The Bitcoin Way Podcast The Luckiest Man in Bitcoin with Rick Messitt | Ep. #90
Nov 14, 2025
Rick Messitt, an early Bitcoiner and entrepreneur, shares his unique journey from discovering Bitcoin with his father to creating a provably-fair Bitcoin lottery. He discusses his harrowing experience with a self-custody hack and the lessons learned about personal responsibility in digital finance. Rick emphasizes the importance of secure custody and offers insights on building local Bitcoin communities. He also reveals how he turned adversity into opportunity by educating others on safe practices and the innovative applications of his lottery project.
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Episode notes
Signal Versus Noise Over Time
- Early Bitcoin culture offered near-pure signal from cypherpunks and freedom-focused discussion.
- Today the space contains heavy noise, speculation, and recycled influencer content.
Loss During El Salvador Trip
- Rick and his dad lost their 10-year Bitcoin stash while in El Salvador after their cloud-backed seed was brute-forced.
- They discovered thousands of outgoing transactions and realized the coins were gone for good.
Upgrade And Maintain Self-Custody
- Do treat self-custody as a skill and update your security tools over time.
- Avoid weak passwords, cloud-storing unencrypted seeds, and complacency with backups.
