- Jared Tate built DigiByte to address Bitcoin’s speed and security flaws with a more robust multi-algorithm proof-of-work system.
- Despite stepping back, Jared Tate remains engaged with DigiByte and vocal about the crypto community’s direction.
Jared Tate is not a name that often appears on the crypto stage lately. But if we look back, he was actually one of the first figures to try to fix many of Bitcoin’s weaknesses. Not with long theories or seminars after seminars, but with real action—building DigiByte, a blockchain that was born in 2014.
It was not a project formed by a group of large companies, but by someone who decided to go it alone because according to him, blockchain needed more than just hype.
Jared has a fairly unique background. He studied at The College of Idaho and also attended West Point, the American military academy. Not the usual place for someone to start building a technology project, let alone crypto. But precisely from that background, he came to have a different perspective on digital security.
For Jared, blockchain is not just a transaction tool. He believes this could be the “digital DNA” of the next generation of the internet—that is also the basic idea of the book he wrote, Blockchain 2035.
A Faster, Safer, and… Underappreciated Blockchain?
DigiByte was not born because he was just trying his luck in the market. Jared started this project because he felt that Bitcoin was not fast enough and not secure enough. Then he decided to create a system that used five different proof-of-work algorithms, which were not yet common at that time.
Simply put, he wanted to create a blockchain that was as resilient as Bitcoin, but with extra speed and flexibility. A few years later, DigiByte even activated SegWit before Bitcoin itself. So yeah, it wasn’t just a follower.
However, all of these achievements did not immediately make the crypto community flock to support him. In 2020, Jared suddenly announced that he would be distancing himself from the project he built himself. The reason? He was disappointed with the direction of the crypto community which was too focused on short-term profits and instant tokens that went up and down just because of memes.
According to him, serious projects are not appreciated enough. He said that if DigiByte wants to progress, then the community must get involved, not just sit back and wait for a miracle from the main developer.
Jared Tate’s Voice Echoes Beyond DigiByte’s Core Team
Furthermore, even though he had stepped down from his main role, Jared did not completely disappear. He still appears occasionally, both on social media and in community discussions. In 2025, DigiByte upgraded Taproot, which increased privacy and transaction efficiency. Although he didn’t type the code himself, Jared’s vision is still very much alive.
On the other hand, Jared is also still active on Twitter (X). He occasionally comments on blockchain trends or shares his thoughts on where the technology is headed. But from all his posts, it still feels like he cares more about quality and function than just market value.
Imagine if someone built a big house with the best security system, a storm-proof roof, but instead more people crowded into a cardboard house that was going viral.
That’s more or less how Jared feels when looking at the crypto market now. But, he still has no regrets. According to him, building something right is much more important than building something popular.
Not everyone can survive ten years in an industry that changes as fast as crypto. But Jared Tate, with all his idealism, is still standing. Sometimes from afar, sometimes from close by. But one thing is for sure—his footprint in the blockchain world is not over yet.
