Iranian Builders & Freedom Tech
Dear Bankless Nation,
We’re entering the fourth week of Iranian protests, and things have turned very dark.
Even with an internet blackout, videos of millions of people in the streets fighting for their freedom found their way out. The last estimates I saw suggested roughly 5–7% of Iran’s population participated nationwide, with 1.5–2 million protesters in Tehran alone.
Now those videos have stopped emerging.
On Days 4 and 5 of the internet blackout, the regime has done its best to plug its holes and plan for their most brutal crackdown yet, recruiting foreign militia groups from Iraq and other neighboring countries to assist them in violently stamping out the uprising.
David Hoffman Jan 10, 2026 • 4 min read
It doesn’t matter if 7% of the total population is protesting when the IRGC has machine guns and the protesters only have their bare hands. Absent foreign intervention, the Iranian people are being silenced by the regime.
Which is why I want to dedicate today’s Ethereum Weekly post to the Iranian builders in the Ethereum and crypto community.
Iranians have a long record of achievement across many fields, and Iranian builders have played a meaningful role in the Ethereum ecosystem.
The brain drain of talent from Iran has benefited the rest of the world immensely. But many of these gifted builders still have family back home who are under the oppressive rule of the regime, and that reality is never far from their minds.
Viktor Frankl wrote in Man’s Search for Meaning that purpose is a core ingredient of human resilience and well-being. Having a light inside of you motivates you to work hard, help your community, and improve your life and the lives of those around you.
For many Iranians, the hope of seeing their families and their homeland free runs deep.
Of all communities that make up our industry, Iranians are among those who most benefit from the technology we are building. Crypto is freedom technology, and Iranians sit alongside the many other oppressed peoples across the globe who deeply need this technology.
So, as you continue to read about the events in Iran, I ask you to look around and notice the Iranians in your life.
Many want to see their families again and their country set free. Many feel helpless, able to do little beyond asking for international awareness.
Silence is the regime's goal.
Pay attention. Listen.