Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

Glenn Greenwald says Edward Snowden is the 'happiest person' he's 'ever met' at bitcoin conference

Glenn Greenwald says Edward Snowden is the 'happiest person' he's 'ever met' at bitcoin conference

Journalist Glenn Greenwald said Thursday that Edward Snowden is the "happiest person" he's "ever met" at the Bitcoin 2022 conference during a panel that linked the cryptocurrency to libertarian and third-party ideals.

"When people ask me who's the happiest person I know, I always say it's Edward Snowden — even though he's an exile in a country he never chose to be in for eight years, and probably the rest of his life," Greenwald said to applause from the audience. "Because every day that he puts his head on the pillow to sleep, he knows that when faced with the choice of what he was going to be and what he was going to do, he made the right choice, and there's just no substitute for that in terms of happiness."

Greenwald, who notably broke the Snowden-NSA civilian surveillance story for The Guardian in 2013, recalled that when he first met the former NSA agent in Hong Kong, he expected an "old, ragged, national security guy in his 60s" who had already fulfilled his life goals. In reality, Snowden was very different from what Greenwald had envisioned during their online correspondence.

"When he walked up to me and my colleague … he looked like a kid out of a video store … and I was shocked," Greenwald said while answering a question. "And I spent that whole first day trying to figure out why somebody like this, who has his whole life ahead of him — who had a very good job for Booz Allen making a lot of money, had a girlfriend who loved him, a family that was supportive — why would somebody like that be willing to risk their entire life?

"He ultimately said to me, ‘You know we’re all going to die, and the only question really is, how are we going to live?'"

Bitcoin 2022 conference entrance


The journalist recalled the meeting as "a really profound experience."

Greenwald's reporting won a Pulitzer Prize for public service in 2014. A film based on his reporting, "Citizenfour" by Laura Poitras, won an Oscar.

"My life changed in a lot of ways that I had never expected," Greenwald said. "Doors flew open. There's a huge kind of incentive system that's designed to kind of co-opt you. They offer you a lot of money to go to these events. You sit at cocktail parties with people you've accused of being war criminals, who you believe are war criminals, and suddenly, all of these incentives are supposed to lure you out of this dissident space."

Bitcoin bull at Bitcoin 2022 conference entryway 


That experience, he said, made him unafraid to dissent from the norm and voice support for ideas — like bitcoin — that are often criticized by high-profile figures.

An estimated 25,000 people attended the Bitcoin 2022 conference in South Beach, Miami, to learn more about cryptocurrency and fintech companies, network with like-minded individuals and discuss the future of bitcoin as a more mainstream form of currency.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
×