Bitcoin Is 17 years Old. What surprises you most?

[wapwapwendy]

What would you have found hardest to believe back then?

Unfortunately,I wasn’t into the crypto space precisely bitcoin back then,so I literally don’t have full knowledge about the challenges it faced when it came out newly or during it’s early stage of adoption.Though I do read articles about bitcoin in the past and I’m also made to understand that bitcoin went through thick and thin during it’s early stage of adoption but nevertheless it came out strong because of the power of decentralization.If bitcoin isn’t a decentralized digital currency the government and it’s critics would have devised an alternative to put an end to it but unfortunately it isn’t possible as they expected.Even when I joined the crypto space in 2024 I witnessed a few oppositions from the government against bitcoin and it’s enthusiasts but currently in my country that phase has subsided.

That’s one of the biggest things about Bitcoin’s journey: it survived despite all the early doubts and opposition. I wonder what other use cases Bitcoin could unlock today, especially with more people exploring its potential. What do you think?

One of the few things I would be surprised about is actually that not everyone has Bitcoin, I mean not everyone actually see it as a good innovation as me and you so it's normal. Humans tend to always take a negative approach towards good things, so I believe this will be the case with Bitcoin and many other good innovations.

Some people have tied Bitcoin to being a fraudulent coin that scammers use, which is totally the wrong narrative and this alone will take some part of the many people that still haven't chosen Bitcoin.

Anyone that still doubts bitcoin or call it a scam is still floating in the air because bitcoin have overcome all those critics when she was still a baby. Currently, bitcoin is getting matured and the people who hate it before or spreading the FUD are the ones singing her praises daily. Bitcoin is the best form of money man have ever created.

I agree, Bitcoin surviving all that criticism is impressive. What excites me is how its use cases could keep expanding, from payments and remittances to lending, collateral, and native staking. Let’s see how far it can go.

[tread93]

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?

As I think back to when I was 17 years old I realize something. How little I knew. What I thought I had known when I was 17 is just a mere inkling of what I know today and honestly it just goes to show you that Bitcoin has a long road ahead of it and there is just so much more growth to come. I am very excited to see bitcoin evolve.

[wapwapwendy]

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 whole bitcoin story is an illustration of consistency, a story that shaped the lives of so many people. Starting from the criticism, the doubt and now the unforseen successful breakout, every part of its journey was a surprise to so many.

You could imagine a world that never knew there could be any other payment means aside local currencies, now introduced to decentralized digital currencies, who would have thought?

From a couple of cents to hundreds of thousands, that was totally unbelievable as at that time, so the price and decentralization should be the most surprising part of Bitcoin's journey.

The price of Bitcoin that would go from a few cents to hundreds of thousands of dollars at the time was probably completely unbelievable, maybe it was possible due to the global adoption of Bitcoin. I also think the most amazing thing about Bitcoin's journey is that it is completely decentralized and has become an important financial asset worldwide.

Even starting from criticism and skepticism, the adoption of this currency is increasing worldwide, as several states in America have passed bills to accept Bitcoin reserves, this currency is being accepted in stores, airports and to my knowledge, El Salvador has previously accepted this currency as legal tender. I can even say that without any marketing team or government support, this currency has become 1.57 trillion dollar asset based only on the trust of users or investors and mathematical code and at the moment it appears that now many people use Bitcoin as an alternative to their local currency, mainly to protect their money from inflation, maybe these are also the most amazing things about Bitcoin's journey.

Bitcoin’s journey is amazing, especially how it keeps gaining real-world utility. TBVs could be another big step by making native BTC useful for lending, stablecoins, and other DeFi use cases without wrapping it.

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?

This question just reminds me of something that happened in 2012 when one of my uncle was trying to explain bitcoin to my father and he was just looking at him like, so you are telling me that I should my money and put on the internet or something that they don’t have any physical location. He kept asking how the money could be real if there was no any physical cash or bank, still my uncle tried explaining it but I do not think my father understood much of it that day.

Just imagine if he had understood then and invested, he would have been sitting on a serious fortune today. I really wonder what he would have told my uncle if he had told him that the internet money would still be around more than a decade later and become a serious asset

That must’ve been a funny conversation back then   . It’s crazy to think how different things could’ve been if he had believed in Bitcoin early.

[Fordsmith]

Honestly, the price is probably the thing that surprises me the most.

If you told someone back in 2010 that Bitcoin would one day be worth tens of thousands of dollars per coin, most people would probably think you were crazy.

