Michael R. Sullivan

Millions of words have been written about Bitcoin, but I always felt like something was missing. I imagined a Bitcoin novel so thrilling I couldn't put it down. I imagined a story so emotionally captivating even someone with no interest in the orange coin would burn through it in a weekend. I imagined a book that explored how deeply intertwined the Bitcoin philosophy is with the American ethos. So I wrote it. After my first novel got me publicly canceled I wasn't sure I'd ever write again, but this technology filled me with so much hope for the future I couldn't stop myself from dedicating my life to this pursuit over the last three years. A lot of people are content to sit back and watch the world burn while Bitcoin wins. That ain't me. I build. I'm unwilling to watch the country I love slowly deteriorate without knowing I tried to make it a little bit better. I'm unwilling to be apathetic as we fail to communicate this optimistic message to so many people who desperately need it. I have faith we can do better. Despite all the nihilism, despite the institutional decay, and despite the rise of misguided violence towards the wealthy (bourgeoisie) class... I still have hope. I view Bitcoin as the bright orange sun rising over our nation's shores, illuminating a path to a more prosperous future. Anyway, this is all to say that my book just dropped. I think you're gonna love it. P.S. Writing a book is an isolating activity, but sharing this process with all of you over the last few years has meant the world to me 🧡 P.P.S. The link is in my bio.

A lot of people have been wondering what happened to Carl ₿ Menger. He was an awesome Bitcoin account I enjoyed for years. He sent me this a few months ago. I’m not going to share our specific conversation but this is happening to more than just me. Hope you are paying attention

@BitmundFreud People just love to hate and pile on and it shows the madness of crowds a bit when stuff like this happens.

Today I attended a family member's funeral. The sorrow there was real but also the unity. I made a post to support someone who show me just support. Scrolling through the comment afterward felt heavier in a different way. Not from loss, but from witnessing so much bitterness, endless criticism, and pure negativity. It made me pause and wonder: what kind of life leads someone to live like that? They do nothing but criticize, complain, and take. They build nothing, create nothing, and add no weight to the world. I feel genuine pity for that kind of existence. It must be exhausting and empty. But pity is where it ends - they won't steal my energy or pull me into that void. Keep your distance from chronic takers and complainers. Guard your peace, surround yourself with those who build and uplift. Life is too short (and too precious) for anything else.

*Read THIS before you read the next dumbass community note* When I posted my last post, it was a last resort. I truly had no idea and no prior knowledge of anything I was doing wrong. I spent an hour weeding through my posts thinking I made an insensitive meme. I deleted a ton of posts, I thought X went soft. Thank God that wasn't the case. After my first appeal was denied, I decided to post publicly as I figured someone could help since I didn't have a single clue on what went wrong. Almost immediately @nikitabier responds with a snarky response attempting to call me out. The problem is apparently me having 3 X accounts and I've been "cross promoting". This is where I have a problem.. If cross promoting is re-sharing posts to my old newsletter account, I guess I'm guilty. BUT- it seems important to mention, I already had other accounts when I first was monetized. Why would I have been approved for the program from the start if this was ever going to be an issue? Although he wanted to call out the accounts, notice how he didn't respond when I immediately added up the follower count. This is the last thing I thought would've been a problem. The accounts have been deactivated in an attempt to honestly appeal after Grok suggested that this was the best way to move forward. I created a number of accounts on X over the years when I had different ideas relating to Bitcoin. I created a charity Bitcoin account and a Bitcoin account for healthcare workers, both of those ultimately being unsuccessful. I had a newsletter account promoting our newsletter that was successful but eventually we decided to take a step back from them. I took 9 months off of my job with no pay to grow my X account from 10k followers to 100k followers in 2023. I saw the value in X before monetization was even an option. I handmade memes literally using the drawing tool to edit photos. If you don't believe me, look at my old posts on instagram. Almost immediately after posting content, it would get reshared with no credit to me. That was just the way it was. I busted my ass while the algorithm has changed nonstop. X has always been sharing media and adding your own spin. I don't even need to comment on "stealing content". How is resharing a post through the link X provides, stealing? If that's the case then, wow, I've been robbed for years straight. Quote sharing is an option for a reason. I'm not posting this for sympathy. I don't care if you like my posts are not, that's not the issue here. That's not what X is for. You don't get to demonetize someone because their content isn't your favorite. You're not that special, sorry. I might not be offering the most intellectual content with every post, I have always had a lighthearted spin on current events that opens conversation on my page. Isn't that what this app is for? Entertainment and information? Is there not a single person who works for @X with an ounce of integrity that can hear me out? I'm being punished to the highest degree for something I didn't even know was wrong until a few hours ago. If I knew I was doing something wrong, I wouldn't be surprised or upset. But I had no idea. Why does this app have the option to link multiple accounts and retweet from them if this isn't allowed? I also don't think any sane person would consider reposting tweets MONTHS ago to an account with 250-3,000 followers as engagement farming. How can I farm engagement on followers that overlap between accounts? I can't help but feel I am not being offered a solution because of the name of my account. If Bitcoin wasn't my niche I don't think we'd be here. Up until this point, I thought the platform was headed in the right direction. I'm all about progress and shifting this platform to become something better, but I don't agree with public mockery when I'm looking to solve this. And as I've said a million times, "THIS IS FUCKING BULLSHIT!!!" @premium @elonmusk @Support

