CoinDesk Most Influential 2021
It was a massive year for crypto: 12 months when long-held theses were validated and many once sci-fi concepts became relatively mainstream.
Celebrities embraced NFTs and DAOs became a thing. The U.S. Congress taxed crypto (but accepted it more and more). And the markets.. well, they were nuts.
“Crypto” today means more than it did a year ago and much more than it did a decade ago. It takes in the future of money, the future of culture, perhaps the future as we know.
Most Influential is CoinDesk’s recognition of this wide-ranging field of innovation. The following names were selected first by readers in a survey and then by staff over two rounds of (intense) meetings.
The top 10 (the “Most Influential”) are recognized for outstanding contributions across development, business building, regulation, gaming, art and investing. CoinDesk commissioned 10 artists to create portraits of these influencers, with NFTs of the works available at platforms like SuperRare and Foundation. Up to 20% of the sales will go to charities of the artists’ choice.
The “notable 40″ (below the top 10) are recognized for their ongoing work. We’ll roll out more profiles and interviews over the course of this week.
Top 10
Sam Bankman-Fried, CEO FTX
Why: For naming stadia “FTX” and becoming crypto’s richest and cleverest twentysomething.
Artist: Pindar Van Arman
NFT available at: SuperRare
Charity: The Giving Block/ art therapy at a local hospital.