Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has appointed Overstock.com CEO Patrick Bryne to his tech counsel, a group that includes Michele Weslander Quaid of Google, and Brandon Hudgeons of Schoox and will help shape the presidential candidate’s tech platform.
The move has left bitcoin lovers in a tizzy. Byrne was one of the first CEOs to embrace bitcoin on a mass-market retail platform and is considering using a blockchain-like system for selling shares of his company.
Sen. Paul is also the first presidential candidate to accept bitcoin contributions, and he recently opened a “Silicon Valley office” at a space called StartupHouse.
“We thought being around a lot of startup companies and bright individuals would be a good place for the tech people we’re gathering together to come up with ideas about helping us to find our voters and get them out,” Sen. Paul said in an earlier interview.
His decisions to include big players from retail and big data show a definite interest in the space but only time will tell how big a part bitcoin plays in the next U.S. election.