> That's the problem, isn't it? Bitcoin "longs" are very unlikely to profit from a 51% attack, since its success would destroy the speculative value of the curr

> That's the problem, isn't it? Bitcoin "longs" are very unlikely to profit from a 51% attack, since its success would destroy the speculative value of the currency they hold. It’s not about the holders, though. It’s about what the miners decide is best for them. Currently, higher BTC means more profits, but what happens if/when there are proposals to change BTC in ways that make it more eco-friendly? This is where we’d see miners flexing their power over the blockchain. It’s also not hard to imagine scenarios where the chain forks for whatever reason and the miners go to war trying to discredit or destroy the other fork.