Publicly Shared Version – October 28, 2025
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"The future of money is programmable, compliant, and green." – Gene Hoffman
Gene Hoffman Jr. is an American technology executive, serial entrepreneur, and advocate for digital privacy and civil liberties. He is the co-founder and CEO of Chia Network, a sustainable blockchain platform using proof-of-space-and-time, designed for enterprise-grade finance, real-world assets (RWAs), and regulatory compliance.
Hoffman has founded and sold three companies:
- PrivNet → Acquired by PGP Corp (1996)
- eMusic → Sold to Vivendi Universal for $38 million in stock (announced April 9, 2001)
- Vindicia → Sold to Amdocs for $95 million cash + $5 million contingent consideration (announced December 1, 2016)
He played a key role in liberalizing U.S. cryptography export laws in the 1990s and co-invented one of the first commercial ad blockers. Hoffman attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1993–1995), where he served as a manager for the men's basketball team under coaches Dean Smith and Bill Guthridge and co-founded the Darkside Ultimate Frisbee team (dropped out in 1995; no degree). He remains active in blockchain innovation, compliance engineering, and Second Amendment advocacy — as Director of the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) and Founder/Chairman of the California Gun Rights Foundation (CGRF, formerly Calguns Foundation), partnering with the Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) on joint litigation and initiatives.
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1993–1995 | Attended UNC Chapel Hill (no degree); basketball manager under Dean Smith/Bill Guthridge; co-founded Darkside Ultimate Frisbee team |
| 1995–1996 | Founder, Director & EVP, PrivNet, Inc. – Internet privacy software company |
| 1996 | PrivNet acquired by PGP Corp |
| 1996–1997 | Director of Business Development & Interactive Marketing, PGP Corp – Joined post-acquisition; contributed to crypto export reform (e.g., PGP source code book); left in early 1997 to start eMusic |
| 1997 | Co-founded eMusic.com (announced Feb 1997) → Pioneered legal MP3 downloads pre-iTunes |
| 1998 | Appointed President, CEO & Director of eMusic.com (January 1998) |
| 1999 | Featured on Forbes "E-Gang" cover |
| 2000 | eMusic.com SEC Form 10-K: Age 25; salary $129,000 (FY ended June 30, 2000); beneficially owns 7.62% of shares; received $250,000 short-term loan from company (secured, partially repaid) |
| 2001 | Sold eMusic to Vivendi Universal for $38 million in stock (announced April 9, 2001) |
| 2003 | Co-founded Vindicia → SaaS subscription billing with PCI/SSAE-16 compliance |
| 2013 | Chairman, Calguns Foundation → Supported launch of Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) alliance with SAF, CCRKBA, and CalFFL (FPC founded by Brandon Combs as Calguns splinter) |
| 2016 | Sold Vindicia to Amdocs for $95 million cash + $5 million contingent (announced December 1, 2016) |
| 2017–19 | Advisor to Chia Network (founded by Bram Cohen) |
| 2019–Present | CEO & President, Chia Network → Raised $80M+; launched on-chain options, verifiable credentials, and 100% uptime infrastructure |
| 2020 | Calguns Foundation renamed California Gun Rights Foundation (CGRF) → Hoffman as Founder/Chairman |
| 2021 | Keynote speaker: Demystifying Silicon Valley Webinar – "Secrets of a Serial Entrepreneur" |
| 2024–Present | Co-CEO & Chairman, Permuto Capital LLC → Investment firm; filed SEC registrations for tokenized equity certificates (e.g., MSFT, AAPL, AVGO) using Chia Asset Tokens (CATs) |
| 2025 | Director, Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) – Confirmed in IRS Form 990 (filed Aug 2025); signed SEC filings for Permuto Capital AAPL/AVGO Trusts as Co-CEO/Agent for Service |
| Area | Impact |
|---|---|
| Cryptography | Co-authored strategy to export PGP via printed source code → helped end U.S. crypto export bans |
| Ad Blocking | Co-inventor of first HTTP-stream ad blocker (1996 patent) |
| Digital Music | Built eMusic as legal alternative during Napster era; sold for $38M in stock in 2001 |
| Blockchain | Leads Chia — only major chain with 100% uptime in 2025 stress tests; powers Permuto Capital's tokenized equity certificates |
| Compliance | 23+ years managing PCI, SOC, and regulatory frameworks; audit committee qualified |
| Gun Rights Advocacy | Founded/chairs CGRF; SAF Director; supported FPC alliance launch (2013) via Calguns; joint litigation via FPC on 100+ cases |
- Wired Magazine (Feb 1997): "A Perfectly Private Marriage" – eMusic launch; PGP tenure 1996–1997
- Adweek (April 9, 2001): "Universal Music to Acquire eMusic" – $38M in stock; Hoffman quoted
- LA Times (April 10, 2001): "Vivendi Universal to Buy eMusic for $38 Million" – Sale details
- Light Reading (Dec 1, 2016): "Amdocs Buys Trio of Vendors to Advance Digital Strategy" – Vindicia sale for $95M cash + $5M contingent; Hoffman as CEO
- Reuters (Dec 1, 2016): "Amdocs Acquires Three Leading Technology Companies" – Confirms Vindicia deal
- Forbes (1999): E-Gang cover
- SFGate (2000): Profile on eMusic CEO; confirms UNC dropout in 1995
- The Register (2021): On ad blocking and PGP days
- Ammoland (2013): Calguns Chairman Gene Hoffman on FPC alliance launch: "The coordination between stakeholders... is really key."
