Former Apple, Google, and Cash App Employees Leave Big Tech to Innovate in Bitcoin

AUSTIN — Last spring, on a Friday morning, Mark Suman decided to call in sick from his position as a senior engineering project manager at Apple, heading instead to a venue known as the Bitcoin Commons, a gathering place for cryptocurrency enthusiasts located just a few blocks south of the Texas State Capitol.

At that point, Suman described himself as “an active hobbyist.” He had been exploring bitcoin technology during his free hours. “I even tinkered with it at Apple,” he mentioned. “I can’t share much, but we were consistently looking into new technologies, which included experimenting with open-source bitcoin tools at Apple and doing some exploratory projects.”

Suman attended the annual ‘Bitcoin Takeover’ event, where he was keen to meet several speakers he had followed online. Excited by the opportunity, he took the day off to attend.

“I found myself in the audience wanting to dive into the space and really create something innovative,” Suman recounted.

What transpired was a significant career shift: by conversing with a developer post-talk at the Commons, he was introduced to other programmers working on a project named Mutiny. A few months later, Suman resigned from Apple and, alongside these developers, embarked on a larger venture — co-founding Open Secret, a startup aimed at transforming how user data is managed in the cloud. The company aims to eliminate reliance on centralized databases by encrypting user data individually, ensuring that if a breach occurs, there’s nothing valuable left to steal, Suman clarified. No honeypot.

This bold decision didn’t come without risks.

“I have had many sleepless nights,” he shared. “I have a family, children, and even a kid in university.”

While he spent years developing privacy infrastructure and solving complex issues regarding user protection on a large scale, he envisioned an improved approach using blockchain technology. “Apple often claims to prioritize privacy,” he remarked. “Having experienced their internal systems, I know they do genuinely care about privacy across all levels.”

The atmosphere at the Commons and its vision motivated him. Everyone there was intensely focused on creating something meaningful.

Bitcoin Commons occupies the second floor of the Littlefield Building at the intersection of Congress Avenue and Sixth Street — the wide road leading to the Capitol merges with the vibrancy of Austin’s nightlife. This serves as a fitting symbol for the venue itself.

During the day, it functions as a spacious, collaborative working environment for bitcoin developers and enthusiasts. By night, it shifts into a networking spot for unconventional developers and informal gatherings. Events attract a diverse mix of venture capitalists, open-source contributors, off-grid energy experts, and Lightning engineers — who build software to enhance the speed and efficiency of bitcoin transactions. On certain afternoons, the back kitchen transforms into a bar once happy hour begins.

“Bitcoin represents the most significant technological advancement of our lifetimes, and it deserves recognition,” asserted Parker Lewis, one of the Commons’ coordinators and author of the book “Gradually, Then Suddenly.”

“As bitcoin lacks a CEO and marketing team, we at the Bitcoin Commons, along with Bitcoiners worldwide, strive to educate individuals about bitcoin—its importance and the innovations around it, while presenting a vision for the future,” Lewis elaborated.

“The atmosphere here is always supportive and focused,” Dan Lawrence, CEO of OBM, which handles energy management for large-scale mining operations, expressed. Lawrence expressed gratitude that the U.S. government had adopted a more pro-bitcoin stance with the new administration but added, “No matter what transpires elsewhere, everyone here will always back bitcoin.”

This year, the Commons has changed — not due to alterations in its participants, but because of external factors. The overall sentiment is optimistic, strategic, and even triumphant.

Bitcoin’s value reflected this optimism by climbing to an unprecedented high of around $110,000 in January, coinciding with Trump’s inauguration. By early April, it had dipped to the low $70,000s before bouncing back to nearly $85,000 as of Saturday morning — this volatility highlights the market’s responsiveness to political climate and investor emotions.

Just a year prior, the atmosphere in the Commons was one of caution. Even bitcoin — an asset often shielded from securities regulations — felt the repercussions of a stringent regulatory environment. Developers faced arrests globally, wallet service providers experienced pressure, and open-source projects landed on sanctions lists. During that time, the prevailing question was, who would be targeted next?

Then came the election. Trump’s return to power unleashed a series of pro-bitcoin policy actions. In his initial 100 days, he pardoned Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht along with three co-founders of the BitMEX crypto exchange, initiated a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, and appointed a “crypto czar” to oversee federal digital asset initiatives. Even skeptics couldn’t help but agree.

“I was in Nashville when Trump delivered a speech,” Suman recalled, referring to the Bitcoin 2025 conference in Tennessee, where Trump made his inaugural address to the crypto sector. “I hadn’t intended to attend, but when a figure like that is nearby, you make it a point to be there.”

