Leo Briggs
Leonard Henry Briggs Parker (May 12, 1979 – September 16, 2022) was a Kalșerian programmer, entrepreneur, politician and writer, who is best known for launching Elektrem, a cryptocurrency that sought to serve as the digital version of the hem.
Leo Briggs | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Leonard Henry Briggs May 12, 1979 |
| Died |
September 16, 2022 (aged 43) Sappejahamick, Evalria, Kalșeri |
| Education | University of Takalim (dropped out) |
Notable work | Elektrem, The Kalșerian Crypto Bugle |
| Spouse(s) | Lisa Kelangi (1999–2021) |
Born in 1979, Briggs grew in Ryderton, Takalim and, after dropping out of the University of Takalim, he began working in the video game industry as an employee of Farrago Games.
Briggs became involved in cryptocurrency in 2013, co-founding The Kalșerian Crypto Bugle, and rose to prominence as one of the most famous Kalșerian cryptocurrency activists. He launched Elektrem in 2016, with Jeremy Lorraine, Romualdo Gonzalez and Rían Gohalgi, and promoted it as the "number-one Kalșerian crypto project".
Briggs was also involved in KALMORA as the owner of Elektrem Racing, named after his cryptocurrency project. He also served as Leader of Kalșerians for Change from 2019 to 2021, when he was ousted by an internal vote of no confidence.
On September 16, 2022, Briggs was found hanged in his Sappejahamick apartment at the age of 43.
Early life
Leonard Henry Briggs was born on May 12, 1979, the son of waitress Roseanne Parker (b. 1956) and architect Derek Briggs (b. 1953). He had English, Irish, French, Ancestral Kalșerian and Swedish ancestry. Briggs had a younger sister, Joanna (b. 1983).
The family moved to Ryderton, Takalim in 1983. After attending Westmoreland High, Briggs began studying Information Technology at the University of Takalim in 1997.
Career
Briggs dropped out of university in 2000, and was hired by Limestone Computing, where he worked at customer service before being transferred to Research and Development. After Limestone Computing declared bankruptcy in 2003, Briggs was hired by video game company Farrago.
After hearing about Bitcoin by Romualdo Gonzalez, a colleague of his at Farrago, Briggs began studying the workings of Bitcoin, and founded The Kalșerian Crypto Bugle in 2013, with the help of Gonzalez. The two subsequently quit their job at Farrago.
Briggs began working on a new cryptocurrency specifically targeted at Kalșerians, called Elektrem (a blend of "electronic" and "hem"), and promoting it as a "faster", "homelier" and "freer" alternative to Bitcoin. Elektrem was officially launched on June 1, 2016, aided by Gonzalez, programmer Rían Gohalgi and venture capitalist Jeremy Lorraine.
In September 2021, Briggs launched a series of non-fungible tokens called "Briggsies", which consist of a pixellated self-portrait of Briggs himself.
In mid-June 2022, the Kalșerian Revenue Agency foreclosed on Briggs's Lamborghini Aventador over unpaid taxes; while the exact figure was not disclosed, The Blackmon Street Times estimated that the amount due was around ħ600,000. The Takalim Department of Finance and Commerce expressed worries over the origin of Briggs's cryptocurrency wealth, writing that a significant amount of the earnings might have its origin in "illicit activities" and masked through money laundering. Around the same time, the Elektrem platform stated that it was experiencing "technical issues" in the withdrawal and conversion into cash.
Political career
Leo Briggs was elected Leader of Kalșerians for Change on March 22, 2019, twenty days after Mary Ann Papadopoulous resigned from the position.
The new party program, which added references to cryptocurrency as the "currency of tomorrow" and added transhumanist elements, was approved on June 2020, with 53.2% of the votes cast in favor, despite long-time leader Cassandra Newell highlighting inconsistencies between the program and the core principles of the party. The program came under scrutiny from environmental think tank Green Kalșerians United, who wrote that the new party program would require a significant increase in usage of electricity to be fully realized.
A second program, which contained more references to cryptocurrency and libertarian stances, was drafted by Briggs and submitted to vote on October 17, the same day as the buyout of the Spearwind team. The new program was rejected by 68% of party members, who then triggered an internal vote of no confidence. On November 7, 2021, Briggs was removed from the post of Leader of Kalșerians for Change, and Papadopoulous was reinstated. The Kalșerians for Change website was then edited to remove all mentions of cryptocurrency, as well as downscale the Briggs's role.
Following his removal from the post, Briggs launched the "Invest in the Future" platform for the general election after the one in 2022, which was posted on his social media accounts and on his personal website.
KALMORA team owner
On October 17, 2021, Briggs bought a 57% stake on the Spearwind KALMORA team, which was rebranded Elektrem Racing, and Bitfinex was announced as the new name sponsor. Independent driver Don O'Reilly was hired as the team principal, and Fred Mazzacorta was replaced with Jerry Briggs, Leo's son.
Personal life
In 1999, Leo Briggs married fellow University of Takalim student Lisa Kelangi. The couple's son, Jerome, was born in 2003. Briggs and Kelangi filed for divorce on November 30, 2021 on grounds of irreconcilable differences.
Briggs owned several cars, including a yellow Lamborghini Aventador, a third-generation Chevrolet Corvette and a first-generation Lincoln Town Car stretch limousine.
Throughout 2022, he posted a series of tweets about his personal grievances, often making use of cryptic language and metaphors. On June 17, after news of the KRA's foreclosure on his car broke, he wrote that he was "unsure whether all of this is worth the pain I've gone through and given others. BTW, fuck the KRA mafia!". Two months later, on August 21, he announced that his collection of non-fungible tokens had been stolen, and added: "This might just be it".
Political positions
Death
Leo Briggs was found hanged in his Sappejahamick apartment on September 16, 2022. He wrote in his death note that "[he] couldn't keep up with this illusion anymore", and thanked his son for "making [his] existence a bit more bearable". His last tweet, posted about an hour before the discovery of his body, read: "I am finally at peace. ✌️" He had made his last public appearance on the KalCom News segment A Deeper Look on August 25, three weeks prior to his death, where he discussed the meaning of his latest tweets.
Following Briggs's death, KALMORA President Garrett Heuser was appointed caretaker team manager of Elektrem Racing for the remainder of the 2022 season, after which the team was sold to a group of Urgelian investors and rebranded as Urgelian LMC.