'Bitcoin Sign Guy' Has a New Job, But He's Keeping His Identity Secret

It's been a tumultuous week since the man known as "Bitcoin Sign Guy" held up a pad of paper emblazoned with the words "Buy Bitcoin" during a congressional address by US Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen.

But while details about Bitcoin Sign Guy remain largely shrouded in mystery, a few things appear to be certain. Namely, since drawing international attention to the cryptocurrency, he has apparently received thousands of dollars in bitcoin, become known (perhaps in jest) as one of the most often cited people in bitcoin and, most recently, got himself a new job.

In a blog post yesterday, the non-profit public policy organization, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, revealed Bitcoin Sign Guy was the newest member of its team.

Bitcoin Sign Guy's new boss, former Bitcoin Foundation board member Jim Harper told CoinDesk his latest intern, "BSG," had completed his first day of work, deeming it a success.

But what stands out in Harper's description is the persistent protection his latest hire's identity.

According to Harper, the decision to refer to Bitcoin Sign Guy by his given pseudonym is in line with the "bitcoin tradition" that began with the cryptocurrency's creator Satoshi Nakamoto.

Harper wrote in an email:

"I also wanted to see that he landed well, not suffering serious repercussions for tweaking the powers that be in Congress and the Fed."

Harper's post described BSG as a recent college graduate working with "financial technology, bitcoin and the burgeoning variety of cryptocurrencies emerging on the scene to compete with government monopoly money."

In his email, Harper further described his newest team member's first day at the office as including work with a researcher to explore a "blue ocean" study aimed at giving blockchain "a fully free financial future."

"When I got to talking to him," wrote Harper, "I found him a poised young man with sophisticated knowledge of bitcoin, crypto and financial services generally."

No benefit without risk

Since BSG pulled off the publicity stunt, he's become a bit of a conversational staple, as evidenced by his citation in numerous informal polls.

What remains to be seen, though, is why he needed the job in the first place. A tweet – posted by his "friend" as a way to share a bitcoin address and prove that he was the person who held the sign – was later removed, siting concerns about employment.

As for Harper, he appears to have no such concerns.

"He's a young person with a long life ahead of him," he wrote.

"This event doesn't need to define him in his digital permanent record (creditable though it is)."

Bitcoin Sign Guy image via Twitter