Summary: Bitcoin has a market capitalisation of over $300 billion, holding significant value for millions of investors. Yet we all rely on the developer community around the world to protect the network from bugs and attack. The importance of high-quality development and review is paramount to every bitcoiner. However, with no centralised developer fund or company, it can be challenging for developers to find funding. While there are a handful of companies who actively support Bitcoin development such as Chaincode Labs, Blockstream, Square Crypto, among others, opportunities as a full-time Bitcoin developer are limited. Recently, companies in the space have started dedicating funds to developers, including Coinbase and Gemini, recognising that the foundations of their businesses rely on this work too. John Newbery recently left Chaincode Labs to set up a Bitcoin research and development centre. With Brink, John aims to onboard and fund new Bitcoin developers. In this interview, I talk to John Newbery to discuss his decision to leave Chaincode Labs, funding for open source Bitcoin development, starting Brink and what he is working on developing.