But beyond the price, I think the other surprising thing is how long Bitcoin has survived. So many people have predicted that it would die, be banned, or become irrelevant, yet here we are 17 years later.

And I think someone from 2010 would have an even harder time believing that governments, banks, and large institutions would eventually take Bitcoin seriously. That part would have sounded completely crazy back then.

[Alonso_]

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?

As I think back to when I was 17 years old I realize something. How little I knew. What I thought I had known when I was 17 is just a mere inkling of what I know today and honestly it just goes to show you that Bitcoin has a long road ahead of it and there is just so much more growth to come. I am very excited to see bitcoin evolve.

When you were 17 did you feel bitcoin would get to this current price that it’ is right now, bitcoin have tremendously transformed into something that so many people in the world would never believe that bitcoin would get to the price that it is now in the market, when I was younger I was only hearing about bitcoin I don’t even know what it is,  I was ignorant of bitcoin, but with time when I was matured in my thinking I had to start learning about bitcoin, now I’m investing in bitcoin it’s also something that surprises me, most especially how the volatility of bitcoin can also control the price of other cryptocurrencies, because most cryptocurrencies thrive under bitcoin, so it’s something that would surprise so many people.

[Nrcewker]

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

First of all back in 2010, owning and using the internet was a big thing. At that time launching something revolutionary didnt receive much appreciation. But yes, Satoshi was a visionary and he knew what he was doing. Thanks to the decentralized nature of the coin, it soon gained popularity among youngsters.

The thing that surprises me the most is the price ofc. Back in 2015–16, the younger version of me didn’t know that the coins he was gambling with at a casino, which were hardly worth around $400 to 500$ at that time, would be worth 100k USD after 10 years.

I have seen what Bitcoin is capable of and have carefully observed its price over the years. Hence I have continued accumulating coins whenever I have had spare money. So the value of Bitcoin and its growing demand for investment and accumulation are what surprise me the most.

[terrific]

Honestly, the price is probably the thing that surprises me the most.

If you told someone back in 2010 that Bitcoin would one day be worth tens of thousands of dollars per coin, most people would probably think you were crazy.

But beyond the price, I think the other surprising thing is how long Bitcoin has survived. So many people have predicted that it would die, be banned, or become irrelevant, yet here we are 17 years later.

And I think someone from 2010 would have an even harder time believing that governments, banks, and large institutions would eventually take Bitcoin seriously. That part would have sounded completely crazy back then.

A lot of people have been making a joke about Bitcoin back then and no one will believe that it will reach $100k+ in anytime in the future.
I agree about its survival. Many FUD, ways of provoking the community and how it's said to be dying soon.
But none of them were right at that. It's been declared dead for 478 times and look, it's even healthier and pricey.

[Dareo]

But beyond the price, I think the other surprising thing is how long Bitcoin has survived. So many people have predicted that it would die, be banned, or become irrelevant, yet here we are 17 years later.

I think the most important thing behind Bitcoin's survival for so long is its fixed supply and lack of regulation. Governments can print paper money whenever they want to increase inflation, but no power in the world can change the 21 million Bitcoin account. As far as I know, banks initially wanted to dismiss it as a scam, but when they saw that people were taking their savings into crypto, excluding the small interest from the bank, they were in existential crisis. This is exactly why in January 2024, the SEC was forced to approve institutions to launch spot Bitcoin ETFs.

[Webutxo]

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.

Some people are actually lucky to know about Bitcoin but for me, I don't think I have access to internet. It's not like there was no internet at the time but we were forbid to use phones. It pains me to see friends have access to the one thing I have always wanted to have but I couldn't because of parenting restrictions until years later before I got one and having it still didn't help until recently altcoins made me exposed to the things I wish I had known back then.

I just wish the price would be lower or maybe I'm greedy about that since some people have endure to this stage. If only we can have the opportunity to go back in time, I will buy plenty of Bitcoin I can get my hands on until and would keep them off exchange. However, it's not possible, we have missed that already. We will continue to accumulate the ones we can and maybe we can have a place to sit with the rest of the people about Bitcoin.

[Callido]

A lot of people have been making a joke about Bitcoin back then and no one will believe that it will reach $100k+ in anytime in the future.
I agree about its survival. Many FUD, ways of provoking the community and how it's said to be dying soon.
But none of them were right at that. It's been declared dead for 478 times and look, it's even healthier and pricey.

Adoption increased, but we still have people who are making the same jokes about Bitcoin reaching $1M, we cannot have everyone start believing in Bitcoin, no matter where the price of Bitcoin reaches, it is very unlikely that we will have everyone believing and supporting Bitcoin. There will always be a Thomas who won't stop criticizing Bitcoin.

