The Mystery of BitClout's Launch

TL;DR

BitClout launched as a prototype app for the DeSo blockchain, but the anonymous founder “Diamond Hands” could not manage the viral oversharing of password‑protected links, leading to a premature public launch.

Key insights

• The founder wanted to replicate Satoshi’s anonymous launch to avoid creating a centralized figure people rely on, but anonymity made it hard to get press and led to accusations of scamming.
• The launch was accelerated when password‑protected links were “way overshared,” forcing the founder to reveal themselves earlier than planned.
• At launch, users could not convert DeSo to dollars, the code was not open (despite being a blockchain on several nodes), and no audit was possible — all factors that made the project look like a scam.