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How one guy achieved more than the entire FBI...
Using *Google Search*.
This is the most underrated story on the internet.
THREAD...
Using *Google Search*.
This is the most underrated story on the internet.
THREAD...
THE BACKGROUND OF SILK ROAD:
• The anonymous marketplace operated between 2011 and 2013
• It was Amazon for illegal goods - ranging from magic mushrooms to heroin to AK47& #39;s
• It is estimated the website generated 600,000 Bitcoin in commission - $34 BILLION at today& #39;s prices
• The anonymous marketplace operated between 2011 and 2013
• It was Amazon for illegal goods - ranging from magic mushrooms to heroin to AK47& #39;s
• It is estimated the website generated 600,000 Bitcoin in commission - $34 BILLION at today& #39;s prices
The FBI + DEA& #39;s top priority was to:
1. Unmask the founder - Known by the pseudonym "Dread Pirate Roberts"
2. Shut the website down
Despite their billions of dollars of resources, highly trained divisions, and decades of experience - they couldn& #39;t do it.
1. Unmask the founder - Known by the pseudonym "Dread Pirate Roberts"
2. Shut the website down
Despite their billions of dollars of resources, highly trained divisions, and decades of experience - they couldn& #39;t do it.
FBI + DEA was outperformed by one guy *using Google in his spare time*.
The point of this thread isn& #39;t to debate the ethics of drugs being illegal.
The point is to highlight the power of an individual with:
1. High agency
2. Internet connection
3. Thinking outside the box
The point of this thread isn& #39;t to debate the ethics of drugs being illegal.
The point is to highlight the power of an individual with:
1. High agency
2. Internet connection
3. Thinking outside the box
INTRODUCING GARY ALFORD:
• Gary Alford was a tax inspector in New York City
• When he started investigating the Silk Road, he had 0 knowledge of Bitcoin, Tor (Dark web) or online drugs
• Gary was like Elon in electronic cars or space - he had 0 qualifications.
• Gary Alford was a tax inspector in New York City
• When he started investigating the Silk Road, he had 0 knowledge of Bitcoin, Tor (Dark web) or online drugs
• Gary was like Elon in electronic cars or space - he had 0 qualifications.
Gary did have the following on his side:
1. Gary reads everything 3X:
• He reads every book, email or article 3 times
• He is obsessed with retaining more info than those around him
• Gary believed if he consumed everything at least three times, he would remember more
1. Gary reads everything 3X:
• He reads every book, email or article 3 times
• He is obsessed with retaining more info than those around him
• Gary believed if he consumed everything at least three times, he would remember more
2. Gary& #39;s mental model:
• After reading the bitcoin whitepaper for the *3rd time*, he became obsessed with the "Gamblers Run Problem".
• No matter how much money you have in a betting scenario, the casino has infinite money, so if you continue playing - it will win.
• After reading the bitcoin whitepaper for the *3rd time*, he became obsessed with the "Gamblers Run Problem".
• No matter how much money you have in a betting scenario, the casino has infinite money, so if you continue playing - it will win.
• Gary believed the Dread Pirate Roberts was the gambler and he was the casino.
• If the Dread Pirate Roberts continued playing the game, Gary would eventually win.
• If the Dread Pirate Roberts continued playing the game, Gary would eventually win.
3. Gary& #39;s thinking outside the box
• Gary was a student of history - his favorite case was The "Son of Sam".
• Son of Sam was a NY serial killer between 1976-1977.
• The NYPD threw unlimited resources and couldn& #39;t find him.
Until they began to think outside the box...
• Gary was a student of history - his favorite case was The "Son of Sam".
• Son of Sam was a NY serial killer between 1976-1977.
• The NYPD threw unlimited resources and couldn& #39;t find him.
Until they began to think outside the box...
• Rather than search the crime scene for weapons, one officer started looking for parking tickets in the areas of the murder sprees
• His logic: No serial killer would stop mid-way through to pay for parking
• Bingo! The same Ford Galaxie had tickets for every murder night
• His logic: No serial killer would stop mid-way through to pay for parking
• Bingo! The same Ford Galaxie had tickets for every murder night
• When detectives went to the murderer& #39;s home - he admitted on the spot and said "What took you so long?"
• Gary& #39;s lesson from this story:
You could outperform more experienced people by looking at the problem differently
• He applied this to the Silk Road case.
