I don't think the problem with bitcoin is the tech (although I do think the protocol isn't perfect, as hashing times continue to increase). The problem with bi

I don't think the problem with bitcoin is the tech (although I do think the protocol isn't perfect, as hashing times continue to increase). The problem with bitcoin is actually fundamental - once it becomes as big as you say it will, it will be regulated. And once it's regulated, what real advantages does it offer compared to the competition? The reason money works is because people trust that the governments printing it will honor it - otherwise you have people living on communes trading pieces of silver (Planet Money Podcast #777 has an interesting take on this, and later finds out the people were swindling him). Bitcoin is solving a problem, but not a massive one. It's for people that want minimal government interference like people that live on communes, it's just catered towards a more tech-savvy demographic. I guess you could also argue it's used as currency for illegal activities, so I guess that's a use case for it (hard to imagine The Silk Road could have worked without bitcoin). Of course I could be wrong, and I don't think bitcoin will disappear any time soon - I just think it's going to become irrelevant.