I watched the Coinbase documentary, “Coin: A Founder’s Story.”
Here are my 3 spicy takeaways…
1) “Coin” Presents an Inside Look At Brian Armstrong’s Experience Running Coinbase:
It was cool to see:
• The vulnerable side of Armstrong.
• The friendship between Armstrong and his co-founder, Fred Ehrsam.
• Armstrong’s struggles being an introverted CEO.
2) “Coin” is BULLISH on Crypto:
The Doc opens up with the infamous clip of Dave Letterman making jokes about the internet’s value to his guest, Bill Gates.
Off the bat – we’re in for a bullish take on crypto…
The Doc includes bullish crypto takes from recognizable figures, such as:
• Nas
• Michael Saylor
• Vitalik Buterin
• Scott Galloway
The bullish vibes of “Coin” speak to it’s theme – which I’d describe as…
Overcoming adversity in pursuit of building a better financial system for the world.
We get a clear view of Brian Armstrong’s motivations, which seem to be:
• Make Crypto safer and easier to use.
• Demystify the crypto industry.
• Collaborate with the U.S. Government.
• Create a revolutionary system for good.
My 3rd take on “Coin” is less positive…
3) “Coin” Packed Way Too Much Into 88 Minutes:
The throughlines of the story are:
• Coinbase’s journey going public, and
• The Armstrong – Ehrsam relationship.
Unfortunately, in the telling of the above two stories, “Coin” tried commenting on EVERYTHING…
“Coin” commented on…
• The current financial system.
• Coinbase’s views on social issues.
• Coinbase during COVID.
• Humanitarianism.
• Regulatory hurdles.
• Brian’s growth as CEO.
• Planning for volatility.
and more…
“Coin” bit off more than it could chew.
It tried to touch on everything.
And because of that, it failed to cover anything in depth.
I would’ve preferred this documentary have been a 4-part series.
1) The Brian Armstrong story.
2) Dealing with Crypto’s public stigma.
3) Regulatory hurdles.
4) Coinbase goes public.
The Armstrong – Ehrsam relationship could’ve been the throughline of the series.
With that said, “Coin” was still an amazing documentary.
Crypto bulls will love it.
And the crypto clueless will learn a ton.
“Coin” is available to rent on Amazon if you’re interested in checking it out.
Brendan Bald 