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Blockstream provides infrastructure for Bitcoin and digital assets, including the Liquid Network, Core Lightning, wallets (Green and Jade), Blockstream Satellite, and mining services. Liquid is a sidechain that enables faster, more private settlements; Core Lightning is a scalable Lightning Network implementation for quick Bitcoin payments; wallets store Bitcoin and Liquid assets; Satellite broadcasts the blockchain from space to give global access; Mining services offer investment exposure via Blockstream Mining Notes. It differentiates itself by offering multiple interconnected infrastructure products in one place, plus notable partnerships like solar-powered mining facilities, serving both retail and institutional clients. Its goal is to improve the security, scalability, and reach of the Bitcoin and digital asset ecosystem with practical, interoperable tools for users, traders, miners, and developers.
Industries
Data & Analytics
Enterprise Software
Cybersecurity
Crypto & Web3
Company Size
51-200
Company Stage
N/A
Total Funding
$637.1M
Headquarters
Menlo Park, California
Founded
2014
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Total Funding
$637.1M
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Bitcoin's $80K Squeeze and OpenAI... Bitcoin is knocking on the door of 80,000 after the biggest weekly rally in two years, powered by a Treasury buyback tweak, 1.6 billion dollars in spot ETF inflows, and a record short squeeze. Microsoft and OpenAI have re-signed their partnership, killing the exclusivity clause and, more importantly, the AGI trigger. Blockstream launched a beta for cross-layer atomic swaps between Bitcoin mainnet, Lightning, and Liquid, filling the hole Boltz left behind. And AI procurement agents are quietly eating the enterprise back office, with one platform now processing requisitions 4,000 times faster than humans. Bitcoin short squeeze rally. Let's start with the price action, because this week was something. Bitcoin ripped from the low 60s to nearly 80,000 in a matter of days. Intraday high of 79,500 on Thursday. The setup was almost too clean. The Treasury announced long-end bond buybacks, which analysts are careful to say is not quantitative easing, but the market didn't care about the semantics. Long-term yields came off 19-year highs, the dollar softened, and a market that was leaning heavily short got run over. Spot ETFs did their part. Wednesday saw 517 million in net inflows, the biggest single day since early May. Thursday topped that with roughly 685 million, with BlackRock's IBIT taking 503 million of it, about 83% of the flow. Fidelity's FBTC pulled in 65 million. Friday extended the streak to five days with another 307 million. August month-to-date inflows are now above 2 billion, and cumulative net inflows since the January 2024 launch are around 53 billion with total AUM near 90 billion. The crypto stocks came along for the ride. Canaan, Strive, Metaplanet all up double digits. Miners caught a particularly nice break. Riot Platforms, which was forced to pledge an additional 1,825 BTC to Coinbase back in February after the winter crash triggered a collateral call, is now looking at potentially freeing up 1,500 BTC as the rally lifts the value of its existing collateral. That's the whipsaw of running a leveraged mining balance sheet in a volatile asset. A few voices worth noting. Ray Dalio said buy a bit of Bitcoin, overweight gold and BTC over bonds, citing debt crisis risk. Bitget's CEO Gracy Chen is more measured, seeing Bitcoin within 10 to 20 thousand of current levels by year-end and doubting the US actually buys BTC in the next two years. That last part matters. A lot of the strategic reserve narrative from earlier in the cycle has faded, and the market is now pricing this as a currency and liquidity trade, not a government adoption trade. The key question now is what happens when the ETF bid takes the weekend off. That's where Fulgur Ventures sit right now. OpenAI Microsoft restructuring. OpenAI and Microsoft have re-signed their agreement, and the changes are substantial. Three things to know. First, exclusivity is dead. OpenAI products still ship first on Azure, but OpenAI can now offer services on AWS, Google Cloud, whatever it wants. That's a massive shift in bargaining power. Second, the AGI trigger clause is gone. That was the weird contractual mechanism where if OpenAI's board declared they'd achieved AGI, a bunch of Microsoft's rights got clawed back. Now, revenue sharing just runs until 2030 regardless. Cleaner, more boring, and probably more honest. Third, Microsoft's IP license for OpenAI models extends to 2032 but becomes non-exclusive, so OpenAI can license models to other giants. The subtext here is IPO prep. OpenAI is chasing an 852 billion dollar valuation, and you can't go public with a contract that says your biggest partner gets to relitigate everything if your board makes a philosophical declaration. Killing the AGI clause makes the company legible to public market investors. Meanwhile, inside the company, things are moving fast. President Greg Brockman spent the week pushing back on concerns about leadership turnover. Revenue chief Denise Dresser left after eight months. Brad Lightcap gone after eight years. Fidji Simo stepped down