I actually think what he meant is that Bitcoin is valuable from the network that stands behind it and all the tools, websites, and services that have sprung up

I actually think what he meant is that Bitcoin is valuable from the network that stands behind it and all the tools, websites, and services that have sprung up around it. In addition to all of that you also have the actual rules of the bitcoin system ("protocol"), which of course is interesting from a technical / mathematical standpoint, but also setup a structure and ecosystem that may (or may not) have long term staying power until the next and more sophisticated cryptocurrency comes along.