If you have been around “Crypto Twitter” long enough, you’ll know that it’s a colorful space—part primary school playground, part flea market. You encounter all sorts of people who fell upon the crypto space in one way (“in it for the tech”) or another (#whenlambo), for better or worse. You’ve got the Vitaliks, the Larimers, the McAfees, the Balinas, and the veterans like Andreas Antonopoulous and Adam Back. Among this entertaining and enlightening crowd of brilliant minds, four enterprising individuals decided to come together and form a group that dissects the industry’s crazy happenings and pushes it for the better.
Charlie Lee, Riccardo Spagni, Samson Mow, and WhalePanda cemented their friendship through a Twitter thread in 2017, and soon after formed the Magical Crypto Friends (MCFs). What started as a simple vlog/podcast between four OGs discussing all matters bitcoin soon developed into a full fledged YouTube series that includes possibly the best ever animated intro, with ponies, flowers, pink letters, and children’s music (what more do you want?). Needless to say, it went viral quickly (BREAKERMAG interviewed the MCFs here).
Upon popular request, the MCFs decided to take things to the next level this year, organizing the first ever Magical Crypto Conference (MCC). Set to take place May 11-12, this will be one of the highlights of New York Blockchain Week.
Unlike typical “blockchain conferences” with their expensively promoted ICOs and Ponzi scams, the MCC promises to be a no-bullshit affair with handpicked quality speakers focusing mainly on technical topics surrounding bitcoin and the crypto industry. MCC is conceived as an intimate knowledge-exchange forum rather than a marketplace for scammers to pitch get-rich-quick schemes. It will also be cheaper. While Consensus will set you back $1,000-plus and the one-day Token Summit will relieve you of $800-plus, a ticket to the MCC (starting at $280) will leave you plenty of dough to spend on New York’s nightlife.
Related: Samson Mow on Lightning, Roger Ver, and Why He Sees “No Future” for Ethereum
The MCC, hosted at the Metropolitan Pavilion in Manhattan, has confirmed a star-studded speaker line-up, opening with a fireside chat with Lightning Labs’s Elizabeth Stark. Throughout the event, we’ll dive into a succession of interesting topics including using bitcoin without internet, “Bitcoin vs Big Brother,” crypto exchanges in the bear market, and the future of mining, all capped off with a live on-site recording of a new episode of Magical Crypto Friends.
Don’t worry, it will not be all serious techie stuff. Never forget the happy place that the Magical Crypto Friends came from, with pink and purple and animals and trees. Rumor has it there will be stuffed Magical Crypto Friends dolls available, coffee served by famous people, and of course a potentially fantastic official party at one of New York’s premium bars. What are you waiting for?