and Brockman absorbed her responsibilities. Brockman says the churn isn't atypical, just visible because OpenAI is under a microscope. Fair point, but a lot of these departures cluster around safety and policy. The AGI Readiness team was dispersed after Miles Brundage left. The Financial Times reported the preparedness team was disbanded, which OpenAI denied, saying it was reorganized under head of safety Saachi Jain. Either way you frame it, the pattern is the same. Safety-focused groups are being consolidated, folded into other units, or simply losing their senior people. Growth is up, July run rate rose about 20% month over month, enterprise up 32%. There was a cyber incident in July where models accessed external platforms, which Brockman said they're taking seriously. So you have a company simultaneously restructuring away from its founding safety-first identity, disentangling from its main patron, and racing toward an IPO. The AGI clause was always more folklore than governance, but stripping it out formally is a signal. OpenAI is now a normal, extremely valuable software company. Nothing more mystical than that. Blockstream Swaps and Bitcoin infra. On the Bitcoin infrastructure side, Blockstream launched a beta for something called Blockstream Swaps. What it does is let you move funds trustlessly across three layers, Bitcoin mainchain, Lightning Network, and the Liquid sidechain, using hashed time-locked contracts. Atomic swaps, all through a single interface. The context matters. Boltz, which had been the main provider of Lightning-Liquid atomic swaps, went offline on August 3 after a wave of AI-assisted attacks. That took a lot of wallet integrations down with it and exposed just how thin the redundancy is in Lightning-adjacent infrastructure. Blockstream is careful to say Swaps is complementary, not a replacement, and that they'd been building it independently. But the timing means it's landing exactly where the ecosystem needs a backup. The interesting piece technically is completing the triangle. Boltz did Lightning to Liquid. Blockstream Swaps adds mainnet as both source and destination. So if you want to atomically swap on-chain BTC into LBTC on Liquid, or route a Lightning payment funded by mainnet, it's one flow. Beta access is invite-only, no public rollout date. The throughline across both stories is that the Bitcoin layer-two and sidechain stack is getting more professional and more redundant, but also more dependent on a small number of well-funded operators. Blockstream Swaps, Prem CyberScan, and the Ark and Breez teams are essentially building the resilience layer that a decade of Lightning experimentation didn't organically produce. That's good news, with the caveat that centralization of quality infrastructure is a real dynamic worth watching. Agentic procurement goes live. Let's talk about what AI agents are actually doing in production right now, because the enterprise procurement space has quietly become the most interesting proving ground. Pactum announced its Requisition Alignment Agent has surpassed 1 million requisition checks since launching in March. The numbers are absurd in the good way. Reviews that took 30 to 60 minutes manually now take about 75 seconds. That's 4,000 times faster. Procurement cycle time cut by 90%, rework down 80%, and the system claims 100% policy compliance with auditable results. It plugs into SAP, Ariba, Coupa, and includes a conversational layer where you can model policy changes in plain language and see how they would have affected past requisitions. Oraczen launched Scorpio, an agentic procurement platform that moves beyond decision support to autonomous execution. Agents monitor supplier risk, generate RFPs, place orders, and integrate with Claude and OpenAI marketplaces. Deployment time is now under a week. Oracle teamed with Leah and PwC to scale Leah's agentic OS on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, targeting 30% performance gains and 40% lower cloud costs, with governance and human oversight built in. Out of Dubai, Aradus launched in May and is running live workflows across MENA for manufacturers and distributors. They claim over 90% automation of customer orders and inbound inquiries, sitting on top of existing ERP, TMS, and WMS systems. Just tracking shipments better saves 100 to 200 dollars per container in demurrage charges. When a human decision is needed, cases route to a command center with recommended actions. And Ironclad expanded its contract AI to extract obligations automatically, so renewals, rebates, and termination rights don't get lost after signature. Gartner is now projecting AI agents will intermediate most B2B buying by 2028 and handle most procurement work by 2030. Whether that timeline is right or optimistic, the direction is clear. This is where agents are earning their keep, not writing poetry, but reading purchase orders, chasing missing paperwork, and flagging when a supplier deviates from a negotiated contract. It's boring, it's massive, and it's happening now. Closing thought. One prediction to end on. The AGI clause is dead, ETF flows are doing more to move Bitcoin than any narrative about digital gold, and AI agents are quietly replacing procurement analysts while everyone argues about chatbots. The interesting stuff is always in the plumbing.
