I think the point is noticing the trends, not agreeing with them. If people were criticizing bitcoin in hn in 2013, it means the community was aware of its impo

I think the point is noticing the trends, not agreeing with them. If people were criticizing bitcoin in hn in 2013, it means the community was aware of its importance. And they were before the rest of the world did. That does not mean this is the perfect (or even a good) metric, but I do not think that predicting tech trends is the same thing as embracing them.