Bitcoin Is 17 years Old. What surprises you most?

[Abiky]

In the past 10 years, it has not been easy: terrible hate talk about Bitcoin, constant threats from the government, many restrictions, a severe bear market, and attacks (collapse of exchanges). But overall, Bitcoin is doing very well.

The price of Bitcoin is not what even surprises me; my biggest surprise today is that the governments that tried to stop Bitcoin are buying huge amounts of Bitcoin, and as of today, the mining industry has become a global competition.

You know the plan, right? Governments are only doing this in a bid to control Bitcoin. Or at least, minimize its influence in the mainstream world. Since they can't "beat" Bitcoin, they will try to enforce centralization by acquiring as much coins as possible. By having most of the circulating coins in their possession, it will be difficult (if not, impossible) to buy/sell BTC without complying with strict regulatory measures. This will keep BTC in-check, while allowing Fiat to grow as usual.

It doesn't matter if the core Blockchain network remains decentralized. All governments need is to accumulate most of the circulating supply. They're doing this both directly and indirectly (through institutional investment firms). Of course, nobody cares since government adoption means higher market prices over the long term. One would hope BTC remains in the hands of the people forever. Just my two sats.

[free-bit.co.in]

In the past 10 years, it has not been easy: terrible hate talk about Bitcoin, constant threats from the government, many restrictions, a severe bear market, and attacks (collapse of exchanges). But overall, Bitcoin is doing very well.

The price of Bitcoin is not what even surprises me; my biggest surprise today is that the governments that tried to stop Bitcoin are buying huge amounts of Bitcoin, and as of today, the mining industry has become a global competition.

You know the plan, right? Governments are only doing this in a bid to control Bitcoin. Or at least, minimize its influence in the mainstream world. Since they can't "beat" Bitcoin, they will try to enforce centralization by acquiring as much coins as possible. By having most of the circulating coins in their possession, it will be difficult (if not, impossible) to buy/sell BTC without complying with strict regulatory measures. This will keep BTC in-check, while allowing Fiat to grow as usual.

It doesn't matter if the core Blockchain network remains decentralized. All governments need is to accumulate most of the circulating supply. They're doing this both directly and indirectly (through institutional investment firms). Of course, nobody cares since government adoption means higher market prices over the long term. One would hope BTC remains in the hands of the people forever. Just my two sats.

I don't really agree with the idea that government are trying to control Bitcoin by accumulating most of the circulating supply through institutions. Government and investment institution are two completely different group.

The fact that institutions are buying Bitcoin doesn't mean governments are indirectly buying it. Thats not really a reasonable conclusion. Most institutions are simply investing in an asset they believe can make them money in the long run. And they won't hesitate to sell it once they hit their target.

If government were really that interested in it, they would add it to their national reserves. But unfortunately, no country has actually done that yet.

[HajiBagi]

In the past 10 years, it has not been easy: terrible hate talk about Bitcoin, constant threats from the government, many restrictions, a severe bear market, and attacks (collapse of exchanges). But overall, Bitcoin is doing very well.

The price of Bitcoin is not what even surprises me; my biggest surprise today is that the governments that tried to stop Bitcoin are buying huge amounts of Bitcoin, and as of today, the mining industry has become a global competition.

What surprised me most is how bitcoin was able to survive and continue growing up when people and the government tried to control it and stop some individuals from investing in it. If bitcoin was a human being, it should be considered as a hero, because bitcoin act as one man squad to get to the top where it is now. When Bitcoin was introduced, most people did not believe it, including me, because i did not know anything about and i was still young at the time, but after knowing about it when, i realised that what people are saying about it was a lie.

Another thing that suprises me is how bitcoin made people realise their mistakes for not valuing it from the beginning, over the last ten years, it has continued to grow and increase, every day, people want to learn about bitcoin and start investing in bitcoin, and it is all because of what they saw from successful those who believed in bitcoin from the very first time.

[Shinpako09]

It's probably the price. When I discovered bitcoin back then, I never thought btc would even reach a 6-digit price. That was like nearly impossible to me before, that it had little chance of happening or it might take even longer to achieve it. I just knew btc had potential, but I never imagined that it had even more. It exceeded my expectations by miles. Looking back, I was too conservative with my expectations.

Now, a lot, including myself, are full of regrets. For sure, I'm not the only one who has that "what if" feeling.

[Patikno]

Bitcoin has been around for 17 years now.

Looking back, what part of Bitcoin’s journey has surprised you the most?

