A Brief History of Bitcoin Tipping (and Where Twitter Fits in It)
Fitting Twitter’s bitcoin tipping feature into the broader historical context
ABOUT
This time on “Speaking of Bitcoin,” join hosts Stephanie Murphy, Jonathan Mohan and Adam B. Levine for a look at bitcoin tipping through the ages. From the dogecoin-like fun and fervor of the early days to the game-changing bridges that first brought it to Twitter, the hosts dig into YouTube, ChangeTip, TechCrunch and more.
“Speaking of Bitcoin” on the CoinDesk Podcast Network is brought to you by CrystalBlockchain.com.
But what happened to tipping? What was once the raison d’être of the early cryptocurrency experience faded away, as what was thought of as money turned out to be gold: Too precious to just toss around. Or was it?
See also: Exit, Voice and Bitcoin
In this episode we dig into the thought, experience and philosophy behind bitcoin tipping, how it changed and finally whether it’s on the uptrend yet again.
Links from this episode:
- YouTube is Broken - Rethinking Content Monetization with Bitcoin (2013)
- Kickstarter Coins - TechCrunch (2014)
Have any questions or comments? Send us an email at [email protected]
Today’s show featured Adam B. Levine, Stephanie Murphy and Jonathan Mohan. This episode was edited by Jonas, with music by Jared Rubens and Left Handed Traffic.
Our episode art from a photo by Keszthelyi Timi/Unsplash, modified by Speaking of Bitcoin.
HOST
Adam B. Levine joined CoinDesk in 2019 as the editor of its new audio and podcasts division. Previously, Adam founded the long-running Let's Talk Bitcoin! talk show with co-hosts Stephanie Murphy and Andreas M. Antonopoulos.
Finding early success with the show, Adam transformed the podcast's homepage into a full newsdesk and publishing platform, founding the LTB Network in January of 2014 to help broaden the conversation with new and different perspectives. In the Spring of that year, he would go on to launch the first and largest tokenized rewards program for creators and their audience. In what many have called an early influential version of "Steemit"; LTBCOIN, which was awarded to both content creators and members of the audience for participation was distributed until the LTBN was acquired by BTC, Inc. in January of 2017.
With the network launched and growing, in late 2014 Adam turned his attention to the practical challenges of administering the tokenized program and founded Tokenly, Inc. There, he led the development of early tokenized vending machines with Swapbot, tokenized identity solution Tokenpass, e-commerce with TokenMarkets.com and media with Token.fm. Adam owns some BTC, ETH and small positions in a number of other tokens.

EPISODES
BITCOIN SEASON 2: Why The 2025 Bitcoin Bull Run Failed Us
Was the 2025 Bitcoin top a failure? We analyze why $126k felt underwhelming, compare BTC returns against Gold and the...
Dec 5, 2025
The Growing Dominance of Crypto KOLs
Exploring the rise of crypto KOLs with Celo Co-Founder Rene Reinsberg and 'Binance Blockchain 100' Award Winner Leon....
Dec 5, 2025
THE MINING POD: ABTC Investor Unlock, IREN’s $3.6B Capital Raise, Greenidge’s Fire and Land Sale
On today’s news roundup, the gang covers the American Bitcoin investor unlock that sunk the ABTC share price this wee...
Dec 5, 2025
The Blockspace Pod: The Conspiracy Was True: Operation Chokepoint 2.0
A new House report confirms the Biden Administration's coordinated, extralegal "Operation Chokepoint 2.0" to debank t...
Dec 3, 2025

The Mining Pod
Feb 10, 2025

CoinDesk Podcast Network
The top stories and best shows in the blockchain world, delivered daily from the team at CoinDesk.
Dec 20, 2023

Markets Outlook
Tune in as CoinDesk runs down action in the crypto market and some of the most important recent industry development.
Dec 19, 2023

Unchained
Unchained, your no hype resource for all things crypto by former Forbes senior editor Laura Shin, author of The Cryptopians.
Dec 18, 2023