Suman feels Trump has largely fulfilled his promises to the crypto community. However, he remains cautious. “I’m not one to align with politicians,” Suman mentioned. “I’m quite apolitical regarding party affiliations. My trust in them only extends as far as I can see real outcomes in our lives. So far, things seem positive, but it could easily shift.”

Kevin Hurley, CTO at Lightspark, remarked that Washington’s perspective on crypto seems to be changing, with regulators like the SEC adopting a less confrontational approach — steering away from lawsuits towards clearer rules for capital markets. “Hopefully, we will soon have clarity on what constitutes a security and what is allowable,” he stated.

However, even in a friendlier political landscape, wariness regarding government involvement remains integral to the crypto community’s mindset.

Joe Kelly, CEO of Unchained — a company that assists clients in securely storing bitcoin by retaining their private keys — advised caution in wanting the U.S. government to hold significant amounts of bitcoin. “That could lead to unforeseen consequences,” he warned.

So far, the government’s Strategic Bitcoin Reserve has disappointed some in the digital asset community, as it relies solely on bitcoin seized during enforcement actions — not on newly acquired assets or sovereign investment. Still, the administration has tasked the Treasury and Commerce Departments with seeking budget-neutral strategies to acquire more bitcoin.

Kelly recognizes a shift in regulatory sentiment but urges against prematurely celebrating, even with substantial market milestones such as the launch of exchange-traded funds facilitating broader access to bitcoin.

“If the ETF had launched prematurely, it could have diverted attention from the individuals focused on building the actual technology,” Kelly expressed. “We’ve been fortunate that for most of Unchained’s existence, there hasn’t been an ETF,” he noted, highlighting their dedication to educating investors on secure crypto storage methods.

This ongoing shift is impacting the industry, including the insurance sector.

Becca Rubenfeld, COO of Anchor Watch, explained that regulatory developments are paving the way for bitcoin to be regarded like any other financial asset. Traditional insurers do not directly cover bitcoin; they instead protect the infrastructure linked to it. However, if bitcoin is recognized as an admitted asset on insurers’ balance sheets, it transforms everything.

“The market is currently extensively underserved,” Rubenfeld told CNBC. “What Anchor Watch aims to do is specifically insure the asset itself. We have developed a proprietary custody solution. When clients engage us for custody services, we include insurance backed by Lloyd’s of London.”

The demand is escalating. So is the urgency to develop and secure the technical foundation that supports bitcoin.

Mike Schmidt, executive director of Brink, which funds open-source bitcoin developers through a nonprofit model, stressed the necessity of backing the engineers who maintain bitcoin’s core systems. “Bitcoin requires engineers,” he stated.

“We possess a $2 trillion asset with strategic bitcoin reserves held by various countries, yet only a handful of engineers are sustaining the code base,” Schmidt pointed out. “Approximately 40 full-time engineers are working on this. We need to ensure that engineering growth keeps pace with its wider adoption trend.”

Lisa Neigut, who started her career as a back-end engineer at Cash App, where she contributed to their internal bitcoin product, transitioned to Blockstream where she spent six years as an open-source developer focusing on the Lightning Network. Nowadays, she leads Bitcoin++, one of the largest technical conference series in the field, with six planned events across various countries this year.

“Bitcoin++ aims at connecting bitcoin creators and developers to discuss their projects — the future landscape of bitcoin,” Neigut remarked. “Attendees gain insights into what bitcoin will resemble tomorrow.”

This momentum resonates with filmmaker Alana Mediavilla, who dedicated five years at Google creating films about big data and cloud infrastructure. She showcased her latest documentary, Dirty Coin, a feature-length project examining bitcoin’s energy footprint and the people behind the infrastructure, at the Commons.

“I spent years working in the cloud sector,” she mentioned. “I grasp the workings of data centers and the associated energy requirements to operate the enormous facilities that currently underpin our society.”

Her intention wasn’t necessarily to advocate for bitcoin mining, but to broaden the discussion surrounding it. “I aim to enhance everyone’s understanding of data centers to facilitate ongoing conversations about bitcoin since it’s here to stay.”

She characterizes the audience in Austin as a collective of individuals “deeply committed to their profession” — primarily motivated by shared ideals rather than profit.

“People associate it with a quick financial gain,” she noted. “While that might have been true in the past for bitcoin, today’s reality shows that if you want a quick return, you might want to explore altcoins or meme tokens, but bitcoin is unlikely to yield those results.”

