In June 2011, when customers of now-bankrupt bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox agitated for proof that the Tokyo-based firm was still solvent after a hacking attack, CEO Mark Karpeles turned to the comedy science fiction novel ¡°The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy¡°.
During an online chat, Karpeles moved the equivalent of $170 million in bitcoin at today¡¯s market rates ¡ª the virtual equivalent of a bank manager flashing a wad of cash in a wallet to establish credit. The gesture ¡ª with a sly wink to the ¡°geek¡± culture Karpeles believed he shared with many of his 50,000 customers at the time, including an interest in coding, manga and science fiction ¡ª succeeded.
By moving 424,242 bitcoins, Karpeles, then 26, evoked the random number 42, described as the ¡°meaning of life¡± in Douglas Adams¡¯ sci-fi novel. ¡°Don¡¯t come after me claiming we have no coins,¡± Karpeles said, according to a transcript of that online discussion. ¡°42 is the answer.¡±
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