The Infinite Machine How an Army of Crypto-hackers Is Building the Next Internet with Ethereum

Camila Russo — 2020

Written with the verve of such works as The Big Short, The History of the Future, and The Spider Network, here is the fascinating, true story of the rise of Ethereum, the second-biggest digital asset in the world, the growth of cryptocurrency, and the future of the internet as we know it. Everyone has heard of Bitcoin, but few know about the second largest cryptocurrency, Ethereum, which has been heralded as the "next internet." The story of Ethereum begins with Vitalik Buterin, a supremely gifted nineteen-year-old autodidact who saw the promise of blockchain when the technology was in its earliest stages. He convinced a crack group of coders to join him in his quest to make a super-charged, global computer. The Infinite Machine introduces Vitalik’s ingenious idea and unfolds Ethereum’s chaotic beginnings. It then explores the brilliant innovation and reckless greed the platform—an infinitely adaptable foundation for experimentation and new applications—has unleashed and the consequences that resulted as the frenzy surrounding it grew: increased regulatory scrutiny, incipient Wall Street interest, and the founding team’s effort to get the Ethereum platform to scale so it can eventually be accessible to the masses. Financial journalist and cryptocurrency expert Camila Russo details the wild and often hapless adventures of a team of hippy-anarchists, reluctantly led by an ambivalent visionary, and lays out how this new foundation for the internet will spur both transformation and fraud—turning some into millionaires and others into felons—and revolutionize our ideas about money.

Reviews

John Manoogian III@jm3

Apr 4, 2024

Well researched and thorough but not a particularly engaging read for either the layperson or a geek. It’s a linear history of the Ethereum ecosystem’s evolution (from its inception to the end of 2019) that attempts to make crypto comprehensible to a non technical casual outsider. Unfortunately, it’s not a particularly riveting story. I think it’s indicative of the quality of this book that while I’m very interested in crypto currency and have been for years, I found this book much less engaging than other contemporary techno-histories like Mike Isaac’s SUPER PUMPED, Nick Bilton’s HATCHING TWITTER or his Silk Road book AMERICAN KINGPIN, Nicole Perlroth’s THIS IS HOW THEY TELL ME THE WORLD ENDS, or any of Joseph Menn’s hacking related books like FATAL SYSTEM ERROR. I would recommend this to few people, but not many. If you’re just curious about crypto I’d probably recommend some podcasts instead.

Kehinde Adeleke@adeleke5140

Jun 27, 2023

Amazing read. It gives an in-depth historical survey of where ethereum started from, it’s highs and lows and concludes with it’s possible future I’ve never been so inspired to continue Buidling even during this current bear market. Thank you Camila for writing this

Diego Larrain@dly

Feb 23, 2023

Un excelente libro para entender más de la evolución del mundo crypto desde la concepción de Ethereum hasta la aparición de las primeras aplicaciones financieras descentralizadas (DeFi). No necesita conocimientos técnicos por lo que se lo recomiendo a todos los que quieran aprender de este mundo.

Kelly Kim@kellykim

Jun 27, 2022

The most Hollywood crypto will get. I wrapped up a week of a hectic crypto conference with this book. This book really got my heart-rate up with the ebb and flow of suspense. I found that by focusing on understanding the technical aspects, the BPM racing moments were all the more poignant. As someone who works in the space who errs on more ETH-maxi than anything else, I know the importance of finding excitement in the drudgery. Amongst the drama and embellished plot, it was absolutely a worthwhile read. I look forward to being pleasantly surprised (or disappointed) by the artistic choices made in its Hollywood production.

This review contains a spoiler

Stephen Schenkenberg@schenkenberg

Feb 13, 2022

Small detail, but it gives me pleasure to know that back in 2012, when this group of seemingly all-digital upstarts wanted to fortify their efforts — and more formally circulate their ideas — they chose to launch a *print* periodical: Bitcoin Magazine.

James Bedford@james

Jan 20, 2022

Origin story of Ethereum. As someone interested in the space I thought this was a decent read to fill in the knowledge gaps I had. For people not that involved, I think this might be a bit of a slog. It goes really quite deep and is incredibly detailed. Not quite as page turning as ‘Bitcoin Billionaires’, which I think is a better story about the crypto origins.

Daniel Bower@danielbower

Dec 12, 2021

A really enjoyable origin story that shies away from crypto hysteria to provide a pretty balanced take on the potential of Ethereum. I found it remarkable that the project has pulled through despite so many moments in its history that should have killed it. A cute kitty with nine lives it would seem!