// origin_story.txt
Two friends.
One wild idea.
In the spring of 2014, Jason Buzi and Yan Budman began hiding envelopes of cash around San Francisco — then tweeting clues about where to find them.
Within days, the @HiddenCash Twitter account had tens of thousands of followers. Within weeks, it had 700,000. The idea spread to cities across America, then across the world.
No marketing budget. No brand. No influencers. Just an idea, a Twitter account, and a belief that generosity could go viral.
Jason & Yan, San Francisco 2014
"It got people off their phones and into the real world."
— Jason Buzi, CNN AC360
0 → 700,000+
Twitter followers
in 12 weeks
(no paid ads)
// the_numbers/
The scale of what happened.
// at_its_peak/
At its peak, @HiddenCash was the #1 Google result for the word "Cash" — above Johnny Cash, Cash App, and Cash Money Records.
Not because of money. Because millions were searching for a way to do something kind for a stranger.
Not because of money. Because millions were searching for a way to do something kind for a stranger.
// locations.json
It spread everywhere.
What started in one San Francisco neighborhood grew into a global chain reaction — city by city, continent by continent.
📍 Where it started
San Francisco Bay Area
📍 Mission District, SF
📍 Dolores Park, SF
📍 Golden Gate Park, SF
📍 The Castro, SF
📍 SoMa, SF
📍 Noe Valley, SF
Palo Alto
San Jose
Oakland
Berkeley
Marin County
🇺🇸 Then it went national
United States
Los Angeles, CA
New York City, NY
Chicago, IL
Houston, TX
Seattle, WA
Portland, OR
Las Vegas, NV
Phoenix, AZ
Denver, CO
Miami, FL
Boston, MA
Washington D.C.
Atlanta, GA
Nashville, TN
Austin, TX
San Diego, CA
Minneapolis, MN
Detroit, MI
Philadelphia, PA
Salt Lake City, UT
🌍 Then the world followed
6 Continents · 25+ Countries
🇬🇧
London
United Kingdom
🇨🇦
Toronto & Vancouver
Canada
🇲🇽
Mexico City
Mexico
🇦🇺
Sydney & Melbourne
Australia
🇩🇪
Berlin
Germany
🇫🇷
Paris
France
🇪🇸
Madrid & Barcelona
Spain
🇮🇱
Tel Aviv
Israel
🇧🇷
São Paulo
Brazil
🇯🇵
Tokyo
Japan
🇳🇱
Amsterdam
Netherlands
🇿🇦
Cape Town
South Africa
🇸🇬
Singapore
Singapore
🇦🇷
Buenos Aires
Argentina
🇮🇳
Mumbai
India
🇨🇴
Bogotá
Colombia
100+ cities. 6 continents. One idea.
No franchise. No funding. Just people who saw something good and wanted to bring it to their city.
// voices
This is what happens
when people feel seen.
These are real letters, tweets, and emails sent to @HiddenCash.
Some people found money. Some didn't. All of them felt something.
— found in Dolores Park, SF
"I just found $100 in an envelope at the park. I'm shaking. This is real. Thank you @HiddenCash."
Alexzandra Etherton
Participant · San Francisco
— letter to @HiddenCash
"My dad lost his job that week. I found the envelope on my way home from school and gave it to him. He cried. I'd never seen him cry before."
Anonymous, age 16
— email to @HiddenCash
"I was sitting alone on a bench, feeling invisible. A stranger ran up and asked if I wanted to join the hunt. We spent two hours together. I don't even know her name."
Participant · San Francisco
— @hcfinder_nyc · Twitter
"I was going through the worst week of my life. Finding that envelope — and the handwritten note inside that said 'you are seen' — made me pull over and cry in my car. Good tears."
— Los Angeles
"My kids and I spent the whole afternoon looking. We didn't find any cash, but we had the best day we've had in years. My son said, 'Can we do this every weekend?'"
Matthew Burkert
— letter to @HiddenCash
"I used the money to buy groceries for my neighbor who lost her job. She stood at the door and didn't know what to say. Neither did I. We just hugged."
Anonymous finder
— Chicago
"My daughter is 7. She told her teacher: 'A stranger was kind to us, so now we have to be kind to strangers.'"
Parent · Chicago
— @HiddenCashLondon · UK
"We started @HiddenCashLondon because we wanted our city to feel that same magic. Within a week, 10,000 people were following us. Complete strangers were hugging each other in Hyde Park."
@HiddenCashLondon · Inspired account
— Oakland
"I'm 72. My granddaughter dragged me out of the house. We didn't find any cash. But we walked three miles together, laughing the whole way. Best afternoon in years."
Grandparent · Oakland
— @payitforward_hc · Twitter
"I donated my found cash to a food bank and wrote my own clue card. Left $40 in the library. Watched a woman find it from across the room. The look on her face — I'll never forget it."
@payitforward_hc
People still write to say they remember exactly where they were when they found their envelope.
A child learned that strangers can be kind. A father felt seen.
Two people who didn't know each other became friends.
That's what $20 in an envelope can do.
Two people who didn't know each other became friends.
That's what $20 in an envelope can do.
// press_wall/
The world
took notice.
25+ outlets. 10+ countries. One idea.
CNN
NBC
ABC
CBS
BBC
NPR
NYT
TIME
BuzzFeed
TODAY
+ thousands more
These are just a few.
Thousands of outlets
covered @HiddenCash across print,
broadcast, digital & international press.
broadcast, digital & international press.
At its peak
The #1 Google result
for the word "Cash"
for the word "Cash"
Not because of money.
Because millions of people were searching
for a way to do something kind
for a stranger.
Because millions of people were searching
for a way to do something kind
for a stranger.
// team.md