Hal Finney

Who is Hal Finney?

Hal Finney is a developer for PGP Corporation, and was the second developer hired after Phil Zimmerman. In his early career, he is credited as lead developer on several console games. He is a 1979 graduate of the California Institute of Technology, holding a BS in engineering.

Finney is also a noted cryptographic activist. During the early 1990s, in addition to being a regular poster on the cypherpunks listserv, Finney ran two anonymous remailers. Further cryptographic activism included running a contest to break the export-grade encryption Netscape used.

In 2004, Finney created the first reusable proof of work system before Bitcoin. In January, 2009, Finney was the recipient in the first transaction of the Bitcoin network.

In October, 2009, Finney announced on an essay on the blog Less Wrong that he's been diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Prior to his diagnosis, Finney had been an active runner. Finney and his wife Fran Finney now raise money for ALS research with the Santa Barbara International Marathon.

As of March, 2013, Finney posted on a Bitcoin forum that he is essentially paralyzed, but continues to program. He is working on experimental software called bcflick, which uses Trusted Computing to strengthen Bitcoin wallets.