Hal Finney
Born 1956 · Age 69
American computer scientist, cryptographer and cypherpunk; early PGP developer, inventor of reusable proof-of-work (RPoW), first recipient of a Bitcoin transaction, ALS patient and cryonics proponent.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Coalinga, California
Harold Thomas Finney II born to Virginia and Harold Thomas Finney (father a petroleum engineer).
Graduated Arcadia High School (approx.)
Graduated from Arcadia High School (sources vary between 1974 and 1975).
First job at APh (video-game/engineering firm)
Summer 1978: first professional work at APh Technology Consultants (contracted with Mattel/Intellivision); early assembly-language and systems work.
BS in Electrical Engineering, Caltech
Graduated from California Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science in engineering.
Worked on notable console games (grouped)
Credited as lead developer/contributor on multiple console games (Adventures of Tron, Armor Ambush, Astrosmash, Space Attack) during early career.
Joined video game industry (APh / Atari-era projects)
Worked on console/video-game projects including Adventures of Tron, Armor Ambush, Astrosmash and Space Attack (credited as developer/lead on several titles).
Operated anonymous remailers (early work in anonymous email)
Ran the first cryptographic anonymous remailer and later operated two anonymous remailers to hide email sender identities (privacy-enhancing tech).
Joined Cypherpunks mailing list
Became an active participant on the Cypherpunks list — a key community for privacy/cryptography advocacy.
Volunteered development work for PGP
Worked with Phil Zimmermann on early versions of Pretty Good Privacy (PGP); contributed pro bono code and cryptographic expertise.
Public cypherpunk writings
Published and posted influential cryptography and privacy commentary on Cypherpunks list (e.g., 1992 posts discussing Chaum, privacy and empowering individuals).
Joined Alcor (cryonics membership)
Signed membership papers for the Alcor Life Extension Foundation (early commitment to cryonics and life-extension ideas).
PGP became a commercial organization; Finney joins PGP Corporation
When Phil Zimmermann commercialized PGP (PGP Inc/Pgp Corp era) Finney joined as a senior developer/engineer and later remained with successor entities through acquisitions.
Netscape export-grade encryption contest (won)
Participated in/ran a contest to break Netscape's export-grade (40-bit) encryption; contest succeeded, demonstrating export-grade crypto was weak.
Created Reusable Proof-of-Work (RPoW)
Designed and released the first reusable proof-of-work (RPoW) system — an important precursor to Bitcoin's PoW designs.
Presented RPoW at conference (San Francisco)
Presented the RPoW idea publicly (practiced talk in San Francisco); increased visibility among cryptographers and cypherpunks.
Saw Bitcoin whitepaper via Cypherpunks
Read Satoshi Nakamoto's Bitcoin whitepaper (published 2008) on Cypherpunks list and was among the first cryptographers to engage with it.
Mined early Bitcoin blocks
Mined several early blocks (recounted he mined block ~70-something) and helped find/fix bugs in the early client.
Downloaded and ran Bitcoin software (early adopter)
One of the first people (after Satoshi) to download and run the initial Bitcoin client; began mining and testing the network.
Received first Bitcoin transaction (10 BTC)
On or around Jan 12, 2009 Satoshi Nakamoto sent Finney 10 BTC — recorded as the first Bitcoin transaction.
Diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis)
Received an ALS diagnosis in August 2009 (later publicly announced).
Publicly announced ALS diagnosis (essay 'Dying Outside')
Posted on Less Wrong / personal essay describing ALS diagnosis, prognosis and desire to keep programming and participating online.
Moved some Bitcoin to offline wallet; returned to Bitcoin as value rose
After Bitcoin began to gain monetary value in late 2010, Finney re-engaged, moved coins to offline storage and advocated for the project.
Retired from PGP Corporation
Left PGP Corporation (and its successor entities) and retired in early 2011; retirement influenced by deteriorating health.
Continued Bitcoin-related work post-retirement
Despite retirement from PGP, remained active improving Bitcoin code, testing, and participating in discussions.
Medical expenses and coin sales
Used much of his bitcoin holdings to cover ALS medical expenses during 2013 (family later reported sales to pay care costs).
Worked on experimental wallet software (bcflick / Trusted Computing)
Developed experimental software (referred to as bcflick) using Trusted Computing concepts to strengthen Bitcoin wallets.
Extortion and swatting incidents
Reported anonymous extortion calls demanding 1,000 BTC and suffered swatting hoaxes directed at him and his family (2013–2014 period).
Published 'Bitcoin and Me' (BitcoinTalk post)
Posted 'Bitcoin and Me' describing his paralysis from ALS, continued love of programming and work on Bitcoin wallets.
Posthumous community recognition and ongoing speculation
Community continued debate over Finney's role relative to Satoshi; his early contributions and first-transaction status cemented legacy.
Cryopreserved by Alcor Life Extension Foundation
Following death, Finney's body was cryopreserved by Alcor (he had been an Alcor member since 1992).
Died from complications of ALS
Passed away in Phoenix, Arizona on Aug 28, 2014 due to ALS complications.
Legacy: multiple tributes and continued academic/technical study
Finney's RPoW, PGP work, anonymous remailer contributions, and early Bitcoin activity continued to be cited, studied and honored across crypto and privacy communities.
Finney Freedom Prize (Human Rights Foundation) awarded posthumously
Human Rights Foundation established/awarded the inaugural Finney Freedom Prize in 2024 in recognition of contributions to freedom and Bitcoin; widow accepted award (posthumous).
Blockchain analysts observe movement from address associated with Finney
September 2024: reports of 46 BTC sent to Kraken from an address analysts associate with Finney; on-chain activity fueled renewed interest in his wallet (claims of ~1,225 BTC balance contested).
Key Achievement Ages
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