Flipside 10 Bitcoin News: Microsoft courts BitPay, Reddit to add Bitcoin, Blockchain.info Spanked

Here's a summary of the WCN episode "Flipside 10 Bitcoin News" from December 12, 2014:

1. Main Topics Discussed:

• Microsoft & BitPay Partnership: Microsoft began accepting Bitcoin payments via BitPay for apps, games, and Xbox content.
• Blockchain.info Security Breach: Blockchain.info experienced a security downgrade and a subsequent theft of 255 Bitcoins by a white hat hacker, Joe Ho, who later returned them.
• Silk Road Bitcoin Auction: Barry Silver and Bitcoin Investment Trust won the majority of the auctioned Silk Road Bitcoins.
• Reddit's Digital Asset Project: Reddit is developing a digital asset using Bitcoin technology, potentially involving sidechains.
• Bitcoin Black Friday Results: BitPay reported increased merchant adoption and GIFT saw a significant rise in Bitcoin transactions.
• LocalBitcoins Regulatory Concerns: LocalBitcoins halted business in Germany due to unclear regulatory requirements.
• Mining Difficulty Adjustment: Bitcoin mining difficulty dropped for the first time in two years.

2. Key Quotes:

• "Microsoft has a long-term vision for Bitcoin, BitPay and the blockchain. They already have a global plan rolled out for us." - Sunny Singh (BitPay's chief commercial officer)
• "I took the liberty of saving some funds before they got swiped by others." - Joe Ho (White Hat Hacker)
• "Bitcoin technology will ultimately become integral to Reddit. We will leverage the Bitcoin blockchain and quite possibly also side chains." - Ryan X Charles (Former BitPay employee, now at Reddit)

3. People Mentioned:

• DJ Booth (Host)
• Sunny Singh (BitPay)
• Joe Ho (White Hat Hacker)
• Barry Silver
• Tim Draper
• Ryan X Charles
• Jamie Nelson
• James Bang

4. Bitcoin Price:

• The episode mentions Bitcoin's price spiked $20 on the Microsoft news before dropping.
• Bitcoin's price was around $900 during last year's Bitcoin Black Friday (compared to the current price).