meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Bankless

160 - Is the CIA Spying on Crypto? with Annie Jacobsen

Bankless

Bankless

Technology, Tech News, News

4.71.2K Ratings

🗓️ 27 February 2023

⏱️ 85 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Annie Jacobsen is an investigative journalist and author writes about war, weapons, government secrecy, and national security. She’s written books on the secrets of Area 51, and the Pentagon’s military science R&D efforts over the decades.

------
✨ DEBRIEF | Unpacking the episode: 
https://shows.banklesshq.com/p/annie-jacobsen-debrief 
 
------
✨ COLLECTIBLES | Collect this episode: 
https://collectibles.bankless.com/mint 

------
Our guest Annie Jacobsen has spent her career interviewing and studying intelligence agencies.

The 2023 crypto movement is sufficiently large enough that it has certainly attracted the attention of every intelligence agency out there. We want to learn about how the world’s intelligence agencies might have or are interacting with the crypto community. 

Is the CIA spying on crypto? Our guest Annie gives us her thoughts.

------
📣 MetaMask Learn | Learn Web3 with the Leading Web3 Wallet 
https://bankless.cc/ 

------
🚀 JOIN BANKLESS PREMIUM: 
https://newsletter.banklesshq.com/subscribe 

------
BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 

🐙KRAKEN | MOST-TRUSTED CRYPTO EXCHANGE
https://bankless.cc/kraken 

🦄UNISWAP | ON-CHAIN MARKETPLACE
https://bankless.cc/uniswap 

⚖️ ARBITRUM | SCALING ETHEREUM
https://bankless.cc/Arbitrum 

👻 PHANTOM | #1 SOLANA WALLET
https://bankless.cc/phantom-waitlist 

------
Topics Covered

0:00 Intro
8:00 Three Letter Agencies
14:40 Annie’s Work
17:33 Crypto Patterns
20:48 State vs. Non-State Actors
27:35 Satoshi 
33:18 Government’s Crypto Interest?
38:05 The Different Intelligence Communities
46:56 North Korea-Linked Lazarus Group
51:46 Untapped Crypto Lands
56:20 The Internet Analogy
1:02:26 The Intelligence Community Crypto Strategy
1:04:45 CIA Hedge Fund
1:12:03 Is My Friend in the CIA?
1:19:46 Totalitarian Tools
1:23:58 Is Crypto a Win for the Intelligence Community?
1:28:15 How Should We Perceive the Intelligence Community?
1:31:16 Closing & Disclaimers
 
------
Resources:

Annie Jacobsen
https://anniejacobsen.com/ 

-----
Not financial or tax advice. This channel is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. This video is not tax advice. Talk to your accountant. Do your own research.

Disclosure. From time-to-time I may add links in this newsletter to products I use. I may receive commission if you make a purchase through one of these links. Additionally, the Bankless writers hold crypto assets. See our investment disclosures here:
https://www.bankless.com/disclosures 

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

With almost certainty, I would say that the world of cryptocurrency is looked at by the

0:09.0

intelligence community as a non-state actor, okay, which is a little bit dangerous or rather

0:18.0

a little bit adversarial for those of you in that community.

0:25.2

Welcome to Bankless, where we explore the frontier of internet money and internet finance.

0:29.6

This is how to get started, how to get better, how to frontrun the opportunity.

0:33.0

This is Ryan Sean Adams.

0:34.0

I'm here with David Hoffman, and we're here to help you become more bankless.

0:39.5

Is the CIA spying on crypto?

0:43.2

That is the question today.

0:44.2

Our guest, Annie Jacobson, spent her entire career interviewing and studying intelligence

0:49.6

agency.

0:50.6

She gives us her thoughts on that question.

0:53.3

We cover a few things, things to look out for in this episode.

0:56.0

Number one, why intelligence agencies see crypto as a non-state actor?

1:00.2

What is this term?

1:01.2

Non-state actor?

1:02.2

Why is it a default threat?

1:03.9

Number two, we talk about intelligence agencies, the CIA, the Pentagon, NSA, are they

1:09.3

in our discourse?

1:10.6

Are they in our telegrams?

1:11.9

Do they walk among us?

1:13.4

Is anyone spying on my co-host David?

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Bankless, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Bankless and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.