The History & Meaning Behind "Stacking Sats"

Alex Adelman -

What does "stacking sats" mean?

So you've heard or read the term "stacking sats" but what does this phrase mean? Well, you've come to the right place. We're breaking down the history and etymology of the bitcoin community's most beloved phrase.

Definition

stacking sats‬
[‬/stak/-iNG/ sats]  ‪
1. verb: the act of accumulating bitcoin through buying‬, earning, or mining

Example of stacking sats in a Sentence:
Friend: hey what’s up
Me: nothin' much, just shopping and stacking sats with Lolli.

Stacking Sats Meaning


Stacking Sats is a term commonly used within the bitcoin community to describe the act of regularly accumulating bitcoin, by buying, earning, or mining.

"Sats" is short for satoshis, the smallest unit of bitcoin (BTC). The unit’s name, satoshi, derives from the pseudonymous name of the creator of bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto. One satoshi (sat) is equal to 0.00000001 BTC (one hundred millionth of a bitcoin). In other words, there are 100 million satoshis in a bitcoin.

While originally a grassroots movement, the term was hailed throughout the broader community and came to be embraced by many companies including Cash App, Lolli, and Lightning Labs.


Etymology


The term was first publicly tweeted on December 20th, 2017 by anonymous Twitter user @CryptoGod112358. [1]

The term was then mentioned on several occasions and popularized by bitcoin advocate and podcast host Matt Odell on Tales From The Crypt podcast.

On February 14, 2019, Odell, a strong advocate of bitcoin, advised his listeners to earn bitcoin or make regular purchases of whatever denomination they could afford, and accumulate bitcoin on a recurring basis — thus creating the the process of “stacking satoshis” or “stacking sats.”

Following this mention, a movement began on Twitter among Odells’s listeners, many of whom began to post screenshots documenting their confirmed bitcoin (BTC) purchases or earnings as proof to the bitcoin community of #stackingsats.

Soon bitcoin companies began adopting the jargon online. Bitcoin rewards company, Lolli, introduced “Stacking Sats Saturdays” to the bitcoin community on Feb 28, 2019, creating a weekly event around the act of earning bitcoin when they make everyday purchases. [2]

The stacking sats movement received a vote of encouragement on March 2nd, 2019  when Twitter and Square CEO Jack Dorsey tweeted #stackingsats with a screenshot of a confirmed bitcoin purchase using Cash App.

On Oct 12, 2019, makeup artist, entrepreneur, and beauty influencer, Michelle Phan, tweeted "Friday night, I’m staying in and stacking sats. #humblehodler".

Stacking Sats in the Media

Stacking Sats Memes

As the term stacking sats grew in usage within the bitcoin community, memes were created and shared online promoting the act of stacking sats.


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References

1  Reference: https://twitter.com/CryptoGod112358/status/943619693293854722?s=20

2  Reference: https://twitter.com/trylolli/status/1101220944826327041?s=20

3 Reference: https://www.newsbtc.com/2019/03/03/heres-why-twitter-ceo-jack-dorsey-co-are-stacking-bitcoin-satoshis/

4 Reference: https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=stacking%20sats

*This blog post will be updated and amended as needed.