The Bitcoin Standard is an iconic book that thoroughly explains the value of Bitcoin, and the one who wrote it is economics expert Saifedean Ammous. He is a bestselling author, cryptocurrency advocate, professor and podcaster. As of 2023, Saifedean Ammous has an estimated net worth of $2 million.
Background
Saifedean was born in the State of Palestine and spent most of his childhood in Ramallah. His exact birthdate is undisclosed. He and his family relocated to Lebanon when he was an adolescent.
In his new home, he went to the American University of Beirut and studied mechanical engineering. He earned his bachelor’s degree in 2003.
Then, he moved to the UK to attend The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). He got a master’s degree in Development Management and later received a Ph.D. in Sustainable Development at Columbia University in New York City.
Academic Career
Around the time he got his master’s degree, Saifedean Ammous got a job as a Teaching Assistant at Columbia University. He held the position from 2005 to 2008 and was promoted to Instructor in 2009.
Then, he returned to Lebanon to work as a lecturer in economics for the Lebanese American University. In 2011, he was hired as a visiting scholar at the Columbia University Center on Capitalism and Society for around eight months.
Later that year, he was promoted to an Assistant Professor of Economics in his main job at Beirut. In 2016, he was chosen to be visiting scholar at Columbia University again. In 2018, he became an Associate Professor at the Lebanese American University.
Bitcoin Advocacy
‘The Bitcoin Standard’ was published in 2018, and it was known as groundbreaking research on the history of economics and Bitcoin. It was critically acclaimed, gaining positive reviews from the likes of Michael Saylor and Russell Okung.
Because of this, Saifedean Ammous quit his teaching job and focused his efforts on crypto advocacy. He started a website called Saifedean.com, which features his books, courses, and membership.
He wrote two other books titled ‘The Fiat Standard’ and ‘Principles of Economics’. He also started The Bitcoin Standard Podcast. It is featured in his YouTube channel, which only started in 2021. It currently has 16,600 subscribers and is growing rapidly.
Net Worth and Earnings
Because his YouTube channel is new, Ammous is only estimated to make around $120 to $1,900 annually from the ad revenue. However, YouTube is not his main income source. He was an early investor in Bitcoin so it’s assumed he holds a big portion of his wealth in BTC.
He isn’t a fan of other altcoins like Ethereum or Ripple and advises people to avoid them. In fact he believes Ethereum competes more with Amazon Web Services than Bitcoin.
Though he has three books, only The Bitcoin Standard is for sale publicly. The other two can be read when users subscribe to Saifedean’s membership. Prices range from $15 per month for beginners to $1,000 per year for the Institutional subscription. All of this gives him a net worth of $2 million.
Personal Life
Ammous is a married man and shares a number of pictures of his loving wife on social media. However, he hasn’t revealed her name and likes to keep his family life private.