Nathaniel Popper writes about the future of the internet and money for The New York Times from San Francisco. He is currently working on a book about the GameStop saga, which will be published by Dey Street, a division of Harper Collins. If you have information or stories that you would like to share with Nathaniel about the GameStop saga or your role in it, please reach out. To get updates on the book and Nathaniel's upcoming reporting, click here to sign up for his (very occasional) newsletter. Nathaniel previously wrote the definitive history of Bitcoin, Digital Gold: Bitcoin and the Inside Story of the Misfits and Millionaires Trying to Reinvent Money (HarperCollins, May 2015). Before joining The Times, he worked at the Los Angeles Times and the Forward. Nathaniel grew up in Pittsburgh and is a graduate of Harvard College. He lives in Oakland with his family. Nathaniel has recently written about a lost password worth $220 million, how our online habits changed as a result of Covid 19, the financial challenges facing young adults in America, as well as the digital currency ambitions of China, Venezuela and Facebook. |
Nathaniel's book, Digital Gold, a history of Bitcoin and the blockchain, is now available in paperback.
Order it from Amazon or IndieBound. The book was an Amazon non-fiction Editor's Pick and a New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice. It was a shortlisted for the Financial Times Business Book of the Year award. 
Digital Gold was reviewed in The New York Times, the Financial Times, Bloomberg, Bookforum, and Quartz, among other places. Read excerpts from Digital Gold in The New York Times Magazine, Fast Company, Fortune, TechCrunch and Vice. |
Nathaniel's reporting on the Twitter hack was recently the subject of a documentary from New York Times Presents. Read more and watch it on Hulu.
Nathaniel has written extensively about how Robinhood has changed online trading. During the GameStop trading craze in January 2021, Nathaniel led reporting on everything from the congressional hearings, to the story of the young father who led the online trading hordes, Roaring Kitty, to Robinhood's efforts to face down its critics. Nathaniel discussed the history of Bitcoin and Digital Gold on Fresh Air with Terri Gross. Listen here. Nathaniel and his reporting was featured in the documentary Banking on Bitcoin, which is available on Netflix. Nathaniel co-hosted an episode of Planet Money about Bitcoin's recent struggles. Listen here. Nathaniel hosted and produced a documentary series for TechCrunch, Trust Disrupted: Bitcoin and the Blockchain. Watch here. Nathaniel was also featured in a Retro Report documentary, Future of Money. Watch here. Nathaniel has written basic explanations of the concepts around virtual currencies for The New York Times. For his explainer on Bitcoin, click here. For his explainer of Ethereum, click here. For his explainer of initial coin offerings, click here. |
PRAISE FOR DIGITAL GOLD
"Necessary reading"
-BETHANY MCLEAN, New York Times Book Review
"So, yes, it’s a totally awesome book"
-JUSTIN FOX, Bloomberg
"Digital Gold is as strong a narrative achievement as a reporting one"
-CHRIS WILSON, Bookforum
"This excellent work is the book on Bitcoin you’ve been waiting for"
-TYLER COWN, Marginal Revolution
“An amazing story... Popper has produced a riveting tale filled with colorful innovators that is crucial reading for anyone who wants to understand the future.”
- WALTER ISAACSON, author of The Innovators and Steve Jobs
“Bitcoin may be a product of computer science, but it is a very human story... This highly entertaining history reminds us yet again that truth can be stranger than fiction."
- LARRY SUMMERS, former Secretary of the Treasury
"Finally, the book so many of us have been waiting for: A riveting and smart account of the strange history of Bitcoin"
-ADAM DAVIDSON, co-founder of NPR's Planet Money.
"Necessary reading"
-BETHANY MCLEAN, New York Times Book Review
"So, yes, it’s a totally awesome book"
-JUSTIN FOX, Bloomberg
"Digital Gold is as strong a narrative achievement as a reporting one"
-CHRIS WILSON, Bookforum
"This excellent work is the book on Bitcoin you’ve been waiting for"
-TYLER COWN, Marginal Revolution
“An amazing story... Popper has produced a riveting tale filled with colorful innovators that is crucial reading for anyone who wants to understand the future.”
- WALTER ISAACSON, author of The Innovators and Steve Jobs
“Bitcoin may be a product of computer science, but it is a very human story... This highly entertaining history reminds us yet again that truth can be stranger than fiction."
- LARRY SUMMERS, former Secretary of the Treasury
"Finally, the book so many of us have been waiting for: A riveting and smart account of the strange history of Bitcoin"
-ADAM DAVIDSON, co-founder of NPR's Planet Money.
The latest from Nathaniel
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