• Gary& #39;s lesson from this story:
You could outperform more experienced people by looking at the problem differently
• He applied this to the Silk Road case.
HOW GARY CAUGHT THE DREAD PIRATE ROBERTS:
• Gary was obsessed with the idea of a "digital parking ticket" that existed on the internet for Silk Road.
He worked from first principles on the following question:
• "What is the earliest post about Silk Road on the internet?"
• Gary was obsessed with the idea of a "digital parking ticket" that existed on the internet for Silk Road.
He worked from first principles on the following question:
• "What is the earliest post about Silk Road on the internet?"
• Gary simply searched "silkroad .onion" and filtered by date within Google search settings
• The oldest post he could find was on a bitcoin forum.
• "Has anyone seen Silk Road yet? It& #39;s kind of like an anonymous Amazon" - Altoid
• The oldest post he could find was on a bitcoin forum.
• "Has anyone seen Silk Road yet? It& #39;s kind of like an anonymous Amazon" - Altoid
• Gary contacted all forums that were associated with the "Altoid" handle.
• Most forums had fake emails in their database for the handle - except one...
• "RossUlbricht@gmail.com" was associated with the oldest Altoid account.
• Most forums had fake emails in their database for the handle - except one...
• "RossUlbricht@gmail.com" was associated with the oldest Altoid account.
• Despite weeks of Gary telling the FBI + DEA that Ross was the Dread Pirate Roberts - they ignored him.
• They eventually came round to his opinion as the evidence became undeniable.
• This story is mindblowing...
• They eventually came round to his opinion as the evidence became undeniable.
• This story is mindblowing...
• The point of this story isn& #39;t whether drugs should be illegal or Ross& #39; sentence is justified
• The point of this story is to highlight how an individual with:
1. Internet connection
2. High agency
3. Out of the box thinking
Can outperform the world& #39;s biggest organisations
• The point of this story is to highlight how an individual with:
1. Internet connection
2. High agency
3. Out of the box thinking
Can outperform the world& #39;s biggest organisations
Wherever you look, you can see the trend occurring:
• Zuckerberg and Dorsey used high agency + internet connection to beat the billion-dollar legacy media industry
• Bezos and Lutke used high agency + internet connection to beat the billion-dollar legacy commerce industry
• Zuckerberg and Dorsey used high agency + internet connection to beat the billion-dollar legacy media industry
• Bezos and Lutke used high agency + internet connection to beat the billion-dollar legacy commerce industry
• Satoshi Nakamoto and Vitalik are using high agency + internet connection to beat the trillion-dollar legacy finance industry.
• Rogan and Logan Paul are using high agency + internet connection to beat the billion-dollar legacy TV industry.
• Rogan and Logan Paul are using high agency + internet connection to beat the billion-dollar legacy TV industry.
"Arm yourself with specific knowledge, accountability, and leverage." - @naval
Don& #39;t forget high agency + internet connection too.
These are the blocks that Naval& #39;s trio is built on.
Don& #39;t forget high agency + internet connection too.
These are the blocks that Naval& #39;s trio is built on.
We are living in the age of information.
David can beat Goliath.
But David doesn& #39;t have a slingshot.
David has:
- Internet connection
- High agency
- Out the box thinking
David can beat Goliath.
But David doesn& #39;t have a slingshot.
David has:
- Internet connection
- High agency
- Out the box thinking
TLDR:
• In 2021, people can now outperform billion-dollar organisations by...
1. Using a search engine effectively
2. Thinking outside the box
It& #39;s not easy.
But it is becoming more and more possible.
Ask Gary Alford.
(Or Rogan, Satoshi or Dorsey)
• In 2021, people can now outperform billion-dollar organisations by...
1. Using a search engine effectively
2. Thinking outside the box
It& #39;s not easy.
But it is becoming more and more possible.
Ask Gary Alford.
(Or Rogan, Satoshi or Dorsey)
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Check it out -----> http://bit.ly/MentalModelsBD ">https://bit.ly/MentalMod...
It contains:
1. Clouds - Mental Models + Big ideas
2. Dirt - Tactics + Leveraged tools
100% high signal. 0% spam.
Check it out -----> http://bit.ly/MentalModelsBD ">https://bit.ly/MentalMod...
Highly recommend the following:
1. True Crime: Silk Road podcast
2. American Kingpin by Nick Bilton
1. True Crime: Silk Road podcast
2. American Kingpin by Nick Bilton