And what do you think someone from 2010 would find hardest to believe about Bitcoin today?

Sure, the hardest thing to believe is Bitcoin's incredibly high price; I don't think the early adopters ever imagined it would reach such levels so quickly.

For me, there have been many surprises, but the most striking is the rapid pace of Bitcoin's adoption. When I first encountered Bitcoin, there was a lot of uncertainty, especially regarding the lack of regulations in my country; but those issues have since been resolved, and it is precisely the kind of rapid adoption I am referring to. As for Bitcoin itself, I have immense respect for this brilliant creation, given how it has endured this long without any systemic failures. What amazes me most is its decentralized nature, its limited supply, and the fact that it cannot be printed like fiat currency.

[wapwapwendy]

and almost 18 years!

For me its hard to look back and be surprised at any part of Bitcoins journey because its so
everyday normal  to me.

Quickly thinking some might say its surprising that Satoshi left all those Bitcoin untouched
for example, but to me it's just something Satoshi did for the community, cementing home
the idea that he* truly created Bitcoin for the betterment of us all and it wasnt a money grab.

There are many other events in the last 17+ years but I see them as peripheral to Bitcoin itself,
Laszlo's Pizza, MtGox for example.

Bitcoin reaching and passing $100,000 would have been pure fantasy to everyone ^{probably
with the exception of those who are still here HODL'ing since 2010, 2011 and 2012}

Hardest to believe back then, or back when I was first introduced to Bitcoin in 2014/2015? $100k

Yeah, I can see why $100k would’ve been the hardest thing to believe back then 😂 Honestly, I think the biggest surprise is how much the ecosystem around Bitcoin has grown. Back then it was mostly about buying and holding, now there are so many different ways people are building on top of it. What do you think about how far it’s come?

[wapwapwendy]

I am surprised the long and pretty tough anti Bitcoin campaign did not work.  These things usually do work and pull people out of things, ideas, investments, but Bitcoin still had a lot of people finding interest even with all the B S splattered all over it every year, every Bull Run, every Bear Run, every Halving, it felt like almost every day.

The large Mining Farms are not too surprising and I doubt they would be surprising for a 2010 Bitcoiner, considering there already were many nerds trying to compete with multiple computers.  It would be VERY surprising however if you told a 2010 Bitcoiner that one Bitcoin would be worth as much as 100,000 Dollars.  They would also be surprised to hear about BILLION Dollar scams and Exchange hacks.  Bitcoin was definitely not imagined this big at the time, maybe except 'delusional' Satoshi who did think this was a possibility.

The fact that the anti-Bitcoin narrative never really managed to kill the interest is pretty wild. And yeah, the scale today is something I doubt many early Bitcoiners could’ve pictured. What’s even more impressive is seeing native BTC being used as collateral, opening up access to lending and other financial applications. Let’s see where this takes Bitcoin next.

[wapwapwendy]

Well back then when Bitcoin was at its early stage, it faced a lot of criticism that made many people not believe in it. And after all that criticism those who criticized the asset the most are the ones who have massive investments in it now. The fun fact is that with all the innovations of Bitcoin till now its core rules like the fixed supply cap limited to only 21 million, its decentralization, and the fact that nobody knows who Satoshi Nakamoto really is ,show us how trustworthy the asset is. While I believe there are a lot of things that make Bitcoin valuable to me, the only shocking thing about Bitcoin is how its mysteries and its core protocols since 2010 have remained without ever getting compromised or changed in any way. That's all......

Yeah, the mystery around Satoshi is still one of the wildest parts. Imagine being an early holder and seeing what Bitcoin has become today. Even CZ now sees Bitcoin potentially becoming more important than gold, while Michael Saylor continues to see much bigger potential ahead for Bitcoin.

[Awaklara]

The fact that the anti-Bitcoin narrative never really managed to kill the interest is pretty wild.

People do listen to and read news in the media, but more people who invest in Bitcoin believe by seeing what happens in the market. The growth of Bitcoin from year to year has already shown its potential value despite having risks.

I am just curious, did the people at the beginning of Bitcoin trading ever think or predict that the Bitcoin price could reach its current price.

[SeriouslyGiveaway]

People do listen to and read news in the media, but more people who invest in Bitcoin believe by seeing what happens in the market. The growth of Bitcoin from year to year has already shown its potential value despite having risks.

I am just curious, did the people at the beginning of Bitcoin trading ever think or predict that the Bitcoin price could reach its current price.

