A dark brick alley with wet cobbles and a pale Bitcoin emblem at the far end

A zero-sum argument

The Shadow of Wealth

A holder's death can raise everyone else's share — that is the assassination incentive.

  • Zero-Sum Supply
  • Keys After Death
  • The Incentive
  • Countermeasures

The permanent loss of Bitcoin via a holder's death enhances the relative wealth of remaining holders.

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Game theory, key management, and a perverse motive

About this book Available now

Bitcoin's fixed supply of 21 million coins establishes a zero-sum economic environment where wealth accumulates through mining, acquisition, or reduction of circulating supply. This work introduces the assassination incentive—a perverse economic motivation where the permanent loss of Bitcoin via a holder's death enhances the relative wealth of remaining holders.

Employing game-theoretic models, The Shadow of Wealth analyzes this incentive across individual, corporate, and state actors, explores ethical implications, examines deflationary dynamics and emerging technological threats, and proposes countermeasures through advanced key management, legal frameworks, and operational security.