Ethan Lou

Ethan Lou

From What Happened Next: a podcast about newish books by Nathan Whitlock

April 13, 2026 · 25 min

About this episode

Ethan Lou discusses his books and the current state of crypto culture.

My guest on this episode is Ethan Lou. Ethan is a journalist whose work has appeared in the Toronto Star, Toronto Life , The Guardian , the Washington Post , and elsewhere. He is the opinion editor for the Globe and Mail ’s business section. His first book, Field Notes from a Pandemic , was a finalist for the Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize. His most recent book is Once a Bitcoin Miner: Scandal and Turmoil in the Cryptocurrency Wild West , published by ECW Press in 2021. Publishers Weekly called the book a “roller-coaster ride” and said that “readers interested in an in-the-trenches view of the Bitcoin world will appreciate Lou’s willingness to tell all.”   Ethan and I talk about the current state of crypto culture, about how he ended up publishing two books in very quick succession, and about the going cost of illicit drugs on the dark web.   This podcast is produced and hosted by Nathan Whitlock , in partnership with The Walrus . Music: "simple-hearted thing" by  Alex Lukashevsky . Used with permission. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Host: Nathan Whitlock

Guest: Ethan Lou

Topics covered

  • cryptocurrency
  • journalism
  • book publishing
  • crypto culture
  • dark web

Keywords

  • Ethan Lou
  • cryptocurrency
  • Bitcoin
  • dark web
  • journalism
  • book publishing
  • crypto culture

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Toronto Star, Toronto Life, The Guardian, Washington Post, Globe and Mail, ECW Press, Publishers Weekly

Books & works: Field Notes from a Pandemic, Once a Bitcoin Miner: Scandal and Turmoil in the Cryptocurrency Wild West

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