I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that the whole “blockchain” “industry” is a disease. A sickness is spreading.
Value-creating, ethical bitcoin businesses now represent such a small proportion of the market that they wouldn’t even register. Trace amounts.
Everyone is off pumping their own token, or the bags of tokens they’ve been given. Online and offline, city to city, spreading nonsense theories for the quick flip. And people lap it up.
The snakey token people that pushed the “democratisation of finance” meme were geniuses. It gave their helpless marks, the fish, a feeling of empowerment.
As long as you’re good looking, dressed well, speak right and sprinkle a bit of futurism and virtue signalling in, it’s now COOL to be Sergey Mavrodi. CELEBRATED.
Conference speaking gigs, magazine covers, podcasts, news appearances. Total adoration for these guys. On top of the ridiculous amounts of money that are made with nothing to show for it.
Everyone’s compromised, exchanges, wallets, developers, conference organisers, meetup organisers, academics. Once great VCs revealed as sleazy token salesmen only really interested in making a quick buck.
People and companies that see the bigger picture and want to build real things for the future are still “forced” to go to these blockchain events, appear on the blockchain shows, contribute to the blockchain articles, speak gently, because there’s too much money flying around.
It’s difficult to build a business otherwise. And it’s important to counteract their false narratives. But in the process we legitimise the serial pump and dumpers, and taint ourselves by association.
The music will stop one day. Maybe the madness can accelerate for another ten years, but it will eventually stop.
Anyone that believes in bitcoin’s future owes it to their own reputation and their businesses’ to control the frame - vocally distance themselves from the hucksters, cut them loose, create a divide. Make it clear that the blockchain and bitcoin missions are not at all related.
