This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice.

In the chaotic and often self-serious world of cryptocurrency development in 2013, where developers competed to create the next revolutionary blockchain technology and investors searched for the next Bitcoin, two software engineers working thousands of miles apart would create something entirely different: a cryptocurrency based on an internet meme featuring a Shiba Inu dog with broken English captions. What began as a satirical commentary on the proliferation of alternative cryptocurrencies would eventually become one of the most recognizable and beloved digital currencies in the world, demonstrating the unpredictable power of community, humor, and genuine human connection in the digital age.

Billy Markus, a software engineer at IBM in Portland, Oregon, had been following the cryptocurrency space with a mixture of fascination and frustration. While he appreciated the technological innovation behind Bitcoin and other early cryptocurrencies, he was increasingly concerned about the growing speculation and get-rich-quick mentality that seemed to dominate the community. The constant creation of new "altcoins" with grandiose promises and technical complexity that seemed designed more to impress than to provide actual utility bothered him. He wanted to create something different: a cryptocurrency that would be fun, accessible, and not take itself too seriously.

Meanwhile, in Sydney, Australia, Jackson Palmer was experiencing similar frustrations while working as a product manager at Adobe. Palmer had been observing the cryptocurrency space from the outside, watching the endless parade of new coins with increasingly elaborate names and technical specifications.