Bitcoin
OSU commencement speaker praises Bitcoin and is booed
Down angle icon An icon in the shape of a downward pointing angle. Chris Pan Courtesy of OSU
- An ayahuasca-inspired commencement speech didn’t go over well at Ohio State University.
- Alumnus and jewelry entrepreneur Chris Pan praised bitcoin and sang songs. He was booed.
- Pan said he was surprised by the hate and wants to talk to his critics.
A graduation speech at Ohio State University (OSU) over the weekend took a wild detour.
Speaker Christopher Pan touted the benefits of bitcoin – prompting groans and boos from the college students gathered in the stadium.
But Pan told Business Insider he was surprised and hurt that his well-intentioned speech was overshadowed by a “bitcoin rabbit hole” and that he is talking to angry detractors on social media to grow from the experience.
During his remarks on Sunday, Pan — an OSU graduate who founded the inspirational jewelry brand My intention – called cryptocurrency “a very misunderstood asset class” while the audience booed, according to a video posted on Reddit.
Boos could even be heard on the live stream of the school’s speech, which featured Pan showing a slide comparing the value of bitcoin to that of a house.
He then performed a magic trick on stage – calling the university president and transforming coins into a physical golden bitcoin.
He then tried leading singers and sang “What’s Going On?” by 4 Non Blondes and “This Little Light of Mine”.
During his speech, he promised the audience free MyIntent bracelets as an apology for his comments about bitcoin.
It was an unconventional address, to say the least.
“Would I have done differently knowing what I know now? Yes.”
Before the start, Pan wrote on LinkedIn that he had taken ayahuasca to help prepare for the speech.
Pan told BI that she has been working with ayahuasca since 2019 to cure lifelong bullying. OSU still operates a psychedelic research centerhe noticed.
He also told BI that he always intended to donate the bracelets, which he said cost his company $250,000.
The provocations inside and outside the stadium were painful, he told BI.
“Have you ever been booed by 70,000 people? It hurt like hell,” said Pan. “I’ve never experienced so much hate in my life.”
He said he only brought up bitcoin to emphasize the importance of the investment, having entered the cryptocurrency three months ago.
Still, bitcoin supporters have been rooting for him onlineand Pan said he thinks the hate was coming from a “vocal minority.”
“I arrived with a very open heart,” he said. “I arrived really wanting to give the best I could to this community.”
After the speech, Pan said he is communicating with angry commentators while also feeling grateful for their support during a difficult time.
He is working on a letter to students and parents to come up with any possible resolution.
“Do I keep my speech? One hundred percent because it’s my truth,” he said. “Would I have done it differently knowing what I know now? Yes. I would have remodeled it to make it a more traditional experience.”