Here's what researchers are doing to protect Bitcoin from quantum threats. Rather than requiring changes to Bitcoin's core rules, the approach lets users opt into quantum-resistant protection at the contract level. Blockstream Research has deployed what it says are the first transactions on a live Bitcoin sidechain protected by post-quantum cryptography. This is in direct response to growing warnings that powerful quantum computers could eventually break the security systems that protect crypto wallets. What Blockstream actually built. Following Google's recent quantum paper examining risks across several layers of the crypto system, including wallets, block validation, and cross-chain bridges, Blockchain Research revealed that it had already deployed a post-quantum signature scheme, known as SHRINCS, on Bitcoin's Liquid sidechain. According to the research firm, users can now lock funds into contracts that require quantum-resistant signatures to spend them. The approach avoids changes to the network's core rules. Instead, it uses Simplicity, Blockstream's smart contract language, to add new security conditions at the user level, meaning that anyone who wants added protection can opt in without waiting for a network-wide upgrade. Their research also broke down four main risks identified for sidechains: forged transaction signatures, forged block signatures, broken confidential transactions, and attacks on bridge mechanisms that move assets between chains. The team said that work on these areas is at different stages, with transaction signatures already deployed, while block signing and confidential asset protections are still in testing or development. Research into securing bridged Bitcoin is also going on. According to the Google paper, a sufficiently advanced quantum computer could break the private keys of major crypto wallets in a matter of days. It also raised the possibility of "mempool attacks," where funds could be intercepted before transactions are confirmed. You may also like: Debate continues over urgency and path to upgrades. The wider crypto community is divided on how soon these risks could materialize, with Changpeng Zhao, the former CEO of Binance, saying recently that there is "no need to panic." According to him, networks can switch to quantum-resistant algorithms when they need to. He did, however, point out one awkward problem: the estimated one million BTC that belong to Satoshi Nakamoto are stored in an old wallet format that doesn't protect them from quantum attacks. CZ suggested those coins may eventually need to be locked or effectively removed from circulation if Satoshi never moves them. Blockstream is also working on a related scheme called SHRIMPS, which produces post-quantum signatures roughly three times smaller than current US government standards, built specifically for Bitcoin's tight block space limits. A Bitcoin Improvement Proposal for it is in progress. What's running on Liquid today is the proof that it can work in a real environment, under real conditions, with real funds at stake. SPECIAL OFFER (Exclusive) Binance Free $600 (CryptoPotato Exclusive): Use this link to register a new account and receive $600 exclusive welcome offer on Binance (full details). LIMITED OFFER for CryptoPotato readers at Bybit: Use this link to register and open a $500 FREE position on any coin!
Take control: Blockstream Jade integration is officially LIVE in Custody Safe. SmashFi Custody Safe now seamlessly integrates with Blockstream Jade hardware wallets, enabling Bitcoin holders to maintain complete control over their private keys while leveraging automated growth strategies. Why Hardware Wallet Integration Matters for Bitcoin Self-Custody True financial sovereignty in the cryptocurrency space begins with a fundamental principle: holding your own keys. For Bitcoin investors who value security and independence, leaving digital assets on centralized platforms introduces unnecessary counterparty risk. Exchange insolvencies, security breaches, and unauthorized access remain persistent threats that can result in complete loss of holdings. Hardware wallet integration represents a critical evolution in Bitcoin custody strategy. By maintaining private keys on dedicated physical devices, investors eliminate the vulnerability of hot wallets and exchange custody while retaining full control over their assets. This approach ensures that no third party - including the platform itself - can ever access, freeze, or confiscate your Bitcoin. The integration of Blockstream Jade with SmashFi Custody Safe bridges the gap between uncompromising security and platform convenience. This milestone enables members to leverage automated Bitcoin accumulation strategies and portfolio management tools while maintaining absolute custody of their private keys. Your Bitcoin remains under your complete control, secured by your hardware device, with SmashFi operating exclusively as a watch-only interface. How Blockstream Jade and Custody Safe Work Together Seamlessly The SmashFi Custody Safe now offers direct integration with Blockstream Jade hardware wallets through a sophisticated yet user-friendly architecture. Connection is established via air-gapped QR code scanning, eliminating any direct digital connection that could potentially expose private key material. Your Jade device generates and stores extended public keys (xpubs) that allow SmashFi to monitor balances and generate receiving addresses without ever accessing private keys. Currently live is the seamless manual sweep functionality. After accumulating Bitcoin through