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May 15, 2017

05/15/2017: Why pay a ransom in bitcoin?

Here’s the thing about WannaCry, the ransomware attack much of the planet was dealing with today: it’s been remarkably unprofitable for the perpetrators. Hackers asked for as much as $300 worth of bitcoin per infected user, and they’ve only netted about $55,000 for their efforts. Why use bitcoin as ransom payments? We’ll talk about it. Then: 2017 is gonna be written about in the history books for a whole lotta reasons, one of which might be as a tipping point in the global economy. Following China’s big infrastructure summit we’ll sort through the state of negotiations around the world. Plus: why it’s a good time to be a restaurant worker in Nashville. 

 sticker on the window of a local pub indicates the acceptance of Bitcoins for payment.
 sticker on the window of a local pub indicates the acceptance of Bitcoins for payment.
Sean Gallup/Getty Images

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Here’s the thing about WannaCry, the ransomware attack much of the planet was dealing with today: it’s been remarkably unprofitable for the perpetrators. Hackers asked for as much as $300 worth of bitcoin per infected user, and they’ve only netted about $55,000 for their efforts. Why use bitcoin as ransom payments? We’ll talk about it. Then: 2017 is gonna be written about in the history books for a whole lotta reasons, one of which might be as a tipping point in the global economy. Following China’s big infrastructure summit we’ll sort through the state of negotiations around the world. Plus: why it’s a good time to be a restaurant worker in Nashville.