NYU professor and noted anti-cryptocurrency economist Nouriel Roubini exploded online last night after a debate with Arthur Hayes, CEO of BitMEX, at the Asia Blockchain Summit in Taipei. The debate, called the “Tangle in Taipei,” was allegedly not streamed live at the behest of the organizers and and Roubini wasn’t having it.
Another @CryptoHayes scam: he didnt allow the blockchain conference to record our debate and beam it live. He controls the only recording of it and will only release heavily edited "highlights". I destroyed @CryptoHayes in the debate and he is hiding. RELEASE THE TAPE YOU COWARD!
— Nouriel Roubini (@Nouriel) July 3, 2019
Shut up and release the tape of our debate. This was the only session not streamed live as you mafioso gangsters decided to censor it with hush money and keep the only tape for yourselves. Typical bully behaviour of yours. Release the tape you coward @CryptoHayes! Talk is cheap! https://t.co/guNLMkww5T
— Nouriel Roubini (@Nouriel) July 3, 2019
Hayes, for his part, shot back at the economist, further enraging Roubini.
u didnt dust me. I busted u but you are a such a coward hiding the video tape of our debate mafioso style with hush money. Release the full video – not the manipulated highlights – and let the world judge. @CryptoHayes https://t.co/7vEwJlJSlC
— Nouriel Roubini (@Nouriel) July 3, 2019
You @CryptoHayes aka Cosa Nostra Coward Mafia Thug: I am a tenured Prof at NYU (so much for your idiotic threat) not a wimp you can threaten like a criminal gangster does to shut him up with hush money (as you did with this conference) or with pathetic threats (like you do here) https://t.co/guNLMkeUHj
— Nouriel Roubini (@Nouriel) July 3, 2019
Bloomberg reported from the event, saying that Roubini argued that cryptocurrencies were bunk, “deriding its technology, security and lack of convenience.” Hayes agreed that there were some bad actors but that his goal was to allow users to speculate on financial products.
“People love to speculate,” he said. “We’re just trying to give them an opportunity to do it in a safe manner.”
Hayes posted this response to the call to “release the tapes” and Crypto-Twitter asked for a more serious response. None seems forthcoming.
Do it already, we want to see what happened.
— cryptokarma (@KryptoCarma) July 3, 2019
That said, given that the average financial conference probably doesn’t have economists calling each other “Cosa Nostra Coward Mafia Thugs” at least we can at least argue that online crypto beefs are pretty lively. We’ve reached out to both parties for comment and will report more when and if the “tapes” surface.
Photo by Chris Sabor on Unsplash