At Devcon, Bitcoin Developer Amir Taaki Foresees a 'DarkTech Renaissance'

That was the message from bitcoin developer and former Kurdish YPG militia member Amir Taaki at Devcon 5, the annual ethereum developer conference hosted this year in Osaka, Japan.

"I hear people talking about decentralized derivatives and mortgages," Taaki said to an enraptured audience of hundreds on Friday.

For Taaki, who spent 2015 to 2018 in war-torn Syria fighting terrorist group ISIS, deploying cryptocurrencies on a national and even international scale has been top of mind.

Taaki recounted approaching both ethereum creator Vitalik Buterin and Parity Technologies founder Gavin Wood for financial support.

Erin's response to Taaki's ask of a $25,000 donation to fund his Syrian initiatives was ambiguous, according to Taaki.

Taaki said Wood suggested he apply for funding through an official grants program.

Viewing the grants process as cumbersome and "Bureaucratic," Taaki seemed to take personal offense at the responses and called out the two on the Devcon stage for having "Low social intelligence."

Taaki's words resonated with many at the conference.

To Siri, the biggest takeaway from Taaki's talk was the need to refocus on "How to become a superpower." That is, how to advance cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology into becoming a force worth reckoning with.

Amir Taaki speaks at Devcon 5, image via Christine Kim for CoinDesk.