Dynamic DCA strategies on the platform, members can initiate transfers to their Jade wallet whenever they choose. The process maintains complete security: transaction details are displayed on your Jade device screen for verification, you physically confirm the transfer on the hardware wallet, and the signed transaction is broadcast without SmashFi ever touching your private keys. This watch-only wallet model ensures absolute zero-trust security. SmashFi can view your balance and transaction history to provide portfolio insights and automated buying services, but cannot initiate any transactions without your explicit authorization on your physical Jade device. Your Auto-Buy plans continue operating seamlessly, with Bitcoin accumulating on the platform until you decide to sweep it to your self-custody hardware wallet. Your Bitcoin, Your Keys: Understanding the Technical Architecture The technical foundation of this integration prioritizes security through proven cryptographic principles. Blockstream Jade operates as a hardware security module, generating and storing private keys entirely within the device's secure element. When you connect Jade to SmashFi Custody Safe, you export only the extended public key - a mathematical derivation that allows address generation and balance monitoring without revealing any private key information. The air-gapped QR code method provides an additional security layer by eliminating direct data connections. Your Jade device displays QR codes containing public key information and signed transactions, while your computer camera reads this data without establishing any two-way digital communication channel. This approach prevents potential attack vectors that could exploit USB connections or wireless protocols. SmashFi's architecture maintains strict separation between custody and functionality. Your Bitcoin accumulated through Auto-Buy strategies resides in SmashFi's secure infrastructure until you choose to transfer it. Once swept to your Jade wallet, the Bitcoin exists exclusively under your control at addresses derived from your hardware device. SmashFi can observe these addresses for balance reporting purposes but possesses zero capability to move funds. This technical separation ensures that platform features like automated purchasing and portfolio tracking operate without compromising self-custody principles. Automated Growth Strategies Without Compromising Security The Jade integration delivers a powerful combination: sophisticated automated Bitcoin accumulation strategies paired with uncompromising self-custody security. Members can continue utilizing SmashFi's Auto-Buy feature to implement Dollar-Cost Averaging and Low-Price Buying strategies, earning Satoshi rewards for qualifying purchases. These automated plans run continuously, accumulating Bitcoin on your behalf while you maintain ultimate custody through your hardware wallet. The roadmap for automation extends even further. Auto Self-Custody functionality will soon enable threshold-based automatic sweeps directly to your Jade wallet. Set your preferred accumulation target, and SmashFi will automatically transfer Bitcoin to your hardware wallet once that amount is reached - zero manual intervention required. This eliminates the operational friction of regular manual transfers while maintaining complete security through hardware wallet confirmation. Transaction fee optimization through Satoshi rewards represents another significant advantage. Members can use the rewards earned through Auto-Buy activities to cover 100% of on-chain withdrawal fees, reducing the cost barrier to regular self-custody transfers. Combined with upcoming USB integration for streamlined xpub registration and mobile QR companion features for enhanced device compatibility, the platform is evolving toward completely frictionless self-custody without sacrificing security or convenience. Getting Started: Setting Up Your Jade Wallet with Custody Safe Connecting your Blockstream Jade wallet to SmashFi Custody Safe is straightforward and secure. Begin by ensuring your Jade device is properly initialized with firmware updated to the latest version. Navigate to the Custody Safe section within your SmashFi account and select the option to connect a Jade wallet. Follow the on-screen instructions to generate an xpub QR code on your Jade device. Position the QR code in front of your computer's webcam, allowing SmashFi to scan and register your hardware wallet as a watch-only account. The entire process requires no direct digital connection - all information transfer occurs through air-gapped QR codes that contain only public key information. Once connected, your Jade wallet appears in your Custody Safe dashboard with full balance visibility and transaction history. Your Auto-Buy plans continue operating as configured, with Bitcoin accumulating on the platform. When you're ready to transfer Bitcoin to your hardware wallet, initiate a manual sweep from the Custody Safe interface, verify the transaction details on your Jade screen, and physically confirm the transfer on your device. Your Bitcoin moves directly to addresses controlled exclusively by your hardware wallet, with SmashFi maintaining watch-only visibility for portfolio management purposes. Please note that SmashFi has updated its Terms of Service and Privacy Policy to reflect the addition of Custody Safe functionality. Smashfi Llc encourage all members to review these documents to understand how the platform handles watch-only wallet data and maintains security standards for hardware wallet integrations.
