Jack Liao

Led the initiative to create Bitcoin Gold by organizing the hard fork from Bitcoin in 2017, providing initial funding, and defining the core technical direction that distinguished BTG from Bitcoin. The decision to adopt Equihash as the new proof‑of‑work algorithm was formalized under his leadership; corresponding patches, merge proposals and release tags for the initial node software were coordinated in public Git repositories that he announced. Public communications issued by the project at launch, including block height and replay protection choices, were published under his oversight and shaped how exchanges and miners prepared for the fork. Oversaw early operational decisions such as allocation of developer bounties, organization of code audits, and coordination with wallets and exchanges for genesis block acceptance. Those operational steps created the initial node implementations and genesis parameters that determined how the BTG token was distributed and how early miners could secure network consensus. Funding and PR activity from the founder affected developer recruitment and the project's capacity to respond to early security issues and network fluctuations. Intervened publicly after major security incidents by advocating for coordination among exchanges and running post‑attack mitigation proposals; his statements and administrative coordination influenced how custodial platforms suspended or resumed BTG trading and withdrawals. Actions taken by the founder therefore had direct, measurable effects on protocol parameters, release cadence, and short‑term market liquidity through exchange engagement and developer support. The combination of technical leadership (defining PoW change), operational funding, and public coordination established the foundational architecture and governance path of Bitcoin Gold, directly shaping the token's launch, its initial distribution dynamics, and subsequent responses to on‑chain security events.