Neovim's $800K Bitcoin Donation Has Sat Untouched Since 2023
Neovim have a ~$800k Bitcoin donation sitting untouched since 2023
A Hacker News user checked Neovim's donation footer and found a Bitcoin address holding a 10 BTC donation from 2023, now worth about $800,000. Blockchain records show the project last sent Bitcoin from that address in 2019, so it may have been up to seven years since anyone had access. The user asks whether the Neovim team knows about the funds and hopes they can be put to good use.
From the activity history, neovim last sent bitcoin out of the address in 2019 so it's been max 7 years since they've definitely had access.
- ashkankiani
For a reference point, when I was unemployed and between jobs, I got involved with Neovim for fun, and after some contributions, I eventually tried some full(ish)-time paid work. I wrote the native lua LSP client (:h vim.lsp, and the nvim-lspconfig repo) for Neovim in a few weeks for about $3k USD (circa 2019)? This amount could fund quite a lot of work to be sure.
- matesz
I’ve read so many news stories of people gone missing who had been know to have sole access to bitcoin wallets with large amount of bitcoins in them.
I wonder how people at large crypto exchanges handle that. Perhaps shamir share the access to the pkey password and store parts at secure places like a bank? And make official access protocol akin to dnssec, but simplified?
- seymon
I hope they still have the private key.
- wavemode
well, I just emailed the project just to see if they're aware of it
part of me feels like this is most likely a defunct wallet and nobody involved with the project has the keys anymore
- DataDive
What happens if some of those tax the unrealized gains bills pass in some country where they have obligations?
They would have to either pay the tax on gains or write off losses.
- wyclif
The project no longer uses that Bitcoin wallet for bounties.
- tosti
At least a part of it should go to Kibaale Children's Centre imho.
- cranberryjoe
Rainy day fund. Everybody needs one. Love neovim for living under their means, great program!