> My point is that none of this is actually possible Except it is possible.. What you mean is that the people who pay you don't want to pay you in bitcoin, and

> My point is that none of this is actually possible Except it is possible.. What you mean is that the people who pay you don't want to pay you in bitcoin, and the places you buy from aren't taking bitcoin. But they could if they wanted to. It is in fact possible today. You asked "how does being your own bank do these things". I think its pretty clear how they do those things and how banks are not necessary for you to pay someone else (in bitcoin) today. > would get into a lot of legal trouble if they didn't pay payroll taxes Paying employees in bitcoin does not prevent them from paying payroll taxes... > huge chicken-and-egg problem Its really not tho. Individual merchants can (and do) accept bitcoin without all their customers willing or able to pay in bitcoin. Its just another option. Individual employers can offer the option of paying employees in bitcion (especially easy if they're a merchant that accepts bitcoin). Individual employees can opt into such an option. There is no chicken and egg problem, it can happen gradually one person at a time and one company at a time.