Original Bitcoin Wizard Artist Raises Nearly $150,000 in BTC via Lightning, Despite Criticism From Bitcoin Maximalists

On Monday, crypto proponent Udi Wertheimer shared a story on Twitter explaining how he and the Taproot Wizards helped an artist who created the original 2013 bitcoin wizard meme raise nearly $150,000 in bitcoin. While the minting and sale were successful, Wertheimer explained that bitcoin maximalists and the r/bitcoin moderator Bashco disliked it.

Artist Who Created the 2013 Bitcoin Wizard Meme Raises $150K in Bitcoin

With more than 150,000 Ordinal inscriptions on the Bitcoin blockchain, there’s no denying that people appreciate the concept, and demand for the technology continues. This week, Taproot Wizard and crypto advocate Udi Wertheimer told a story about how the creator of the original bitcoin wizard meme raised 6 BTC, or close to $150,000. Wertheimer explained how this past Saturday, he and the Taproot Wizards helped the meme’s creator, Mavensbot, issue and sell a collection of ordinal inscriptions to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his artwork.

“The proceeds – over 6 BTC in 3 hours! – went to support the artist,” Wertheimer tweeted. “The payments were mostly from NFT enjoyers, who downloaded a lightning wallet from [the Lightning Network extension Alby] for the first time in their lives, and made a [bitcoin] payment, all within the 3 hours of the limited sale.”

Wertheimer added that watching everything transpire made him really happy by simply using bitcoin (BTC) and the Lightning Network to support an artist. However, Wertheimer also noted that the bitcoin maximalist and r/bitcoin moderator Bashco disliked the inscription. “Bitcoin maxis hate us for it. And of course, they do,” Wertheimer insisted sharing a screenshot of Bashco’s commentary. The crypto advocate’s tweet also mentioned how Bashco is well known “for supporting extreme censorship” over at the subreddit r/bitcoin.

He said that maximalists and people like Bashco hate Ordinal inscriptions because they have decided that JPEGs are evil. “The high priests of the Bitcoin cult have spoken,” Wertheimer remarked. Despite people like Bashco and the group of individuals who call themselves maximalists, Wertheimer insists that most “Bitcoiners aren’t like this.” One individual said: “I don’t get it — bitcoin maxis want [bitcoin] to be the world currency, but you can’t buy JPEGs with it?”

Wertheimer stressed that real bitcoiners are “builders, explorers, researchers, and quite simply enjoyers” and added that bitcoin maxis “are a disease.” The crypto advocate ended his tweet by noting that he believes it’s time for Bitcoiners to heal. “It’s time to go back to the spirit of the 2013 Bitcoin wizard. Playfulness, experimentation, innovation. Not taking ourselves so goddamn seriously all the time. HAVING FUN, for Satoshi’s sake,” Wertheimer concluded.

What are your thoughts on the use of bitcoin to support artists through the sale of NFTs and Ordinal inscriptions, and how do you feel about the controversy surrounding bitcoin maximalists and their opposition to this type of artwork on the blockchain? Share your views in the comments section below.