In case you missed it, Decrypt’s story of the year for 2024—which we posted Wednesday—was about the surge of crypto money that changed American politics. Today, we named our person of the year: The man behind the crypto platform that signaled many of those shifts before they actually happened.
Shayne Coplan is the 26-year-old founder behind Polymarket, the crypto prediction market that surged to mainstream awareness (and notoriety) in the lead-up to election day, as bettors plunked down billions of dollars worth of total bets—and strongly favored Donald Trump. When he won, Polymarket and Coplan were vindicated.
While Polymarket took off like a rocket ship in recent months, success wasn’t quick. The startup had been building in the crypto fringes for years, and even was penalized by the CFTC in 2022, barring it from serving U.S. bettors. Despite all of that, Coplan and his team continued to build, as he told Decrypt, focused on their vision.
“Most ideas don’t instantly become overnight successes,” Coplan said. “You only lose when you give up.”
Decrypt's 2024 Person of the Year: Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan
Following Polymarket's politics-fueled explosion into the mainstream, Polymarket CEO Shane Coplan stands as Decrypt's Person of the Year.
BiT Global Sues Coinbase for Planning to Delist Wrapped Bitcoin in Favor of cbBTC
Coinbase is being sued by BiT Global, which alleges that the exchange is delisting the popular Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC) to boost its own cbBTC.
Not So 'Chill Guy': Solana Meme Coin Plummets After IP Creator's Accounts Hacked to Share Hoax
An X (aka Twitter) hack, a red-hot Solana meme coin, a disgruntled artist, and a pump and dump: this crypto story's got it all.
BlackRock Ethereum ETF Pulls in $1.5 Billion During 16-Day Hot Streak
BlackRock’s spot Ethereum ETF capped off a 16-day streak of inflows with a $200 million bump Thursday, pulling in $1.5 billion since Nov. 20.
💬 Quote of the Day
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“It’s not just a BlackRock or iShares thing. We’re seeing quite a unanimous turnaround in sentiment for Ethereum, which has really been suffering.”
Cosmos is expanding: Skip joins the Interchain Foundation
The Interchain Foundation has acquired Skip, one of Cosmos’ leading teams, to bring their excellence in engineering, product strategy, and execution in-house and usher in an era of growth for Cosmos, and its vision for the interchain.
Skip will rename to Interchain Inc. and become the ICF’s main subsidiary, concentrating product, vision, and go-to-market for the Interchain Stack and Cosmos – aligning the Interchain Stack’s vision, and the vision for a Cosmos Hub that is at the center of the ecosystem, driving user and liquidity growth for the entirety of the Cosmos’ interchain ecosystem.
🎮️ GG: 'Off the Grid' Game Studio Launches GUNZ Foundation With Delphi, Paving Way for Token
Gunzilla Games has teamed with Delphi Ventures to create the GUNZ Foundation ahead of Off the Grid's Avalanche token launch.
🤖 EMERGE: Pentagon Responds to Unidentified Drones Flying Over New Jersey
Recent drone sightings above New Jersey have sparked UFO speculation as U.S. officials and Pentagon dismiss “mothership” claims.
🎭️ SCENE: Disgraced Terra Founder Do Kwon Inspires Korean Indie Film ‘Crypto Man’
The $45 billion Terra crash of 2022 will be immortalized in a South Korean independent movie that's set to be released in January.
📚 Watch and Learn
📹️ WATCH: 'Predict the Future' with MYRIAD and Pudgy Penguins
Decrypt and Rug Radio's on-chain prediction market MYRIAD has teamed up with Pudgy Penguins for its first Community Contest! Find out how to take part and win prizes including Lil' Pudgys NFTs at myriad.markets.
🎓️ LEARN: What Is ‘Eve Frontier’? How to Start Playing CCP's Survival Game on Ethereum
UPDATE: CCP Games is now selling Founder Access packs, with the alpha launch coming this week. Here's what you need to know.
