Crypto In America Litecoin Creator on State of Crypto, the Lite Strategy DAT, ETFs and Institutional Adoption in 2026
Jan 28, 2026
Charlie Lee, creator of Litecoin and director of the Litecoin Foundation, shares his journey from hobbyist fork to a resilient network. He discusses Litecoin ETFs and the LiteStrategy DAT, why he sold his LTC and donates proceeds, growing institutional adoption, and why adoption and price will be central crypto stories in 2026.
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Humble Origins Of Litecoin
- Charlie launched Litecoin as a fun side project built from Bitcoin's codebase without expecting it to become big.
- He focused on a fair launch and compatibility with Bitcoin rather than competing to replace it.
Early Crypto Was Hobbyist-Driven
- Early crypto had one main desktop wallet and tiny communities focused on hobbyist usage, not money.
- Usability and perception shifted as wallets, exchanges, and real transactions made crypto feel like real money.
From Google To Coinbase
- Charlie discovered Bitcoin while at Google after reading about Silk Road and was drawn to its properties as a better form of money.
- He later left Google and joined Coinbase in 2013 to work in the emerging industry.
