American economist and professional crypto contrarian Nouriel Roubini has furiously demanded the release of a recording of his latest debate with BitMEX CEO and co-founder Arthur Hayes.
In one of several fulminating tweets posted on July 2, Roubini accused the organizers of the Asia Blockchain Summit in Taiwan of being part of a “mafia hush money racket” and cowing to BitMEX’s censorship by choosing to neither tape nor broadcast his debate with Hayes during the event. One tweet reads:
“Another @CryptoHayes scam: he didnt allow the blockchain conference to record our debate or beam it live. He controls the only recording of it and will only release heavily edited "highlights". I destroyed @CryptoHayes in the debate and he is hiding. RELEASE THE TAPE YOU COWARD!”
While Roubini’s well-oiled routine of playing the crypto antagonist is well-known across the industry, the economist appears to be particularly keen on having this latest squabble — dubbed the “Tangle in Taipei” — in the public eye.
Hayes — seemingly more relaxed about the affair — responded to Roubini by assuring him that any tape release would expose his “thin grasp of economics and technology.”
According to Cointelegraph’s reporter at the scene, the Tangle in Taipei was largely a rehearsal of Roubini’s view that the crypto industry is rife with scammers and that its technology is neither secure, decentralized, nor scalable.
He also reiterated his view of its shortcomings as a payments system, and dubbed the entire space of innovation as a manifestation of “stone age technology, not a digital revolution.”
It remains to be seen whether Hayes’ release of debate highlights will grace ears with another of Roubini’s Taipei soundbites — “there’s nothing smart about smart contracts.”
One conference attendee who says she “endured” Roubini’s debate performance, summarized it as “the entitled view of a privileged man speaking for the underprivileged.”
As recently reported, BitMEX posted record volumes across its operations as bitcoin (BTC) hit $13,000 last month. As the world’s single biggest bitcoin derivatives provider, the platform reported more than $1 billion of open interest on the market, prompting Hayes to declare that crypto winter is resolutely over.
Roubini meanwhile provided fresh insights at the Salt conference in New York this spring, claiming that “crypto is the mother and father of all bubbles.”
In response to the latest fracas over Taipei, one social media commentator picked up on an apparent Roubini tweet of six-year vintage — back when BTC was in the double-digits — quipping “Nouriel, what's the % gained between $58 & $10,000?”