Bobby Lee: Author & Bitcoin Pioneer

Bobby Lee is an author, entrepreneur, and bitcoin proponent. Bobby Lee is the founder of BTCC, China’s first and longest-running cryptocurrency exchange. A pioneer in crypto and bitcoin, and after selling BTCC in 2018, Bobby Lee went on to found Ballet, a company that makes easy-to-use physical cryptocurrency wallets headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

Bobby Lee is the author of The Promise of Bitcoin. In the book, Lee offers a primer on the best strategies for investing in this digital currency, the value of which will only continue to grow. He discusses the pros and cons, and covers the complicated yet more profitable method of acquiring bitcoin, mining. He offers predictions for the future, including price, trajectory, use, and participation in the larger economy?as well as developments in regulation, technology, business, and society.

Bobby Lee was born in the Ivory Coast, Africa, and received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science from Stanford University in 1998. During that time, we became a member of the Mayfield Fellows Program and earned an EMBA degree from CEIBS in China.

Mr. Lee started his career in Silicon Valley as a software engineer at Yahoo!, and led the development of the earliest online communities. After the Yahoo! Experience, Mr. Lee moved to China where he performed different roles in executive positions. For example, he was the CTO of SMG BesTV New Media, the largest IPTV operator in China with the most subscribers globally. He moved to Shanghai in 2007 and started off at EMC’s China Center of Excellence, as Director of Software Engineering, with responsibilities for Cloud Computing and Cloud Storage. He then went on to become the Vice President of Technology for Walmart’s e-commerce business in China.

Lee became interested in bitcoin through his brother Charlie Lee, the creator of litecoin. In June 2011 Bobby Lee founded China’s very first crypto exchange, BTCC. Two years later, in November 2013, BTCC became the largest bitcoin exchange in the world, with a market share of about 31.7 percent, surpassing Tokyo-based Mt. Gox. The company was subsequently acquired in early 2018 by an investment firm in Hong Kong.

A year later, in 2019, Bobby Lee founded his second startup Ballet, along with other industry veterans. Ballet is a crypto company that aims to drive global adoption of Bitcoin and cryptocurrency. Ballet provides simple and secure cryptocurrency storage solutions for the global mainstream market.

The Promise of Bitcoin: The Future of Money and How It Can Work for You

Bobby Lee is also the author of The Promise of Bitcoin: The Future of Money and How It Can Work for You (McGraw-Hill, May 18, 2021). In the book, he makes a compelling argument for how Bitcoin will transform the global economy, as well as debunks common myths and dispels fears that surround Bitcoin — arguing that this system is superior to traditional monetary systems.

Written for both Bitcoin enthusiasts and first-time users, ‘The Promise of Bitcoin’ offers best strategies for investing in Bitcoin, discusses the pros and cons, and covers the complicated yet more profitable method of Bitcoin mining. Additionally, Bobby gives predictions for the future, including price trajectory, use, and participation in the larger economy—as well as developments in regulation, technology, business, and society.

Mr. Lee talked about the current state of bitcoin in a recent interview, mentioning that: “I believe that global mainstream adoption of cryptocurrency requires an easy, safe and reliable way for people to store and manage their own crypto. The existing software and hardware wallet solutions on the market are too complicated for most people to use, and often result in frustration, user errors, and sometimes even loss of funds. This is a significant barrier to entry that discourages people from investing in cryptocurrency.”

Founding world's longest running crypto exchange BTCC