- Bitcoin (BTC) has fallen below $79,000 at the launch of the Bitcoin 2026 conference in Las Vegas, down from $110,000 a year prior.
- Key federal officials billed as speakers for a “Code is Free Speech” panel did not attend in person, and the main stage was reported as mostly empty.
- Security initially escorted Lauren Rodriguez, wife of imprisoned Samourai developer Keonne Rodriguez, from the venue for holding protest signs.
- The event organizer’s public company, Nakamoto (Nasdaq:NAKA), is trading 99% below its price during last year’s conference.
- Iowa Congressman Zach Nunn erroneously claimed to have started mining bitcoin in 2006, two years before Bitcoin’s whitepaper was published.
The Bitcoin 2026 conference opened to a sparsely attended main stage in Las Vegas this week, with the price of Bitcoin itself down sharply from last year’s event. Two senior U.S. officials addressed the mostly empty venue via remote feed, rather than appearing in person as billed.
Consequently, the highly anticipated “Code is Free Speech” panel featured neither FBI Director Kash Patel nor Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche physically on stage. Meanwhile, a security incident saw Lauren Rodriguez escorted from an area for holding “#FreeSamourai” signs, despite her scheduled speaking role.
The situation was later remedied by organizers. On stage, Acting Attorney General Blanche offered a qualified statement on prosecuting developers, which was quickly characterized online as a sweeping policy shift.
He clarified, “if you’re laundering money or violating sanctions, the mere fact that you happen to be a coder doesn’t excuse you.” In another notable moment, Congressman Zach Nunn claimed he started mining Bitcoin twenty years ago, a chronological impossibility.
Adding to the gloomy atmosphere, the stock of the conference organizer’s company, Nakamoto, has collapsed from over $29 to under $0.20 per share. This series of setbacks defined merely the first day of the three-day event.
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