Mark Karpeles Fails to Reassure MtGox Investors, Again

New Statement Released by MtGox

In another non-attempt to sooth the frayed nerves of its concerned customers, MtGox founder and CEO Mark Karpeles issued another statement this morning.

Dear MtGox Customers,

As there is a lot of speculation regarding MtGox and its future, I would like to use this opportunity to reassure everyone that I am still in Japan, and working very hard with the support of different parties to find a solution to our recent issues.

Furthermore I would like to kindly ask that people refrain from asking questions to our staff: they have been instructed not to give any response or information. Please visit this page for further announcements and updates.

Sincerely,
Mark Karpeles

This statement is another in a long string of communications (and non-communications) with the underlying message of ‘we’re working on it, be patient and leave us alone’. For those who have had their funds swallowed by MtGox and have taken to picketing outside the company’s headquarters Tokyo such an empty statement is hardly comforting. At this stage the patience Karpeles is asking for maybe too much.

This update follows yesterday’s announcement that all transactions were to be halted. The announcement fueled more panic and misleading reports by several media sources that bitcoin was “on the verge of collapse”. This was despite the obvious resilience bitcoin was showing to the news. Luckily those with any understanding  of bitcoin realised that that idea was like saying email would die if gmail closed down. Bitcoin is a protocol and MtGox was a service provider.

With the focus back on Karpeles today and what the secret “support of different parties” could be, it cant be helped but one would wonder, if there is truth in the twitter post by  @paulbuitink.

Just heard from a source close to the potential investors that the @twobitidiot document is authentic. 3 companies now bidding on @MtGox

— Paul Buitink (@paulbuitink) February 25, 2014

This follows on from the supposed leaked document from within MtGox earlier this week which was initially reported by the same Two-bit Idiot on his tumblr page.

Karpeles did confirm the leaked document was not produced by MtGox in an online discussion with Industry Specialist Jon Fisher , but did confirm the Crisis Strategy outlines were “more or less” legitimate.

Karpeles Confirms Crisis Strategy Draft’s Authenticity

[10:58] <JonWickedFire> Is that Crisis Strategy Draft even legit?
[11:04] more or less
[11:05] <MagicalTux> as the name suggests it’s a draft, and it’s a bunch of proposals to deal with the issue at hand, not things that are actually planned and/or done
[11:06] this said this document was not produced by MtGox

With so little transparency in their operations and a history of deception by MtGox, only time will tell if these rumors of a buy out of MtGox are true.

I can’t help but wonder who in their right mind would make such a debt-ridden acquisition.  Even with a re-branding to Gox, for me, and I expect many others, this bitcoin exchange is tainted, permanently. I’d rather spend my bitcoins on a ten foot barge pole to keep the Gox beast at bay. In parting, not to add fuel to the flame but as an FYI, it appears MtGox has also been removed from bitcoinwisdom.com

Image Courtesy of Yoshikazu Tsuno

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