Article: Why Bitcoin Matters by Marc Andreessen

I was a big detractor of Bitcoin I have to admit. I’ve gone through more than a couple rounds of fighting in the UserScape chatroom on it.

I thought it was all silly geek stuff and maybe it is, but the article linked above has really connected some dots for me. It’s the first thing I’ve ever read on Bitcoin that was well thought out and talked about more than what’s on the surface.

All the chatter about people trading it like currency has little interest to me, but the article points out much deeper possibilities. The article really struck a nerve with me.

The closest thing I can relate it to is someone explaining the web to you in 1990. Could it be that kind of thing where right now is the time to get in and help shape it?

There’s definitely something there. Just like the internet isn’t only for viewing porn, Bitcoin apparently isn’t only for buying drugs. It’s potentially bigger than just making (or losing) a few bucks off a currency trade.

So what to build? How do you contribute? It’s a fairly complex technical challenge to even involve yourself in and base level apps and services are only starting to form to abstract some of that (which is why it smells like opportunity).

Money to be made, surely. But even beyond that, the potential to be in on the ground floor. That rare event that only happens every 10–20 years in tech to participate in something radical and brand new like PC’s or the Web.

Intriguing.