Casey Rodarmor, the creator of the Ordinals protocol, made a surprising return to the public eye during the Ordinals Summit held in Singapore this week.
The appearance marks Rodarmor’s first public engagement in months, following a period of seclusion following the launch of the protocol in January of this year. In the past he broke his silence most recently with a long podcast where he announced his concerns about Paul Storzc’s drivechains upgrade proposal.
The Ordinals Summit, a gathering of NFT enthusiasts, is a great celebration of the protocol at a time when its use seems to be declining. The software, which allows digital artifacts to be traded as NFTs on the Bitcoin network, has previously garnered significant attention and praise from collectors and earned criticism for breaking the strict lines of crypto culture.
The growing popularity of the Ordinal protocol among NFT collectors surprised Rodarmor. It quickly gained traction, filling a niche in the market for Bitcoin enthusiasts who wanted to join the NFT space. However, this success has also attracted the ire of some Bitcoin advocates who are staunchly opposed to NFTs, although the reasons for the criticisms range from moral to technical objections.
In response to this polarized reaction, Rodarmor chose to step back from the limelight temporarily, focusing on refining the Ordinals protocol. Last week marked a notable change in Rodarmor that included an upgrade that helps to more clearly establish the origin of the inscriptions that make up a certain collection.
In his keynote address, he expressed gratitude for the support shown by the community and emphasized the need for innovation within the cryptocurrency space.
The Ordinals Summit was attended by various developers and enthusiasts, all wanting to explore the potential of the Ordinals protocol and its impact on the future of NFTs. Notable speakers include Udi Wertheimer, creator of the Taproot Wizards NFT project and, Domo, the pseudonymous creator of the BRC-20 protocol.