Two twin brothers who made a fortune off the back of suing the pants of Mark Zuckerberg have seen their fortunes plummet after a drop in the value of cryptocurrency.
Brothers Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss founded HarvardConnection along with classmate Divya Narendra. However, they are more famous for suing Facebook behemoth Mark Zuckerberg, claiming he stole their idea.
The pair later received $65 (£46.9) million in a settlement. They were both played by actor Armie Hammer in 2010's Oscar-winning The Social Network. The film, starring Jesse Eisenberg, was a controversial portrayal of the dawn of Facebook.
Advert
Since the Facebook affair, the twins have built a successful career as entrepreneurs. Having invested heavily in Bitcoin using the money they received following the lawsuit, they were both valued as dollar billionaires as recently as December last year.
However, a sharp drop in Bitcoin's value has wiped huge amounts off the twins' wealth. As of Wednesday, the cryptocurrency was worth less than $9,800 (£7,071), leaving its value at approximately $455bn (£328bn).
That might sound like a lot - it's fucking loads - but last week it was worth almost double, at $830bn (£599bn).
According to Bloomberg, each twin is now worth a paltry $739m (£533m). However, in an interview with the American money and media company last year, Cameron Winklevoss said: "We think that bitcoin is a gold disruptor. We think it's just the beginning. We are definitely holders."
Whether the cryptocurrency's current drop will lead the former Olympic rower to change his attitude towards Bitcoin remains to be seen, though as of now both twins remain heavy investors in the online money market.
Advert
Bitcoin was invented in 2009 by an unknown person using the alias Satoshi Nakamoto.
It's mysterious origins and ethereal online nature have led to much speculation that it is a volatile and dangerous market unlike traditional banks, which are famed for stability, reliability and competent, ethical behaviour of the people working for them.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Money, Social Media, Cryptocurrency, Facebook