I entered the bitcoin industry in 2013 and although much has changed since then, I still believe the technology has tremendous potential. Infact, most people who own bitcoin today don't seem to even understand it's implications yet.
The concept of coloured coins/using the blockchain to notarize documents is a game-changer because it does not rely on a centralized authority to maintain. It is a publicly available ledger where no third party need be trusted. With bitcoin we can be our own bank.
One of the risks to bitcoin I see currently is developing the projects in a way that is inconsistent with Satoshi Nakamoto's original vision. It is meant to be an alternative to economic tyranny (Chancellor on Brink of 2nd Bailout For Banks).
Let's use bitcoin to build a new world. A world where access to information is free for those who need it.
Bitcoin can change because that is in it's nature. Adapt and improvise. And I think that is one of the reasons why it will stay out of centralized control as long as it lives.
Unfortunately, I think we have actually given part of bitcoin to heavy centralization all the name of adoption, today and now, the government has some level of control on bitcoin through ETFs, through centralized exchanges they themselves regulate, and even some of the non-custodial wallets we have today may not be fully non-custodial because they don't want to end up on a government's black book.
We can take bitcoin back to its full decentralized form if we want, but this will require the entire bitcoin community working together, can we boycott all of this centralized exchanges and start trading bitcoin between ourselves in peer to peer form?, can those who patronize ETF companies stop, boycott this companies and start buying the real bitcoin from holders of the real bitcoin through peer to peer trading?
This are the real questions..
Why so glum? Or is this simply an early april fools joke?
ETF, wallets, centralized exchanges and the government do not have control over Bitcoin. They have a kind of pseudocontrol, which only makes it seem like they have control. If tomorrow every ETF disappears, this will not affect Bitcoin. Only the price of Bitcoin.
Although I do not agree with people that would buy the fake Bitcoin (ETFs) over the real Bitcoin, either way real Bitcoin is being bought. Just by the wrong people, in case of ETFs.