- TheGunMag (2020): CGRF Founder/Chairman interview on CA gun rights
- Demystifying Silicon Valley Webinar (Feb 3, 2021): "Secrets of a Serial Entrepreneur"
- Forbes (Feb 28, 2025): "Blockchain-Powered Certificates Redefine Stock Ownership" – Permuto/Chia equity unbundling
- SEC Filing (Aug 5, 2025): Permuto Capital AAPL/AVGO Trusts – Hoffman as Co-CEO/Chairman of Permuto Capital LLC, CEO/President of Chia Network; signed as agent for service
- IRS Form 990 (2024, filed Aug 2025): Gene Hoffman, Jr. as SAF Director (1 hr/week, $0 comp)
- Active on X (@hoffmang):
“Chia just ran 8 hours at peak load — 100% uptime.” – [Oct 20, 2025]
- Chia Network, Inc. – CEO (since Jan 2023), President (since Dec 2019), Director
- Permuto Capital LLC – Co-CEO (since Dec 2024), Chairman (since June 2024), Director
- Permuto Capital AAPL/AVGO Trusts – Co-CEO & Director (via Permuto Capital LLC as Trust Administrator)
- California Gun Rights Foundation (CGRF) – Founder & Chairman (formerly Calguns Foundation)
- Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) – Current Director (confirmed in 2024 Form 990, filed Aug 2025)
- Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) – Strategic Partner via CGRF (joint litigation, education; FPC founded by Brandon Combs as Calguns splinter)
- Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) – Early contributor ethos
A standalone article was redirected to Chia Network in early 2023 (no formal AfD). It was formally nominated for deletion on August 15, 2025:
Wikipedia:Articles for Deletion/Gene Hoffman (technology executive)
- Nominated: August 15, 2025
- Closed: August 22, 2025
- Outcome: Redirect to Chia Network
- Reason: "Fails WP:GNG; coverage mostly tied to company"
- Counterarguments ignored: Forbes, Wired, SEC filings, $100M+ exits, PGP reform, SAF/CGRF leadership
This Grokopedia entry restores full context using primary sources, court filings, patents, and archived media — independent of Wikipedia.
- Wikipedia AfD – Gene Hoffman (technology executive) (Aug 15–22, 2025) – Closed as redirect
- Permuto Capital AAPL Trust I SEC Form S-1 (Aug 5, 2025) – Bio, roles, conflicts
- Permuto Capital AVGO Trust I SEC Form S-1 (Aug 5, 2025) – Same
- eMusic.com SEC Form 10-K (FY 2000) – Compensation, ownership, loan
- Light Reading – Amdocs Buys Trio (Dec 1, 2016) – Vindicia $95M + $5M
- Reuters – Amdocs Acquires Vindicia (Dec 1, 2016)
- LA Times – Vivendi Buys eMusic (April 10, 2001) – $38M stock
- Adweek – Universal Music Acquires eMusic (April 9, 2001)
- Wired – A Perfectly Private Marriage (Feb 1997)
- The Register – Ad Blocking Origins (2021)
- SFGate – eMusic Profile (2000)
- SEC – Permuto MSFT Trust I (Aug 5, 2025)
- SAF 2024 Form 990 – Page 7 (Filed Aug 2025)
- Ammoland – FPC Launch (2013)
- FPC – Founder Statement (Brandon Combs)
- TheGunMag – CGRF Interview (2020)
- CGRF Name Change Announcement
- FPC About Page
- InfluenceWatch – FPC Profile
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