Bitcoin fanatic Charlie Shrem simply introduced the launch of 21million.com, a Bitcoin faucet designed to distribute small quantities of the crypto to customers who full easy CAPTCHA duties.
The idea is not new. Again in 2010, early Bitcoin developer Gavin Andresen created the unique Bitcoin faucet, which handed out 5 complete bitcoins at a time to advertise adoption.
That pioneering giveaway in the end distributed 19,700 BTC, value round $1.86 billion at present costs.
“Engaged on getting the bitcoin faucet going once more,” Shrem tweeted Monday.
The web site options an old-school minimalist design with a CAPTCHA problem and a subject for customers to enter their Bitcoin deal with, clearly mimicking the unique faucet’s easy strategy, together with the design.
How a lot is the well-known OG Bitcoiner gifting away?
Nicely… proper now, zero BTC. As of Could 5, 2025, the positioning shouldn’t be useful. A number of makes an attempt to work together with the positioning have yielded no Bitcoin rewards.
Shrem described the challenge as “vibe coded,” referring to growing software program with out conventional coding methods.
This strategy lets AI instruments construct every thing with out the developer writing code themselves. “It is loads of enjoyable,” Shrem stated.
The event fashion is a part of a rising pattern of utilizing AI prompting to create purposes, with builders guiding AI programs fairly than writing code line by line. This strategy permits even these with restricted coding expertise to construct useful web sites and purposes.
Some neighborhood members have supplied to donate Bitcoin to assist fund the tap, indicating assist for the initiative regardless of its early challenges.
One person, @BitsBeTrippin, publicly supplied to donate, so the tap could depend on neighborhood contributions to take care of operations.
I’ll donate to it to assist get it going – simply ship the addy
— Bitsbetrippin (@BitsBeTrippin) Could 5, 2025
The initiative comes when Bitcoin’s larger worth makes conventional taps much less economically viable than within the forex’s early days.
In 2010, gifting away, say, 5 bitcoins value nearly nothing. At the moment, that very same quantity can be value roughly half one million {dollars}.
Shrem didn’t reply to a request for remark from Decrypt. He additionally hasn’t responded to any requests for Bitcoin from anybody on Crypto Twitter.
Edited by Sebastian Sinclair
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