Prominent Bitcoin enthusiast and proposer of ‘duplex micropayment channels,’ Christian Decker, announced on Twitter today that he will be joining the Blockstream team to work on L2 protocols.
Decker Joins Blockstream to Work on Lightning Network
According to Blockstream’s official blog, Decker was hired on to bring his expertise and talent to the company’s current research on lightning networks. While pursuing this line of work he will be joined by Blockstream developer, Rusty Russell, who has made theoretical contributions to the advancement of lightning networks in the past.
Decker is an early adopter of Bitcoin, as he began engaging in the cryptocurrency while it was still in its infancy in 2009. He has also created a number of protocols including PeerConsensus and Duplex Micropayment Channel. Furthermore, Decker brings with him the unique distinction of having authored the world’s first PhD dissertation about Bitcoin at ETH Zurich while working with the Distributed Computing Group.
Along with Decker, Blockstream also took the chance to formally welcome other new employees that they have brought on since early this year. A noteworthy hiring has been that of Kat Walsh — joined in February as legal counsel — having served on the board of the Wikimedia Foundation for seven years, including a term as its chair. Additionally, Blockstream also hired on Eric Martindale as “Developer Evangelist.” Eric has a long history with Bitcoin, having worked a similar role for Bitpay.
Ever since the acquisition of the European-based Bitcoin wallet software provider, GreenAddress, it seems Blockstream has been trying to expand its operations. The new batch of hirings, especially that of Christian Decker, only works to further this belief as the company itself looks to continue its efforts in Bitcoin development with projects like the lightning network.
What do you think of Blockstream’s hiring on Christian Decker? Let us know in the comments below!
Images courtesy of Blockstream, Christian Decker