“What unites this community is their desire for improved currency and a fairer world,” she concluded. “The principles are solid. The challenge lies in how we manifest those principles — that’s where diversity and excitement emerge.”

A wave of fresh funding is also transforming the bitcoin builder landscape.

In 2024, venture capital investment in bitcoin-related startups soared as the crypto market surged. Pre-seed funding in the sector rose 50% last year, as reported by Trammell Venture Partners, an Austin-based VC firm focusing on bitcoin-native startups. Since 2021, almost $1.2 billion has been funneled into bitcoin firms across all early-stage funding rounds.

This renewed enthusiasm follows years of technical enhancements to the bitcoin protocol and growing confidence in its long-term viability.

“Serious individuals no longer doubt bitcoin’s future over the next 15 to 20 years,” remarked Christopher Calicott, managing director at Trammell. “The next question is: Can we build what the founder intended on bitcoin? Increasingly, the answer is affirmative.”

PitchBook estimates that crypto venture funding will exceed $18 billion in 2025 — nearly doubling the annual average from the preceding two-year cycle. A significant portion of this capital is being directed towards bitcoin infrastructure and applications such as payments, privacy solutions, and custody services, in contrast to the speculative trading platforms of past cycles.

Transforming ideals — and venture capital — into tangible outcomes still necessitates real-world infrastructure. Herein lies the role of entrepreneurs like Steve Barbour, founder of the Canadian company Upstream Data. He has spent years crafting off-grid mining containers for remote oilfields but plans to extend operations into Wyoming this spring, a decision he attributes to the Trump administration’s easing of energy regulations and renewed focus on domestic production.

Wyoming has become a center for bitcoin miners and supportive legislators, boasting generous coal operations alongside some of the nation’s most favorable crypto regulations.

The administration’s latest executive orders are set to relax environmental controls and promote increased fossil fuel extraction — potentially beneficial for miners in oil regions like Barbour’s, although critics caution that this could lead to significant climate repercussions.

“I am extremely optimistic and positive regarding Trump’s administration,” Barbour conveyed. “The EPA has finally presented a new outlook on past actions that have hindered the energy industry in America, which has negatively impacted us. I’m witnessing numerous positive shifts occurring due to the decisions made by the Trump administration, clearly aiming to attract investment and manufacturing back to America.”

Parker Lewis from Zaprite, a prominent advocate for policy at the Commons, concurs that progress is unfolding positively — especially considering the government’s decision to establish a formal national bitcoin reserve.

While a crypto executive order marks a significant initial advance, “formalizing it through legislation will foster further regulatory clarity indicating that the U.S. welcomes bitcoin,” Lewis stated. “Moreover, it would benefit the country as a whole … the foremost priority is securing clarity through efforts like Sen. Lummis’ Bitcoin Act, aiming to codify and solidify bitcoin protections as law.”

Senator Lummis, a long-standing supporter of the industry, is proposing legislation to embed bitcoin protections into federal law. Her plan includes using “existing funds” from the Treasury Department, which encompasses tax revenue, to purchase bitcoin. This strategy is designed partly to position bitcoin as a strategic reserve asset that could appreciate over time and lessen the reliance on borrowed funds. The senator has expressed that the ultimate aim is to diminish the federal deficit and align bitcoin alongside gold and other tangible assets to bolster the dollar in the long run.

Lewis cautioned that without the enactment of the Bitcoin Act, the current favorable conditions might dissipate with the change of administration.

As discussions regarding bitcoin’s role in the future of the U.S. economy continue in Washington, Suman is already investing in his belief regarding bitcoin.

“Why would I leave a comfortable job at Apple, that provided significant pay and stock options, to venture here, where I face uncertainty?” he pondered. “It’s the possibility of innovating something crucial in the world that I believe is needed. I remain hopeful that it works out. … If it fails and descends into chaos, at least I will have attempted something I genuinely believe in.”

Even after accepting a position with Mutiny — later proceeding to Open Secret — the intensity didn’t wane. “That coincided with a period when a notable group of developers were arrested,” he recalled sharply. “They were developing an app called Samurai and faced legal action. At that point, I had not fully left Apple after accepting my offer with Mutiny.”

This gamble extended beyond professional concerns. It was emotional. It was existential.

“Despite the arrests and prevailing uncertainty, I made the leap,” he stated. “The team reassured me, saying, ‘If you’re hesitant, we can put a pause on this, and you can remain at Apple.'” However, I responded, ‘No, I truly believe in this project’s potential. Let’s work toward scaling it together.’