Andreas Antonopoulos, chief security officer at Blockchain .info and leader in the Bitcoin world, has declared his resignation from Bitcoin Foundation on Twitter:
I can no longer have even the smallest association with the Bitcoin Foundation, because of the complete lack of transparency
— AndreasMAntonopoulos (@aantonop) July 9, 2014This comes after leaving the foundation anti-poverty committee a couple of weeks ago.
In a follow-up comment, he added that he has "no further comment, drama or dirt. Just not happy with BF mgt." He asks to "please stop trying to use this to push other agendas."
He did not elaborate on the exact nature of the transparency issues. Commenters in the Bitcoin community are also unsure of the exact issues, although some have pointed to an alleged opaqueness in how money is spent and accounted for.
In May, controversy erupted over the Foundation's choice of new board members, which included Brock Pierce.
Antonopoulos is one of the most respected members to have resigned from the Foundation. With his departure, the composition of the Foundation's leadership changes markedly, now characterized more by the remaining elements associated with previous controversy. His departure has also emboldened those looking to set up an alternative foundation.
Some have indeed called for multiple foundations, arguing that that this would be healthier can one central body. Such bodies would occasionally interact when beneficial but operate independently.
Such are the challenges in trying to walk the fine line when centrally managing a venture that seeks decentralized management. The challenges also reinforce arguments that the success of such systems is limited by their opposition to democratically gravitating toward a common goal.