To the question from the OP, as long as the Bitcoin price doesn't stop increasing, we will have more years of surprises. Bitcoin price has been one of the very pieces of motivation for investors, and why more investors are joining to accumulate Bitcoin.

[Primark]

Personally, I am most surprised by Bitcoin's long 17-year journey that it has maintained its characteristics as a decentralized network for so long. Many may be surprised by the increase in price, but since we are in the present time, I think it is normal. However, I think that the people who sold at that time are now surprised by the price of Bitcoin and at the same time regret it. In particular, I think that if a Bitcoin user in 2010 were to see the situation today, he would probably be most surprised to know that Bitcoin did not end up as just an experiment of some technology-loving people. Rather, Bitcoin has now become a topic of discussion for the world's largest institutions, investors and ordinary people.

But do you know what the biggest change in Bitcoin is? It is the change in acceptability. I read a lot of discussions that in the beginning, many people saw Bitcoin as just internet money or a temporary concept. But now Bitcoin is a financial network without any central control.

[Hazink]

I believe this can be people from the rural environment and those who dont have access to devices,  computer illiterates and those who are not on the social media space. So far as there are people who dont have access to all that have mentioned i believe their are some people who haven't heard about bitcoin and i am not surprised about that because you can only know bitcoin when you become digital and you are use to the internet space.  Bitcoin has done so much work for people to be aware of it and it has really increased in adoption over the years. I think people needs to work on their self to know about bitcoin.

I also used to believe that everyone who has access to the internet should know about bitcoin, but that's not the case here. Some people can come across stories which feature it and don't pay attention to it or bother doing research about it, but yet they are in this internet space.

Those in rural areas might have the majority of those who are not aware of bitcoin, but urban areas still have people like that, if you read stories about some people who get scammed on the internet you can commonly come across the victims narrating how the scammer was introduced them to something called bitcoin which was their first time of hearing about it even while they are active on social media.

[AgriTrack]

If you told someone back in 2010 that Bitcoin would one day be worth tens of thousands of dollars per coin, most people would probably think you were crazy.

I'm pretty sure Satoshi wouldn't say you were crazy if you said that Bitcoin is going to be worth more than a hundred thousand dollars in the future, because he said it himself that after some time, there will either be a lot of transactions in the blockchain, or there would be none, which means that he knew that once Bitcoin starts getting known, it is going to grow, and he was smart enough to understand that since Bitcoin has a fixed supply, it's surely going to have a very high value when more people get involved over time.

The most surprising thing about Bitcoin might be the security of its network, I believe. A lot of people might have doubted its security in the initial few years, and they must have thought that it will be attacked and disturbed in the future, but that never happened. Other than some network congestions from time to time, we have never seen anything too hectic or worrisome about Bitcoin's network and blockchain, which is great.

[taufik123]

-snip-
The most surprising thing about Bitcoin might be the security of its network, I believe. A lot of people might have doubted its security in the initial few years, and they must have thought that it will be attacked and disturbed in the future, but that never happened. Other than some network congestions from time to time, we have never seen anything too hectic or worrisome about Bitcoin's network and blockchain, which is great.

The network congestion is common, it happens because of the soaring transactions that occur in the On-chain network so that there are many transactions that are still unconfirmed.
A few days ago I was also affected by network congestion and after that it was normal.

The security of the Bitcoin network is now completely watchable, because the Bitcoin developer community is so solid around the world
that every code is closely monitored due to the Open Source Code that developers can monitor around the world.

In the beginning of the emergence of Bitcoin there were 2 attacks that were quite famous and had an impact on Bitcoin, such as attacks.
1. Bug 184 Billion Bitcoin (Value Overflow Incident - 2010)
https://www.binance.com/en/square/post/24949343769146
2 Bug Inflation (CVE-2018-1714 - 2018)
https://bitcoincore.org/en/2018/09/20/notice/

You can read the details on the link I pinned.
The 2 attacks are indeed the most threatening, but after the Bitcoin Code is updated by the developer,
any attack is now no longer able to penetrate the network or manipulate the Bitcoin network.

Some just because of the surge in transactions due to Bitcoin Layer 2 like transactions in the ordinal network etc.
Now the main security risk lies only in its users, because every user or those who have Bitcoin assets must be more careful not to lose their Bitcoin access on personal wallets, on the exchange or elsewhere that is the storage of Bitcoin.