149
Another of “Bitcoin” Core’s code maintainers has stepped down, leaving the exclusive development group with possibly just three or four members. Samuel Dobson announced his resignation on Twitter, saying, “now is the right time to go.” His announcement follows that of fellow maintainer Jonas Schnelli in October. Bitcoin Core is the group responsible for the upkeep of the reference protocol that drives BTC, the largest digital currency, by trade volume and market cap.
Dobson had been a BTC Core maintainer for three years.
In a thread posted on December 10, Dobson acknowledged he had been a BTC Core maintainer for three years and said he no longer had time to dedicate to the project as he completed his Ph.D. He also thanked entrepreneur John Pfeffer of Pfeffer Capital and “GitHub sponsors” for financially supporting his work on BTC Core. The timing of both resignations is interesting, considering Schnelli resigned just days before the start of the Kleiman v Wright “Satoshi trial” and Dobson just days after its verdict.
I am officially stepping down as a maintainer of Bitcoin Core.
Serving as the wallet maintainer for the past three years has been an absolute privilege, and I want to thank my incredibly generous sponsor John Pfeffer (@jlppfeffer) for his support throughout. /1
— Samuel Dobson (@meshcollider) December 9, 2021
No links of resignation with the ongoing trial
It should be noted that no public statements suggest either resignation was linked to the trial. However, Dr. Craig S. Wright had previously warned that code maintainers for digital asset/blockchain networks are legal fiduciaries and may be liable for thefts and other losses that occur on their networks. Dr. Wright has also sent letters before action threatening lawsuits against the developers of BTC, BCH, BCH-ABC (now called eCash), and even BSV. He seeks to recover some 110,000 Bitcoins stolen from his company, Tulip Trading, in a hack that occurred in February 2020.
