Brian Armstrong promised me $100 in Bitcoin — so where is it?

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong owes me $100. That’s because he might not know how to use the Lightning Network, the instant payment solution built on top of Bitcoin.

Armstrong, who’s been building in the Bitcoin (BTC) space since 2012, recently tweeted that he would pay people who provided the “best examples” of people using cryptocurrency in Africa. “If you’re using crypto in Africa, reply with a short video (<30 seconds) or photo of how you’re using it,” Armstrong wrote. “Best few examples get $100 in crypto.”

If you’re using crypto in Africa, reply with a short video (<30 seconds) or photo of how you’re using it. Best few examples get $100 in crypto. Use hashtag #CryptoAfrica

And if you haven’t already, try out self-custodial Coinbase Wallet – send feedback https://t.co/zWvaH1nerF

— Brian Armstrong (@brian_armstrong) April 7, 2023

This is the CEO of Coinbase, after all, so I shared a video of myself using Bitcoin in Africa, which was part of a 30-second segment of a recent Cointelegraph documentary covering Bitcoin in Senegal.

The tweet quickly became the most-liked and most-shared response to Armstrong’s query. (Crucially, the tweet referred to Bitcoin in Africa, not crypto in Africa, and it demonstrated the ease and speed of the Lightning Network.)

However, Armstrong appears to have ignored my submission, despite more than 600 likes and 100 retweets. The next most popular submission had just 50 likes. So, I reached out to some key opinion leaders, creators and influencers within the Bitcoin community to amplify the tweet. Wicked, an anonymous Bitcoin educator and data analyst, tagged Armstrong in a post, accusing him of “actively ignoring the #Bitcoin Lightning Network.”

My tweets auto-delete after some number of months, so there is no search history.

Lightning is great and something we’ll integrate.

— Brian Armstrong (@brian_armstrong) April 8, 2023

Wicked very kindly drew Brian’s attention to my tweet video about Bitcoin in Africa. The tweet, and Armstrong’s affirmation that “Lightning is great and something we’ll integrate,” led to news outlets around the world reporting on Coinbase’s next development.  He then also tweeted that he had sent me the money.

Awesome! sent $100 to joe@coincorner.io

cheers

— Brian Armstrong (@brian_armstrong) April 8, 2023

Here’s where things get weird. Armstrong said he paid me the $100. He said he sent $100 to the Lightning…