Jordan Pearson: How Tech Firms Made a Crypto-Boosting Book an NYT Best Seller by Gaming the System

Cafiero linked two examples of firms that publicly said they placed orders for Dixon’s book to give to employees. One was Syndicate, a company in the crypto industry that a16z has invested in. “We bought copies for all of our team members at @syndicateio,” Syndicate cofounder Ian Lee posted on X. “I’m so [excited] for others to enjoy it as much as I have.” According to LinkedIn, Syndicate has between 11 and 50 employees. Another firm that placed a much larger order for Dixon’s book—1,401 copies—was Electric Capital, a crypto-focused investment firm that has participated in funding rounds with a16z. Dixon, in his capacity as an individual, backed a $30 million NFT fund along with Electric Capital founder Avichal Garg.

In fairness, what could be more on brand for crypto than artificially inflating “demand” for your thing so that it looks like it’s worth more and is more relevant than it actually is?