# Gideon Powell

> Gideon O. Powell is the Dallas-based CEO of Cholla Inc., a family energy business that combines oil and gas exploration with Bitcoin mining, data center development, and early-stage energy investing. He led Cholla’s Permian Basin expansion, co-founded Autonomous LLC, helped develop HODL Ranch, and advocates for flexible electricity demand and energy abundance.

- **Role:** Chief Executive Officer at Cholla Inc.
- **Organizations:** Cholla Inc., Autonomous LLC, MIT Energy & Climate Club, Buried Alive Project, Stand Together
- **Education:** Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance, Baylor University
- **Known for:** Led Cholla’s Permian Basin entrance and subsequent growth and divestitures., Co-founded Autonomous LLC and helped develop the HODL Ranch Bitcoin mining campus., Selected for People Newspapers’ 2023 20 Under 40.

## Career timeline

- **Early career** — Worked on a drilling rig in southern Oklahoma; later worked for a royalty acquisition company in Midland.
- **2013–2017** — Director of Acquisitions & New Ventures at Cholla; led its expansion into the Permian Basin.
- **2017** — Autonomous acquired land in West Texas to develop HODL Ranch 1.
- **2019** — Cholla records the acquisition of HODL Ranch by a Silicon Valley startup.
- **2021** — Cholla records Powell’s appointment as chairman and CEO.
- **2023** — Cholla energized its South Dunn Load Center to test cooling and flexible power strategies through Bitcoin mining.
- **2025** — Listed as a witness in Texas House analyses concerning large electric loads and interconnection.
- **2026** — Continued public discussion of power generation, Bitcoin mining, and AI infrastructure.

## Achievements

- Led Cholla’s Permian Basin entrance and subsequent growth and divestitures.
- Co-founded Autonomous LLC and helped develop the HODL Ranch Bitcoin mining campus.
- Selected for People Newspapers’ 2023 20 Under 40.
- Serves on the advisory board of the MIT Energy Club.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Listed for an August 11 conversation with Marty Bent at PubKey DC on permissionless innovation, energy, AI, Bitcoin, and public trust; the listing alone does not establish attendance.
- **2026-05** — Marty Bent’s May 21 essay recounts a discussion with Powell at the Texas Energy and Mining Summit the previous day about power generation and compute.
- **2026-05** — Listed on the May 22 Operation Gigawatt Summit agenda for the Energy Workforce of the Future session.
- **2025-07** — American Habits published a July 30 interview on energy, Bitcoin mining, and Cholla’s expansion.

## Links

- Website: https://chollainc.com/about/team/gideon-o-powell
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gideon-o-powell-%F0%9F%8F%B4%E2%80%8D%E2%98%A0%EF%B8%8F-84615a50
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/GideonOPowell

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/gideon-powell
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-08