession pushed me towards the conclusion that the modern financial system, its governance, and its culture are fundamentally flawed. As it stands, the cost of a decent quality of life continues to rise because it is based on imbalance and exclusion.

There's a lot about this world that I truly despise, mostly because it doesn't have to be this way. Progress over profit. That's what I believe in. That's what drives me to take the risks that I take. Screw the bottom line. If all this was just about making money, I wouldn't have donated 99% of my bitcoin and tens of millions of dollars over the past couple years. Don't get me twisted, I like nice things too, but I also don't want to base my happiness or success on obtaining things that are only special because few people have access to them. Arbitrary scarcity is only beneficial to society if applied for the right reasons. What's precious and valuable doesn't have to be scarce. This might seem a bit odd to hear in the context of bitcoin, but really, these digital coins are supposed to remind people that humankind created money, not the other way around.

Bitcoin itself doesn't have to change much - how people look at money does. Bitcoin can and is doing a lot on that front, but too many users of cryptocurrency still don't get it yet. Getting rich within a flawed system isn't real progress or innovation, that's just another zero-sum game with a facelift. Decentralization should apply to the resources we have, not just the applications and services we use. If we want to create a world where tomorrow's thousandaires have the quality of life that was once restricted to yesteryear's millionaires, then making cultural changes are just as necessary as overcoming technical challenges. So let's do it.

If you have any questions or enquiries, please direct them to blockoperator@protonmail.com Got something interesting in mind? Need a hand with an investigation or an operation? Feel free to reach out. I'm not very good at staying on top of inboxes while working, but I'll try to get back to you shortly eventually. Please don't take any delays in response personally.

*Any statements or opinions expressed herein are personal and may not accurately reflect the views of any past and/or present employers.
Names and/or locations may be altered for legal and/or privacy purposes.
Stay safe out there.   Bend laws, don't break them.  Good luck.