Top Ten Bits:
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Predatory Approach: Ager-Hanssen targeted Craig Wright at a social event with a tailored pitch, preying on his legal troubles to gain influence.
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Failed Promises: He failed to deliver on his promises of significant investment and legal aid, leading to a hostile takeover attempt and smear campaign against his colleagues.
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Manipulative Tactics: Known as a confidence trickster, Ager-Hanssen manipulated journalists, investors, and colleagues through false promises and inflated valuations of his companies.
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Bringing in Cronies: He replaced existing nChain staff with his own associates from Custos and Addreax, creating a toxic work environment and prioritizing personal loyalty over competence.
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Abusive Behavior: Ager-Hanssen was reportedly cruel to junior staff, including humiliating them publicly by making them stand up in meetings and declare themselves "idiots."
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Questionable Deals: He engaged in deals that drained nChain's resources without bringing in tangible value, such as the TradeWindow investment, which raised suspicions among nChain executives.
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Destabilizing Legal Strategy: He removed the long-standing law firm Ontier, replacing it with a less experienced firm, disrupting nChain’s legal defense during crucial litigation periods.
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Hostile Takeover Attempt: Ager-Hanssen attempted a coup by breaking into nChain’s server room to seize control of company data and IP, demonstrating extreme and unethical measures to gain power.
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Whistleblower Smokescreen: After his plans were thwarted, he created a false whistleblower narrative to mask his failures and discredit nChain's leadership, further destabilizing the company.
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Geolocation Deception: While on the run from legal consequences, he falsely portrayed himself as being in London through social media, revealing his attempts to evade accountability and manipulate public perception.
Summary
Christen Ager-Hanssen, once a high-flying executive with ambitions as grand as his narratives, has found himself at the center of another corporate melodrama, this time involving nChain, a leading figure in blockchain technology. Ager-Hanssen's approach, replete with bravado and grandiose claims, ended in a disastrous attempt to take over the company, marking another notch in his belt of failed ventures.
In June 2022, Ager-Hanssen, armed with a cunning plan and promises of Middle Eastern investment worth billions, approached nChain's Craig Wright at the Ascot races. Wright, intrigued, was soon caught up in Ager-Hanssen’s web of promises. The plan was simple: inject a billion dollars into nChain, enriching its shareholders overnight and bolster Ager-Hanssen's position by supporting Wright through his numerous legal battles with his so-called 'dark arts'.
However, as the curtain pulled back over the next year, the true nature of Ager-Hanssen's strategies became apparent. His tenure at nChain was marked by turmoil and controversy, reflecting his historical pattern of taking bold stabs at corporate control which often backfired. Known for his deceptive practices, Ager-Hanssen’s career has been a series of ambitious projects that inevitably ended in public and humiliating retreats.
His method often involved significant public deception about his financial achievements and previous business success. For instance, his attempt to take over Algorand was based on promises of forced adoption of their technology, mirroring his earlier tactics at Cognition, where he artificially inflated company valuations to secure financing. This pattern reemerged at nChain, but with more dire consequences.
As his plans crumbled, Ager-Hanssen resorted to what many who have observed his career recognized as his fallback strategy: create a smokescreen of kompromat, sowing discord and confusion to cover his retreat. His manipulative skills, which he once boasted could sway journalists and investors alike, were put to full use as he tried to paint himself as a visionary leader thwarted by circumstances and conspiracies.
Despite Wright's initial enthusiasm, Ager-Hanssen's charm offensive faltered as his promises of Middle Eastern billions never materialized, and his strategies led to a chaotic internal environment at nChain. The climax of his tenure was a spectacularly botched mock trial aimed at undermining Wright, only to end with his own ousting from the company amidst accusations of fraud and mismanagement.
The aftermath of Ager-Hanssen’s attempted coup left nChain grappling with the fallout and facing a public relations nightmare, while Ager-Hanssen himself retreated to familiar territory—plotting his next move from his mother’s home in Norway, evading the consequences of his actions under the guise of whistleblowing and misinformation.
This saga, emblematic of Ager-Hanssen’s career, underscores a pattern of grand undertakings followed by equally public failures. The business community watches keenly, as Christen Ager-Hanssen, a self-styled corporate raider, continues to navigate the thin ice of his professional life, leaving a trail of discord and financial turmoil in his wake.