As Kent Halliburton stood in a rest room on the Rosewood Resort in central Amsterdam, 1000’s of miles from dwelling, working his fingers by way of an envelope full of 10,000 euros in crisp banknotes, he began to surprise what he had gotten himself into.
Halliburton is the cofounder and CEO of Sazmining, an organization that operates bitcoin mining hardware on behalf of purchasers—a mannequin often called “mining-as-a-service.” Halliburton relies in Peru, however Sazmining runs mining {hardware} out of third-party information facilities throughout Norway, Paraguay, Ethiopia, and the US.
As Halliburton tells it, he had flown to Amsterdam the day before today, August 5, to satisfy Even and Maxim, two representatives of a rich Monaco-based household. The household workplace had supplied to buy a whole bunch of bitcoin mining rigs from Sazmining—round $4 million value—which the corporate would set up at a facility at the moment beneath building in Ethiopia. Earlier than finalizing the deal, the household workplace had requested to satisfy Halliburton in particular person.
When Halliburton arrived on the Rosewood Resort, he discovered Even and Maxim perched in a sales space. They struck him as playboy, high-roller varieties—significantly Maxim, who wore a tan three-piece go well with and had a extremely manicured look, his lengthy darkish hair parted down the center. A Rolex protruded from the cuff of his sleeve.
Over a three-course lunch—ceviche with a roe garnish, Chilean sea bass, and cherry cake—they mentioned the contours of the deal and traded particulars about their respective backgrounds. Even was talkative and jocular, telling tales about blowout events in Marrakech. Maxim was aloof; he largely stared at Halliburton, holding his gaze for lengthy intervals at a time as if sizing him up.
As a relationship-building train, Even proposed that Halliburton promote the household workplace round $3,000 in bitcoin. Halliburton was initially hesitant, however chalked it up as a peculiar courting ritual. One of many guys slid Halliburton the cash-filled envelope and instructed him to go to the toilet, the place he might rely out the quantity in non-public. “It felt like one thing out of a James Bond film,” says Halliburton. “It was all very unique to me.”