It's quite classic but investors who are experienced enough will limit their times spent on mass media or social media. Because they know that more exposure with media will only make them more uncertain, more emotional and possibly more fallible with their thinking, decisions and actions.

They are experienced enough to understand another fact that with good assets like Bitcoin, it will grow more with time, and don't care what's talked or discussed on mass or social media.

Understanding these things, and practicing rightly, experienced and disciplined investors will do very comfortable investment while they will be able to gain very good profit with Bitcoin and time.

[knuckey]

The fact that the anti-Bitcoin narrative never really managed to kill the interest is pretty wild.

People do listen to and read news in the media, but more people who invest in Bitcoin believe by seeing what happens in the market. The growth of Bitcoin from year to year has already shown its potential value despite having risks.

I am just curious, did the people at the beginning of Bitcoin trading ever think or predict that the Bitcoin price could reach its current price.

I have known bitcoin for about 10 years, seeing the current price is beyond my expectations, in the past bitcoin was easy to get and the price was not too high but 2017 changed everything bitcoin showed very aggressive development and unfortunately at that time I always sold my bitcoin and in my mind that I had made maximum profit but my guess was wrong, maybe I'm not the only one who thinks that way 70% of people who have known bitcoin for a long time also think the same as me

[ImGenius]

I have known bitcoin for about 10 years, seeing the current price is beyond my expectations, in the past bitcoin was easy to get and the price was not too high but 2017 changed everything bitcoin showed very aggressive development and unfortunately at that time I always sold my bitcoin and in my mind that I had made maximum profit but my guess was wrong, maybe I'm not the only one who thinks that way 70% of people who have known bitcoin for a long time also think the same as me

What surprises me the most is Bitcoin's ATH because if someone told me around 2017 that Bitcoin would go to $100k+ in 2026, I probably wouldn't have believed it at that time rather I would have laughed it off. Bitcoin adoption is much higher than before, people know Bitcoin as digital gold all of these things surprise me a lot and these also have impact on Bitcoin's price.

[CryptoHeadlineNews]

Bitcoin has been around for 17 years now.

Looking back, what part of Bitcoin’s journey has surprised you the most?

And what do you think someone from 2010 would find hardest to believe about Bitcoin today?

Maybe the price, institutional adoption, countries holding it, the size of the mining industry, or simply how long Bitcoin has survived.

What would you have found hardest to believe back then?

The rapid increase in the price value of Bitcoin over this 17 years is one thing that surprised me the most, and funny enough, i never knew about Bitcoin until the late 2019 when i first heard of it from a friend who was just starting crypto. And one thing that is for sure is that if the price value of Bitcoin never rosed to where it is today, no institution would have adopted it as their primary reserves, and likewise some countries that own it today. Hence, its price value remains the most important bitcoin factor.

[Davidvictorson]

Bitcoin has been around for 17 years now.

Looking back, what part of Bitcoin’s journey has surprised you the most?

And what do you think someone from 2010 would find hardest to believe about Bitcoin today?

Maybe the price, institutional adoption, countries holding it, the size of the mining industry, or simply how long Bitcoin has survived.

What would you have found hardest to believe back then?

What has surprised or is not so much a surprise to me is that It is happening in my life time.
I mean literally, I was here(I don't mean this forum) but I was not that so much of a kid when it started and I lived through its early growth while it was a thing in college with all the crypto schemes then
I am here now on this forum for year, discussing it as it evolves from one phase to another.
Indeed this is one of the greatest times to be alive.

[Ziskinberg]

It's probably the price. When I discovered bitcoin back then, I never thought btc would even reach a 6-digit price. That was like nearly impossible to me before, that it had little chance of happening or it might take even longer to achieve it. I just knew btc had potential, but I never imagined that it had even more. It exceeded my expectations by miles. Looking back, I was too conservative with my expectations.

Now, a lot, including myself, are full of regrets. For sure, I'm not the only one who has that "what if" feeling.

The truth is, a lot are doubting bitcoin in its early years, and some even concluded that it will only end up as a big scheme and vanish in the end. But it turn out that everyone is wrong with bitcoin, and despite how the government and the people treated bitcoin, it continue to amaze us in every all time high it achieved year after year.

I only invested in bitcoin before not because I actually seen its potentials, but because people are into it, and have no real expectations that it will reach this far. Although I have regretted why I never buy bitcoin when the price is very cheap, but I think what's more important is that I still invested in bitcoin and grow my portfolio until now.