If I was demonetized today, I would keep posting like normal because I make peanuts on here. But if I was making what @TheBTCTherapist was making, I probably would not have the motivation to post again. Though I hope he continues to post because at the end of the day he is a Bitcoiner just like a lot of us here. It is unfortunate what happened. Even though I did not like a lot of the engagement farming and repetitive content, I do not think he should have lost monetization without at least being given a warning. And as for the promotion of his main account from three other small accounts, I think that is total bullshit, regardless if true or not. Period. Full Stop! I do wonder if he had been warned before and ignored it. My guess is probably not. The reality is that Bitcoin and crypto accounts are under constant scrutiny on X, and I do not really understand why. It is such a small niche on the platform, yet we are constantly shadow banned, deplatformed, and demonetized. I hope it works out for him because nobody deserves to lose their livelihood over something so silly 🤷🏾‍♂️

Since everything else is down today, might as well take this tree down too.

@lindsaybitcoin We love it so much too, I'm not taking this year off (baby things) but my whole friend group gets super into it.

Every year my wife and I take PTO for the first 2 days of March Madness. We go to the spa before the Thursday games start then we park ourselves on the couch with a 3 tv set up, hangout, watch basketball and eat. It’s my favorite weekend of the year!

@lindsaybitcoin Let's go Michigan 💙

@SullyMichaelvan Funny you say that. I took Michigan as well 👀

Hand cut fries and chicken wings fried in beef tallow up first 🔥

@lindsaybitcoin I'm already sitting pretty. I get really nerdy with probabilities and statistics, I have Michigan winning the whole thing and my brackets already looking solid compared to the other people that pick Michigan.

@SullyMichaelvan So far so good with TCU and Nebraska but it’s early lol

@artificialsub @TheBTCTherapist @nikitabier Stealing other people's content for sure is not cool, but a huge amount of accounts on here do that and I don't think that's what he actually got banned for.

@SullyMichaelvan @TheBTCTherapist @nikitabier I think he all got reported for stealing other people’s content

This is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to write. I’m completely devastated. Last Friday, I️ was notified that my monetization had been paused. I’ve shown up on this app for 5 years straight every single day to grow my account to what it is now. I️ never once paid for ads, never bought followers, never did anything but grow in an organic way. After appealing once, I️ was told my account was removed due to spam and inauthentic content. This couldn’t be further from the truth. I️ spend 6-12 hours on X daily in addition to my full time job; creating content, interacting and posting. I’ve adapted to new algorithms, posting strategies and even started a newsletter. I️’ve stopped using any other online platforms as I️ truly value the freedom and community X has brought me. Every single holiday, family event, vacation, wedding, birthday, you name it, I’ve been active on X during it. I’ve never once taken for granted the audience I’ve grown on this app and have thoroughly enjoyed the relationships I’ve built because of it. During this last period in which I️ was removed, I️ proposed to my girlfriend of 7 years. During this proposal trip, I️ stayed active online the entire time, which is nothing new. I have given up years of time to create something bigger with no regret. But now, after being denied and repeatedly called a spam account, with no way to plead my case, my last resort is to post here. Having to do this publicly feels so pathetic. It’s been almost a week and 2 appeals later, and I️ can’t get in touch with anyone who’s willing to help. I haven’t been given any clarification of where I️ went wrong or if there is a pathway to resolution. How can I️ dedicate myself so profoundly to something for so many years without being given any chance to make a simple change in my form of content? I’ve never had my account flagged or even been told of any misconduct in a 5 year period. The first I️ hear of an issue is ironically on pay day after spending hours upon hours working online during my vacation. I️ don’t expect everyone to be able to understand the severity of this situation because they will never see the time, sacrifices and work put into growing an account from 0 followers to over 260k. I️ can’t begin to explain the things I’ve sacrificed to get to the point of being a creator and I️ can’t help but feel like the platform has failed me. To you, this may just be a lighthearted meme account you follow. To me, this has altered my life. I️ was committing to go full time on X and even put in notice at my full time job. It is every content creators dream to be able to take this on full time, and to have it taken away from you almost as soon as you got it, feels gut wrenching. Over the last 2 years I’ve told everyone how important it is to get a blue checkmark, pay for premium and begin to monetize their account. I️ couldn’t have been louder about how much I️ love this platform and truly felt it was the only platform worth being on. The freedom I️ was given was amazing up until now. I️ truly never thought something like this would happen. All of this to say, I️ am not a spam account and I️ deserve reconciliation. I️f there is a specific thing I’ve done wrong, I️ will adapt my content to no longer do so. But a permanent suspension with a false reasoning will never be okay with me. I️ would hope that you are also not okay with taking away the livelihood of the creators on a platform that prides itself on free speech. @XCreators @premium @x @elonmusk @nikitabier

@BitcoinUndisc Probably not worth it TBH. I'm sure it does to some degree, pretty much all apps do to some degree. I think it's a little bit overreaction in general.

@SullyMichaelvan I'm too scared to put TickTock on my phone. Doesn't it spy on everything you do, including your key strokes?

I decided as an experiment this year I would post a few TikTok videos. Verdict: the normies are fucking cooked. These people are years behind those of us on X. Most of them think AI is an evil alternative to google and that data centers are going to give frogs turbo-cancer.

@lindeymagee @WalkerAmerica @AaronSiriSG @NehlsMD Very grateful to be your change of pace! Those sound fantastic though too 👀

@SullyMichaelvan @WalkerAmerica I wasn't sure where to classify it either, but considering the last couple books I read were @AaronSiriSG 's Vaccines, Amen and @NehlsMD The Indoctrinated Brain...both excellent, btw, your book was a thrilling and entertaining treat!

RV life made reading time scarce, so I switched to Audible as soon as it was available and listened to @walkeramerica’s voice come through the bass on the Winnebago’s speakers (hey, they’re pretty good) while driving out west. I’m so glad I did. @SullyMichaelvan 's Blood of the Bourgeoisies 🩸was outstanding—completely pulled me in, despite not being my typical genre. Superb. Highly recommend. 🧡

@NextLevBitcoin @WalkerAmerica You were just an early adopter 🧡🤝

@SullyMichaelvan @WalkerAmerica Here I was actually reading it like medieval peasant.

Not gonna lie. I'm insanely jealous. Listening to this scene for the first time with @WalkerAmerica's brilliant narration while driving through the mountains looks like a 10/10 experience.

@NextLevBitcoin @WalkerAmerica Right? Turned out absolutely great. He adapts Nahla's voice throughout the story too which is

@SullyMichaelvan @WalkerAmerica Yo his voice really pairs well with this story!

@bitcoin_bugle Hold up, I might already have some saved on my phone

@SullyMichaelvan He needs to post a picture of him in yoga pants to compete

Come on Ben, you were my sleeper for the hot bracket! I've got you going up against Lyn 🔥🏀

It was brilliant to center a work of fiction around BTC and I was excited at the idea, but in all honestly didn't think it would be for me. I was wrong. And I love that I was and am so glad I "read" it. And yes, Walker was perfect! I recently got to share about it with a young man I know who is, but all accounts, an African refugee, turned citizen here. He bought my book for his kids and was asking me some great questions. I need to follow up to see if he's read it. I KNOW it would be the very thing to connect the dots for him.

I really never know how to sell the genre... Or even really what genre to call it 😂 I basically just used elements of lots of different genres and plot structures and jammed them all together to make it (hopefully) as enjoyable as possible for whatever kind of books you're into. I'd love to hear what he thinks about it! That was where a huge chunk of my research ended up going, and I had a lot of fun with all the Sudanese stuff.