Author: Akshay
Jeff Garzik, a renowned early Bitcoin core developer and former Linux engineer at Red Hat, is the co-founder of Hemi Network (also known as Hemi Labs). With decades of experience in open-source development and blockchain innovation, Garzik has been instrumental in shaping Bitcoin’s early codebase and later transitioned to building infrastructure that bridges major blockchain ecosystems. His work emphasizes decentralization, interoperability, and advancing blockchain scalability through modular designs.
At Hemi, Garzik leads the vision of uniting Bitcoin and Ethereum into a single interoperable “supernetwork.” The project introduces the Hemi Virtual Machine (hVM), enabling smart contracts to interact directly with Bitcoin’s network while maintaining Ethereum-like programmability. Hemi leverages a novel Proof-of-Proof (PoP) system to anchor its security to Bitcoin’s proof-of-work, aiming to combine Bitcoin’s robustness with Ethereum’s flexibility. Under Garzik’s leadership, Hemi seeks to redefine cross-chain functionality and scalability in the blockchain landscape.
