GPU Bitcoin mining began not with massive data centers, but with one man: Laszlo Hanyecz. Long before he became famous for buying two pizzas for 10,000 BTC on May 22, 2010, Hanyecz quietly revolutionized Bitcoin behind the scenes.
He developed the first Bitcoin client for Mac OS and pioneered mining with graphics cards. These innovations changed the Bitcoin network forever—even prompting Satoshi Nakamoto himself to intervene.
Laszlo Hanyecz and the First Bitcoin Mac Client
In April 2010, Hanyecz released the first Mac OS X Bitcoin client. Before that, Bitcoin only worked on Windows and Linux. Thanks to him, Mac users could finally run wallets and connect to the network.
But just weeks later, GPU Bitcoin mining became his breakthrough. He published binaries that used NVIDIA graphics cards to mine faster—specifically recommending the GeForce 8800.
By the end of 2010, the network hash rate had grown by over 130,000%. Bitcoin was no longer a toy project—it was accelerating.
Satoshi Steps In to Curb GPU Mining
Satoshi personally contacted Hanyecz. He feared that GPU Bitcoin mining would push out average users who couldn’t compete with graphics card setups.
“I felt like I broke someone’s project,” Hanyecz later said.
He stopped distributing GPU mining binaries and turned to something symbolic: offering 10,000 BTC for pizza to show Bitcoin could be used as money—not just mined.
Hanyecz Spent 100,000 BTC in 2010
Although known for Bitcoin Pizza Day, Hanyecz spent over 100,000 BTC that year—on more pizza, services, and experiments.
He didn’t just support Bitcoin. He lived it. And his role in launching GPU Bitcoin mining laid the groundwork for the industry we know today.
