Bitcoin Core Developer, Samuel Dobson, Resigns Because He Wants To Focus On Getting His Ph.D

As the manager of the Bitcoin Core wallet, Sameul Dobson has direct access to the cryptocurrency code on GitHub.(photo: twitter)

JAKARTA – Developer Samuel Dobson announced in a series of tweets on the evening of Thursday, December 9 that he is stepping down as the manager of Bitcoin Core after three years.

“I can no longer dedicate the required time, as I am nearing the end of my Ph.D.,” said Dobson, as quoted by Cointelegraph.

As the manager of the Bitcoin Core wallet, Dobson has direct access to the cryptocurrency code on GitHub, with permission to approve changes and make improvements to the Bitcoin software. He is also responsible for ensuring the safety of the protocol.

I am officially stepping down as a maintainer of Bitcoin Core.

Serving as the wallet maintainer for the past three years has been an absolute privilege, and I want to thank my incredibly generous sponsor John Pfeffer (@jlppfeffer) for his support throughout. /1

— Samuel Dobson (@meshcollider) December 9, 2021

When asked if there was a chance he would return to BTC Core development one day, Dobson replied to Cointelegraph that his Ph.D. is the main focus right now. Although he has not yet decided what he will do after graduation, he is not interested in the development of other cryptocurrencies.

Dobson stated that he is very grateful for the support of “very generous sponsor” John Pfeffer, without whom he would not be able to prioritize part-time work in Bitcoin.

He appealed to the Twitter community to consider financially supporting the developer due to the open-source nature of the project. He also told Cointelegraph:

“Bitcoin Core's development has clearly progressed rapidly since its re-conception with Satoshi. As an open-source project, it will always be in an interesting and more difficult position from a funding perspective, but things like Brink, Chaincode, Spiral, and direct developer sponsorship via GitHub have helped a lot.”

Bitcoin has lost two managers since October. With Dobson's departure, the number of developers with direct access to the Bitcoin code has dropped to five, according to an updated list on the Bitcoin Forum.