Coinbase spends $17k per day to protect Brian Armstrong from tequila
Coinbase is spending over $6 million annually on Brian Armstrong’s personal security, which despite having access to an X-ray scanner, wrongly called the bomb squad over a bottle of tequila.
Last weekend, the crypto exchange CEO revealed his security team scanned a package after it was dropped off by a plain van.
They decided to call in the bomb squad, however soon discovered it was just a bottle of tequila gifted by the All-In podcast.
The battery and wires that spooked the security team were powering the box’s interior lighting.
Read more: Ledger exec’s alleged kidnap mastermind arrested in Morocco
The X-ray scanner and the overly cautious security team that operates it are funded through a substantial security budget.
In 2024, Coinbase spent $6.2 million on keeping Brian Armstrong safe from tequila — amongst other presumed threats — and has spent a total of $20 million since 2020.
That’s $17,000 a day in 2024 alone. In that same year, Coinbase spent roughly $78,000 on personal security for the firm’s Chief Operating Officer, Emilie Choi.
Securities and Exchange Commission filings state these security costs include “certified protection officers, secure lodging, and residential security.”
It claims these protections are not “personal benefits, but rather, reasonable and necessary expenses for the benefit of our company and our stockholders.”
Read more: Crypto execs hiring private security after high-profile kidnappings, report
Security has become a focal point for many crypto executives over the past few years following a string of kidnappings, extortion attempts, and robberies.
Multiple kidnappings in France, some of which are believed to have been orchestrated from Morocco, have prompted the French government to offer more security services to crypto entrepreneurs in the country.
Other security firms have reportedly seen an increase in their number of crypto-based clients. One Amsterdam security firm told Bloomberg, “We’ve had more inquiries, more long-term clients, and more proactive requests from crypto investors who don’t want to be caught off guard.”
Its managing director added, “They’re realizing that intelligent security measures are part of the cost of doing business at this level.”
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