Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

"The longer Bitcoin survives, the more it will get adopted and integrated into the world's financial fabric,"

How long do we need to give Bitcoin a chance to gain mainstream adoption as its been 15 years already ? So far I don't see much real use except speculation, extortions, get rich quick scams and websites where you want to be anonymous. For the most part.



> How long do we need to give Bitcoin a chance to gain mainstream adoption as its been 15 years already?

"We" don't need to give it a chance. Time is giving it a chance, every new day, indefinitely. For all I know, it could take decades, not years, for Bitcoin to gain as much credibility as, say, gold, which has been around since the advent of ancient human civilizations. I don't know. Maybe it will happen much faster, like everything else online?

> So far I don't see much real use except speculation, extortions, get rich quick scams and websites where you want to be anonymous. For the most part.

The biggest use of Bitcoin today is as an alternate store of value, by a large mass of "HODLers" who, as their name suggests, will hold on to it for dear life.

Bitcoin is not the main asset used for speculation, extortion, scams, ransoms, drug deals, etc., today. The main asset used for illegal activities today, worldwide, is the US dollar. It's not a coincidence that the briefcase full of $100 bills is a prop in so many movies/TV series depicting illegal shenanigans. I suspect that more money is stolen in USD via hacked bank accounts, hacked credit cards, hacked online accounts, hacked SIMs, etc. than in BTC via difficult-and-dangerous-to-execute online ransoms.


They follow it on CNBC and have for a while. It's as mainstream as any stock.


It's mainstream for trading. It's not mainstream for conducting transactions.


Do you typically conduct transactions using gold and silver? Bitcoin is closer to a commodity than a currency.


A presence on CNBC is very obviously not the "mainstream adoption" that was meant. Adoption as in, I can spend this token in legitimate and common means, not just to buy a battery operated car for a short while or on small subset of non-nefarious online market places.




Consider applying for YC's Fall 2026 batch! Applications are open till July 27.

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: