22 May
0
Bitcoin listed on NYSE – Reminiscing
Look at how far we’ve come.
Four years ago, the world of Bitcoin found me. By most peoples account, this was still very early days. The USD price, seen on a pre-Karpeles Mt.GOX, had recently surpassed it’s All-Time High of One-Dollar. I watched it climb up and kiss $31 over the next two months, before crashing back down to $2. Then $7. Then leveling off at $5. “Well, that’s it.” Said the forums and chat rooms ”Bitcoin is dead. We’ll never see $30 again.” I was not convinced. Alternative currencies were already a fascination of mine, long before the idea became digital, and something about Bitcoin struck a chord.
I’d spend hours running numbers in my head and on paper, speculating about the possibilities. I made charts predicting price against difficulty, and theorizing just how high we might go after the first Block halving in the far distant future of 2012. You think people look at you like you’re crazy now…imagine what this looked like before anyone outside of a message board had heard the name Bitcoin. Friends politely listened to me exalt the virtues of cryptocurrency, sometimes for hours at a time, before hesitantly urging that I might be involved in a Ponzi scheme. “You don’t understand.” I’d say, “You’re looking at the future. This isn’t going away. It could go as high as $50, or even $100 per coin. It’s only a matter of time. Someday, Bitcoin could even have its own listing on the New York stock exchange.”
Fast forward to May 19th, 2015: The New York Stock Exchange has just launched an index for tracking Bitcoin. The feeling is surreal for me, and I’m sure for many of you too. We’ve gone from Alpaca Socks and Servers to an open world of goods and services. We’ve grown from a hand full of passionate nerds into a community of millions. We’ve seen phenomenal highs and crashing lows, but never a slowing of adoption. The resilience of our community is taking hold. It’s not about the price, or volatility. Bitcoin’s success has always been tied to the passion of its community, and it’s only getting bigger. So don’t be afraid to be a little frivolous with your coins sometimes. Go out and buy a street taco or a latte somewhere. Give some coins to your friends. Speculate. Tell everyone. And most importantly, enjoy the moment we’re in right now. The future is bright, and it’s a lot closer than you think.
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