[snowpega]

I don't really agree with the idea that government are trying to control Bitcoin by accumulating most of the circulating supply through institutions. Government and investment institution are two completely different group.

They are not trying to control it the way you are discussing it here, but they are trying to control it by designing policies and rules which can provide benefits to governments. And taking advantage of its demand and supply is a very simple concern, and using this fundamental, any long-term holder can benefit themselves.

The fact that institutions are buying Bitcoin doesn't mean governments are indirectly buying it. Thats not really a reasonable conclusion. Most institutions are simply investing in an asset they believe can make them money in the long run. And they won't hesitate to sell it once they hit their target.

Obviously, this is so true. This is a very basic thing that every person understands from the perspective of investors. Investors invest in any asset or market so that they can make money and benefit themselves in any way.

If government were really that interested in it, they would add it to their national reserves. But unfortunately, no country has actually done that yet.

Are you sure? You are not correct here. I think you lack information here. Check or research on the Google search engine, and then you will come to know that the US has already added Bitcoin to their national strategic reserve, whereas some countries are showing their interest in adding it to their national strategic reserve. DYOR!

[Sanitough]

It's probably the price. When I discovered bitcoin back then, I never thought btc would even reach a 6-digit price. That was like nearly impossible to me before, that it had little chance of happening or it might take even longer to achieve it. I just knew btc had potential, but I never imagined that it had even more. It exceeded my expectations by miles. Looking back, I was too conservative with my expectations.

Now, a lot, including myself, are full of regrets. For sure, I'm not the only one who has that "what if" feeling.

Aside from the price, the fact that until now bitcoin is still surprising us in its unpredictable market, and bitcoin is doing it for almost 2 decades, wow that stretch of longevity is too far from the expectations of majority. Because to be honest, I even find it hard for bitcoin to exist a year or two when its still new, but look how far it is right now, I think this is one of the most surprising thoughts about bitcoin.

Plus the government is now being soft with bitcoin, despite of its strict regulations to protect the people from different scams that indirectly affect bitcoin.

[alastantiger]

What surprises me the most is Bitcoin's ATH because if someone told me around 2017 that Bitcoin would go to $100k+ in 2026, I probably wouldn't have believed it at that time rather I would have laughed it off. Bitcoin adoption is much higher than before, people know Bitcoin as digital gold all of these things surprise me a lot and these also have impact on Bitcoin's price.

Bitcoin price is also a suprise to me and many others because it is unbelievable that a coin that did not have any value is now being valued this high and at a time was worth more than $120,000. And the price is not going to stop there because in the next Bitcoin bull season, I think the price can double that value or go higher and this means we get to see Bitcoin trading at $250,000 or more and that is going to be very impressive just as the price has been impressive for over 10 years already.

There are many things that can surprise us but the price of Bitcoin has to be one of the highest because that is something many people doubted that it will happen because they did not believe that the price of Bitcoin is going to be worth something in the future but it is now trading this high and the price will continue to go higher.

[uneng]

What surprises me the most was to be able to take part into this opportunity when very few people were engaged with Bitcoin and believed its potential. For me it's surprising in the same proportion of winning the lottery, for an example. I will never forget the early years of Bitcoin adoption and how magical those times were, even though there were only promises and nothing for sure. I remember the beginning of the journey with a lot of nostalgia.

Regards price, adoption and regulations, it's also somehow surprising at the level it reached nowadays, but I guess personal and emotional experiences speak louder in the end.

[LUCKMCFLY]

The rapid increase in the price value of Bitcoin over this 17 years is one thing that surprised me the most, and funny enough, i never knew about Bitcoin until the late 2019 when i first heard of it from a friend who was just starting crypto. And one thing that is for sure is that if the price value of Bitcoin never rosed to where it is today, no institution would have adopted it as their primary reserves, and likewise some countries that own it today. Hence, its price value remains the most important bitcoin factor.

I agree with you on that. Furthermore, looking at Plan B's predictions gets me even more excited, seeing all the adoption and importance being placed on BTC worldwide. It's a fact that many milestones have been reached, and some old-school economists have had to eat their words regarding BTC.

What blows my mind is that BTC will continue its upward trend. We'll keep seeing pullbacks, dips, and corrections, but also new all-time highs, and that's what excites me the most. That's why accumulating BTC right now is the smartest move. We're still below its previous all-time high, so it's a great time to buy as much as you can.