# Neovim's forgotten $800k Bitcoin windfall > A major open source project has an unclaimed cryptocurrency donation worth nearly a million dollars sitting idle since 2023. - Title: Neovim's forgotten $800k Bitcoin windfall · Hacker News - Summary: A major open source project has an unclaimed cryptocurrency donation worth nearly a million dollars sitting idle since 2023. Neovim received a 10 Bitcoin… - Keywords: neovim, bitcoin, donation, open source, cryptocurrency, funding, wallet access, unclaimed assets, technology, startups, Neovim's, forgotten - Source: Hacker News — https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49738879 - Read time: 3 min - Topics: neovim, bitcoin, donation, open source, cryptocurrency, funding, wallet access, unclaimed assets, technology, startups ## Neovim sits on massive Bitcoin donation The text editor project received a 10 Bitcoin donation in 2023, now worth approximately $800,000. The funds remain untouched in their public wallet address. ## Last wallet activity was 2019 The project's last confirmed Bitcoin transaction was in 2019, meaning they may not have accessed the wallet in up to seven years. ## Private key access unclear It's unknown whether Neovim still possesses the private keys needed to move or spend the Bitcoin. The long inactivity raises concerns about key management. ## Significant funding opportunity For context, a Neovim contributor was paid $3,000 in 2019 to write the native Lua LSP client, a foundational feature. The $800k could fund substantial development work. > wrote the native lua LSP client... in a few weeks for about $3k USD (circa 2019) ## Thousands of commits since then The LSP client has matured significantly since its initial creation, with thousands of commits and person-years of work building on those foundations. ## Bitcoin wallet security challenges The situation highlights risks in cryptocurrency management. Crypto exchanges use Shamir secret sharing to distribute access, but implementation varies widely. ## Exchange practices vary widely One exchange worker described their setup as a hand-rolled system with a break-glass text document containing all keys, plus software to distribute shares for recovery ceremonies. ## Threshold signatures offer better security A more sophisticated approach uses threshold signatures, where multiple servers can collaboratively sign transactions without ever reconstructing the private key in one place. ## Social recovery wallets didn't catch on Social recovery wallets, which allow account recovery through trusted contacts, failed to gain adoption. Users preferred simpler apps with gambling features instead. > Social recovery wallets in general did not take off, which was a big learning moment for me that very few people actually cared about the technology ## Users prioritize convenience over security Most cryptocurrency users don't care about decentralization or advanced security. They want easy-to-use apps, even if it means uploading keys to cloud services. ## Lost Bitcoin accumulates over time Bitcoin has a built-in deflation mechanism. As coins are lost or forgotten, the effective supply shrinks, potentially increasing the value of remaining coins. ## Only 21 million Bitcoin will ever exist Bitcoin's fixed supply cap of 21 million coins means that lost or inaccessible coins permanently reduce the circulating supply. ## Deflation debate: good or bad? Some argue deflation rewards saving and delayed gratification. Others contend it discourages spending and investment, harming economic growth. ## Historical deflation caused problems The Great Depression involved severe deflation that created a downward economic spiral. Farmers with debt-financed mechanization were devastated as crop prices collapsed. ## Monetary policy isn't written in stone Bitcoin's rules could theoretically be changed with majority hashpower support, though this would require consensus among miners and users. ## Users ultimately decide Bitcoin's future Bitcoin is more a social network than pure algorithm. Users and miners collectively determine which chain is the real Bitcoin through adoption and market value. ## Crypto grifters have moved to AI The cryptocurrency industry attracted many opportunists who built casinos disguised as tech innovation. Many have since pivoted to artificial intelligence. ## Bitcoin underperformed traditional assets Over the last five years, Bitcoin has underperformed both the S&P 500 stock index and gold as an investment, raising questions about its long-term value. ## Key takeaway Neovim received a 10 Bitcoin donation in 2023 now worth $800,000, but the project hasn't accessed the wallet since 2019, raising questions about whether they still have the private keys.