Dan Larimer is a prominent software engineer, entrepreneur, and blockchain pioneer who is widely known as the creator of BitShares, Steem, and EOS. He has made a lot of contributions to decentralized technology and left a strong mark on the industry.
In his career, he has consistently pushed the boundaries of blockchain scalability, governance, and functionality. Larimer is credited for being a visionary engineer who has been involved in some of the most successful projects in the cryptocurrency industry.
Early Life Of Dan Larimer
Dan Larimer was born in Colorado, USA, in the year 1983. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 2003. Early on in his career, he showed a knack for problem-solving, especially in complex systems and programming.
He learned how to program during elementary school from his father, Stan Larimer, who worked for Boeing. Later, they both went on to form a blockchain consulting firm called Cryptonomex Inc.
After graduation, Larimer took on software engineering roles in many companies and spent time at Torc Robotics, which is a Virginia-based automotive-tech company. He then stepped into the role of Founder and CEO of Invictus Innovations, which was a company that centered around creating technical papers.
Larimer stumbled upon Bitcoin in 2009, when he was trying to create a digital currency. He then contacted the Bitcoin founder Satoshi Nakamoto in a Bitcoin forum.
Founding BitShares
In 2013, Larimer founded BitShares along with Charles Hoskinson, which is a decentralized platform for financial services. Larimer was dissatisfied with the tendency of centralized exchanges to be shut down when threats arise from hackers or authorities. Initially called ProtoShares, BitShares introduced the concept of Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS), a mechanism that increases blockchain speed and scalability. It has been used in Steem, EOS, List, Ark, and more.
Larimer also developed an open-source software called Graphen which is mostly C++ blockchain implementation when he was building BitShares. BitShares and Steem can process over 100,000 transactions per second.
Founding Steemit: A Social Media On The Blockchain
In 2016, Larimer co-founded Steemit with Ned Scott. Steemit is a blockchain-based social media platform. This platform allowed users to earn cryptocurrency by creating and curating content. It introduced the concept of “Proof of Brain”, which is a reward system based on user engagement.
There was community governance as users could vote on content and platform changes. Users also owned their content and earned directly from it, unlike other traditional advertising models. Content and transactions were stored transparently on the Steem blockchain. Larimer was the CTO of Steem till March 14, 2017.
Block.one & EOS
In 2016, Dan Larimer started working on Block.one, which is a publisher of decentralized applications and open-source software that can be used to build these decentralized applications. It is registered in the Cayman Islands.
In 2017, Larimer launched EOS, which is probably his most ambitious project. It is a blockchain platform for large-scale decentralized applications (dApps). They had one of the largest crowdfunding events in history, raising $4 billion in its Initial Coin Offering (ICO). The goal of EOS was to address the shortcomings and limitations of earlier blockchains while focusing on scalability, user experience, and governance.
EOS introduced features like human-readable wallet addresses and free transactions which made it accessible to mainstream users. Dan Larimer oversees the development and engineering of the company’s products and services. He left Block.one in December 2020. After resigning from Block.One, Larimer and his team of engineers at ClarionOS are still active in the EOS community.
Controversies
Daniel Larimer’s career has not been without controversy, even though his innovations have been praised widely. Critics raise concerns about his long-term commitment pointing out that he has left many of his projects like BitShares, Steemit, and EOS after their initial development phases. Others have also questioned the decentralization of projects like EOS since it relies on a limited number of block producers.
Final Thoughts
Larimer’s work is deeply rooted in the principles of freedom, transparency, and individual empowerment. He has continuously worked to make blockchain technology accessible and impactful for real-world use. His work has started conversations about decentralization, governance, and the future of digital platforms. He is considered a legend in cryptocurrency and blockchain programming circles.
He has inspired developers and entrepreneurs to explore the possibilities of blockchain technology. In 2021, Larimer announced his latest project, Clarion OS, which is a decentralized communication platform.
