Patrick Byrne, Overstock’s Bitcoin-friendly CEO, has returned to the company after a medical leave of absence.
Byrne returned to his position as CEO of the online retail giant after a three-month leave of absence prompted by health complications.
An injury during a trip to rural China caused him to contract hepatitis C, which had reached stage IV when he was forced to take a break to attend to his health. Now, Byrne is resuming duties as the head of the company from acting CEO Mitch Edwards.
He says:
“I’m happy to be back to the day-to-day operations of this great company, where I see a clear path to continue our accelerating growth.”
On Twitter, in lieu of sharing the news himself, Byrne retweeted a supporter’s vivid sensationalization of his return to health.
Overstock’s commitment to Bitcoin questioned after Byrne’s departure
Since Byrne’s interest in Bitcoin seemed to be the driving factor behind Overstock’s adoption of the cryptocurrency, many wondered if company policy would change after his untimely departure.
However, spokespeople from Overstock have confirmed that Bitcoin will remain an integral part of the operation.
Overstock’s acting CEO during Byrne’s absence, Mitch Edwards, is himself a friend of the crypto community, having served as CFO of BitTorrent for three years.
Byrne’s longstanding cryptocurrency and freedom advocacy
Patrick Byrne remained a rare voice of advocacy for Bitcoin and liberty, speaking on those topics around the world at events such as the Mises Institute, the North American Bitcoin Conference, the Inside Bitcoins Las Vegas conference, FreedomFest, and others.
In 2014, he headlined the 11th annual Porcupine Freedom Festival, a crypto-anarchist conference in New Hampshire where everyone uses Bitcoin.