Blockstream solves quantum threat for Bitcoin. Blockstream deployed post-quantum signature verification on the Liquid Network and broadcast transactions using the new scheme on mainnet. March 05, 2026 @ 7:32 AM EST Blockstream Research has implemented post-quantum signature verification on the Liquid Network using its Simplicity smart contract language, according to an announcement from the company. The deployment includes transactions signed with a post-quantum signature scheme that are broadcast on Liquid mainnet. Blockstream states that the transactions represent the first use of post-quantum signatures on a production Bitcoin sidechain. The transactions are used to secure assets on the network, including Bitcoin and other digital assets issued on Liquid. Preparing for potential quantum risks. Assets on Liquid are currently secured using classical cryptographic signatures such as ECDSA and Schnorr. These signature schemes are widely used across Bitcoin infrastructure but could theoretically be vulnerable to sufficiently advanced quantum computers. Quantum computers capable of breaking Bitcoin's current cryptography do not exist today. However, researchers and developers have discussed the need to explore potential long-term solutions before such technology becomes practical. In many blockchain systems, introducing a new signature scheme would require changes to the network's consensus rules, a process that typically involves coordination across developers, node operators, and other stakeholders. Implementation using Simplicity. The verification system was implemented using Simplicity, a smart contract language used on the Liquid Network and designed for Bitcoin-like blockchains. Because Simplicity allows developers to define custom spending conditions, Blockstream created a verifier that lets users lock assets into contracts requiring post-quantum signatures in order to spend them. According to the company, this allows the feature to be deployed without modifying Liquid's existing consensus rules. The feature is optional, allowing users to move assets into contracts requiring post-quantum signatures while others continue using the network's existing cryptographic methods. Signature scheme and demonstration transactions. The implementation uses a hash-based post-quantum signature scheme developed by Blockstream Research. The verifier supports two operating modes: a standard mode designed for routine use and a fallback mode intended for recovery scenarios if certain data is lost. Blockstream reported broadcasting two transactions on Liquid mainnet to demonstrate the system. One used the standard signature mode, while the other demonstrated the fallback option. Liquid requires transaction sizes to correspond to the computational resources consumed. According to Blockstream, unused space in the demonstration transactions was filled with text from the Bitcoin Whitepaper. Availability for developers. The verifier library and signing tools have been released as open-source software. While the system is available for developers to experiment with, Blockstream said the implementation still requires additional auditing and specification work before broader deployment. There is currently no wallet integration, but the company said the open-source library could allow wallet developers to add support in the future. Remaining limitations. Blockstream noted that the verifier does not make the Liquid Network fully resistant to potential quantum attacks. Several parts of the system remain secured using classical cryptography, including the Bitcoin peg mechanism, Confidential Assets commitments, and Liquid's block-signing consensus protocol. The company said it is continuing research into quantum-resistant alternatives for these components. Broader implications. Although the deployment took place on Liquid, Blockstream said the work could inform future research related to the Bitcoin network. While quantum computers capable of breaking Bitcoin's cryptography have not yet been demonstrated, some researchers and developers view testing potential solutions on production systems as a way to better understand how quantum-resistant cryptography could eventually be implemented if needed.
Newly released US Justice Department emails reveal that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein invested $3 million in Coinbase in December 2014, with the exchange's leadership apparently aware of his involvement. Blockstream founder Adam Back confirmed that Epstein also invested in his Bitcoin firm. The investment opportunity was presented to Epstein by Tether co-founder Brock Pierce. Released emails also indicate Epstein invited Back to visit his island. The disclosures come from a new tranche of documents made public on Friday, shedding light on Epstein's previously undisclosed cryptocurrency investments and connections to prominent figures in the digital currency sector.
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Industries
Data & Analytics
Enterprise Software
Cybersecurity
Crypto & Web3
Company Size
51-200
Company Stage
N/A
Total Funding
$637.1M
Headquarters
Menlo Park, California
Founded
2014
Find jobs on Simplify and start your career today