Wei Dai
Computer engineer, author of b-money and Crypto++
- Known for
- b-money, Crypto++[1]
- Years active
- 1990s (cypherpunk era)[1]
- Key contribution
- b-money proposal, reference [1] of the white paper[3]
- Notable date
- 1998: b-money published[1]
No openly licensed photo found; stylized monogram shown.
“I am fascinated by Tim May's crypto-anarchy.”
Bio
Wei Dai is a computer engineer who wrote the Crypto++ cryptographic library (first released 1995) and was a member of the cypherpunks list in the 1990s.[1]
In 1998 he published b-money, an anonymous, distributed electronic cash proposal in which creating money takes computational work and participants keep collective books. The paper opens by citing Tim May's crypto-anarchy.[1][2]
The Bitcoin white paper lists b-money as its first reference, and Satoshi later called Bitcoin an implementation of the proposal.[3][4]
Timeline
1995
First release of Crypto++[1]
1998
Publishes b-money[2]
Oct 31, 2008
b-money cited in the white paper[3]
Connections
Wei Dai b-money cited in the white paper by Satoshi Nakamoto. Source
Wei Dai b-money opens by citing the crypto-anarchy of Timothy C. May. Source
Elsewhere on CHC
Sources
Checked Oct 15, 2026 · All people