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MK

Dossier

Mt. Gox CEO during its collapseMaturation✓ Verified

Mark Karpelès

Ran the exchange whose failure shook early Bitcoin.

Known as MagicalTux, Mark KarpelèsActive Mar 2011

Why they matter

Mt. Gox's failure under his watch seared a lesson into Bitcoin's culture — "not your keys, not your coins" — that shapes how people hold Bitcoin to this day.

Profile

Developer who acquired Mt. Gox from Jed McCaleb in 2011 and ran it as it became the dominant Bitcoin exchange — until it collapsed in February 2014, losing roughly 850,000 BTC and shattering early trust in custodians.

Timeline

  1. Mt. Gox collapses

Sources