Roger Ver, the long-time crypto supporter who has become infamous through his feuding over scling bitcoin and his support for bitcoin cash, claims that the previous owner of the @Bitcoin Twitter handle is “distraught” over its new direction.
@Bitcoin Twitter Controversy
The @Bitcoin Twitter account, which now has close to a million followers, has managed to stir up a fair amount of drama over the last several weeks.
The account was dormant for years before taking an anti-bitcoin stance in 2017. The individual or group behind the account regularly criticized BTC for its slow transaction confirmations and high fees, which became a sore spot for the industry given the high-profile branding of the account.
At the same time, Roger Ver gained notoriety for his staunch support of bitcoin cash. Many in the crypto community began to suspect that Ver was in charge fo the Twitter account, or was somehow fueling its position against BTC. The accusations increased as Bitcoin took an inflammatory, pro-BCH stance.
However, the account suddenly switched its tune in mid-August. Previous tweets taking aim at bitcoin were scrubbed from the feed, and the overall message has been one that is positive and supportive of BTC.
Come build a new financial system on Bitcoin instead! https://t.co/8ZKGgHJgG6
— Bitcoin (@Bitcoin) August 29, 2019
I guess Ver really doesn’t control @Bitcoin anymore. pic.twitter.com/rauRL8p9L3
— NVK (@nvk) August 29, 2019
Even litecoin’s founder Charlie Lee took Twitter to provide a satirical take on the situation.
I have no proof of this, but I think the owner of @bitcoin must have had a romantic relationship with Roger Ver and recently broke up with Roger. That's the only thing that can explain why @bitcoin stopped supporting BCH.
— Charlie Lee [LTC⚡] (@SatoshiLite) August 20, 2019
Old Owner ‘Distraught’
Following the switch to a pro-BTC stance, Roger Ver was asked on Reddit whether anything could be done to return to a bitcoin cash focused handle. Ver simply replied, “Don’t know.”
However, Ver does appear to have a connection with the former owner of the @Bitcoin handle. In a recent interview with CoinTelegraph, Ver shed some light on the mysterious figure, saying,
The previous owner of the @Bitcoin twitter handle is not even a female…I don’t know who owns or has control of the @Bitcoin twitter handle now but it is not the original guy from 2009 who likes Bitcoin Cash.
In addition to confirming that the previous, pro-BCH owner no longer controls @Bitcoin, Ver also claimed that they were “distraught” by the new direction of the account.
In an interesting twist on the situation, even bitcoin supporters are now calling for the account’s closure.
I was ashamed by the old @Bitcoin posts and I'm ashamed by the new @Bitcoin posts.
Bitcoin should be a liberating force for individuals are the world to transfer value across the internet.
Instead we get a troll posting rekt and unfollowing videos. https://t.co/CpVbUrzPhi
— Patrick McCorry ☘️ (@paddypisa) August 24, 2019
While the @Bitcoin handle may be working to support a pro-BTC, positive rhetoric for bitcoin, many believe that it sends the wrong message on decentralization and contradicts the purpose of crypto.