Brown2bitcoin

From Gordon S. Brown through to Bitcoin

This is the story of three individuals, spanning nearly 100 years, who form a trilogy that leads to Bitcoin. It begins in rural Victoria, Australia, where Gordon S. Brown worked to modernize electrical infrastructure and systems before making his way to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston in 1929. There, he mentored Jay Forrester, who pioneered system dynamics thinking in the 1960s and provided new ways to understand complex problems. Decades later, Michael Saylor, who had encountered Forrester's ideas as a student at MIT, would embrace Bitcoin as the 21st-century digital store of value, powered by modern infrastructure that converts electricity into hash power.

Gordon S. Brown (1907–1996). Pioneer Engineer and Educator.

Institute Professor Emeritus at MIT (Servomechanisms Laboratory).
Brown is remembered for saying, "The only steady state is the steady state of change," capturing system dynamics thinking. Before moving to MIT in 1929, he began his career in rural Victoria, Australia, converting local generators from direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC) for the State Electricity Commission. His work on feedback loops, detailed in his 1948 book Servomechanisms (a text I own, still a reference work available on Amazon), laid the groundwork for concepts central to system dynamics and later applicable to Bitcoin’s decentralized design.
"He's been my mentor since 1940, the major influence on my career," said Jay Forrester of Gordon Brown, underscoring his legacy and mentorship.

Jay W. Forrester (1918–2016). Father of System Dynamics.

Professor Emeritus of Management in System Dynamics.
Forrester stated, "The image of the world around us, which we carry in our head, is just a model," capturing the key role of mental models in addressing complexity. His development of system dynamics during Project Whirlwind in the 1940s and 1950s was later distilled into layperson-friendly concepts, allowing these ideas to penetrate other domains in the following decades, including urban planning, business, and economics.
"When I was at MIT, I studied system dynamics, which was developed by Jay Forrester, an extraordinary computer scientist," said Michael Saylor to Lex Fridman, underscoring its impact on his thinking.

Michael J. Saylor (1965– ). Visionary of Digital Store of Value.

Executive Chairman and Co-Founder, MicroStrategy.
Saylor coined the iconic phrase, "You never sell your Bitcoin." While studying at MIT, he was influenced by Jay Forrester’s system dynamics, which shaped his understanding of complex systems. Saylor views Bitcoin as a resilient, decentralized system for storing value and advocates for its role as economic empowerment on a global scale. “People think I’m a trader. I’m not. I'm an engineer.”

Learning Resources

As Michael Saylor noted in his conversation with Patrick Bet-David, many Bitcoin advocates lack a clear understanding of its relationship to system dynamics. He estimates that 100 hours are needed to grasp Bitcoin at a baseline level. However, as a trained engineer, he may assume a level of literacy in system dynamics that most laypeople do not have.

Even non-engineers (such as the author) can move beyond surface-level hype and critically evaluate Bitcoin by learning to apply key principles of system dynamics inherited from Jay Forrester and Gordon Brown.

The learning materials below are designed to support your journey, just as they helped the author. For serious learners who wish to compress the 100–300 hour learning curve into significantly less time, scroll down to Contact the Author for more tailored guidance.

Books and Publications

"Debt: The First 5,000 Years" (2011) by David Graeber: Price $50, 14-hour listening time.
Key takeaway: The historical role of ledger systems in shaping societal structures.

"The Bitcoin Standard" (2018) by Saifedean Ammous: Price $20, 7-hour listening time.
Key takeaway: The impact of hard money on societal development, as framed by Austrian economics.

"Urban Dynamics" (1969) by Jay Forrester: Price $85, 10-hour reading time.
Key takeaway: Mental models often fail to capture the counterintuitive behaviors of complex systems.

Jay Forrester’s Public Domain Works: For example, "Some Basic Concepts in System Dynamics."
Key takeaway: While independent study of Jay Forrester’s works can provide valuable insights, progress may be slow as much of the material is geared toward engineers and not directly tailored to Bitcoin.

Tours and Certifications

MIT Campus Tour: Free (travel costs apply).
Key takeaway: Reinforced the author's respect for engineering contributions to complex systems, including Bitcoin.

Certified Cryptoasset Anti-Financial Crime Specialist (CCAS) by ACAMS: Price $1,995, 200-hour study time. Prerequisite: 40 credits (Juris Doctor or PhD).
Key takeaway: Understanding Bitcoin through a financial integrity regulatory lens enabled the author to better navigate its evolving acceptance within traditional finance.

Third-Party Classes and Advising Services

For Austrian economics: https://saifedean.com/
For retirement planning and/or collaborative custody: https://www.thebitcoinadviser.com/
Key takeaway: These external resources offer excellent platforms for further learning.

Contact the Author

Contact Form

For serious learners who wish to compress the 100–300 hour learning curve into significantly less time, Contact the Author for more tailored guidance including system dynamics classes.Please use the form below to contact the author. While the author elects not to display an email address, all inquiries will be responded to promptly via email. This form is SSL-secured to protect your information, and a CAPTCHA has been added for security.The author will do their best to redirect you (or your organization) to the right person or resource for your needs, which may include the author themselves. Please briefly include your background and any learning goals or preferences.