BitTorrent protocol author Bram Cohen said he received most of the proceeds from the sale of BitTorrent from the Tron founder Justin Sun, but the amount was less than agreed.
After much sabre-rattling I eventually got most of it but no explanation was given for why the amount was reduced. Indications were that the escrow agent dispensed the money over objections but everybody stopped communicating with me clearly like they were about to get sued
— Bram Cohen (@bramcohen) September 30, 2020
There were indications that the escrow agent sent the funds despite objections, but communication with me was halted as if they were about to be sued,
he wrote.
Cohen also commented on the recent investigation by The Verge into Justin Sun.
It drew on testimony from former and current employees of BitTorrent, which had been acquired. They said Sun created an oppressive working atmosphere with elements of violence, and at the heart of his business was not technology but marketing designed to operate like a brothel.
Cohen said Sun is “every bit the scumbag” this article paints him to be.
I can confirm that Justin Sun is every bit the scumbag this article paints him to be https://t.co/HYw4mKd7hd
— Bram Cohen (@bramcohen) September 30, 2020
In addition to his conviction that Sun is a fraud, Cohen attributed his animosity to the fact that the BitTorrent sale was designed to pay ordinary users disproportionately less.
(c) he tried to make me come back and re-vest all my shares in BitTorrent after the sale, years after I owned them free and clear. I am not a slave, fuck you.
— Bram Cohen (@bramcohen) October 1, 2020
“He tried to make me come back and reinvest all my BitTorrent shares after the sale, years after I owned them free and clear. I am not a slave, go to hell,” Cohen added.
In response to a Twitter user asking why Cohen sold BitTorrent to Sun, he said that at the time of the sale he did not have control.
I didn’t have control of BitTorrent at the time it sold. I’d spent the previous few years keeping the company from falling apart and couldn’t devote the rest of my life to that, and he paid cash.
— Bram Cohen (@bramcohen) September 30, 2020
“I spent the previous few years keeping the company from falling apart, and I couldn’t devote the rest of my life to that, and he paid cash.”
Sun himself said that he respects Cohen’s work but finds his comments inappropriate. He added that he bought BitTorrent at a price that “should be the most money you’ve received in your lifetime,” which Cohen earned over his entire life.
(1/2) @bramcohen I respect your work but your comment here is improper. I bought BitTorrent at a price which should be the most money you’ve received in your lifetime. We’ve only met once & didn’t have any association outside of this deal, I’m confused why you feel this way.
— Justin Sun🌞 (@justinsuntron) October 1, 2020
As noted, Justin Sun acquired BitTorrent in 2018.
The long-running issue was that Cohen could not receive the full payout for the deal. In July 2019 he said that the last payment from Justin Sun under the deal had not left escrow within the agreed timeframe.
Read more about how Justin Sun built and runs his business in ForkLog.
Justin Sun’s secret projects, or what might lie behind the creation of the business empire of the TRON founder
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