Simulating a quantum computer on a regular computer to speed up np-complete problems is insanity. Trying to break mathematics is insanity.
I tried to verify your sources, it seems to go back to Gregory Maxwell and an anonymous source, BitcoinErrorLog. David Gerard cites BitcoinErrorLog. zero proof.
> Was he soliciting investment though?
> Jorge Timón @timoncc Yes, he and another guy were claiming the classical computers simulating quantum would be a mining revolution.
so vitalik says he just had a short term connection to this team before he grew suspicious. if he really was the head behind a scam, why did noone sue him? why is there no evidence, like former employees, payments, company registration?
perhaps because not a single person was dumb enough to fall for it?
How about this- for 4 years people have been talking about this, not once has he simply replied "I never tried to raise money to build a quantum bitcoin miner"
well, i guess he gave a talk about quantum computing and bitcoin, you could see that as an ad for that company.
this looks to me like a motte-and-bailey argument.
if he gave a talk, grew suspicious of their plans, quit supporting them, then there is no wrongdoing here, no proof that he ran a scam company.
i'm honestly trying to verify this. i'm quiet skeptical about the character of some developers of bitcoin, i dont know about peter todd.
bitcoinerrorlog is linking to this video of him talking about quantum computers as a proof. this is the closest i have come to hard evidence of this extreme claim.
i have listened to the first half of the video, just him talking about quantum computers. Very impressive talk for a 19 year old.
He went to conferences with that pitch trying to raise interest and capital. A lot of people who were active back then hard the pitch in person. It's not exactly a secret and no reason trying to pin this on anonymous sources.
if you read my other comments to nope96 in this branch, you will be able to understand my position better. i even linked the video bitcoinerrorlog cites as proof, which is probably the talk you are referring to. none of this proves he was the head of this company, it does not prove that he knew their qc was never going to work. it does not show him lying, in the video he talks about qc and the consequences for bitcoin.
I tried to verify your sources, it seems to go back to Gregory Maxwell and an anonymous source, BitcoinErrorLog. David Gerard cites BitcoinErrorLog. zero proof.