I don't think it's about the code, it's about the regulation and the ramps, which the bag pumpers have done a great job of handing over eagerly to corporations and states in the interest of quick gains. Meanwhile VC's have steadily convinced us that custodial Lightning is the best way to get people to use bitcoin as cash, when at best that arrangement is no better than using dollars. This current pattern of adoption doesn't necessarily lead to widespread adoption among a billion people. In fact, I think you could make the case this path leads to even darker places than fiat.

I also don't know what "bitcoiner" means anymore, but the dream of non-sovereign, uncensored money is what the bag pumpers are swiftly killing. Bitcoin has made huge strides in the last couple years but not in the direction I, for one, had hoped. It's unfortunate and it seems the chances of walking some of these steps back are diminishing.

For those of y'all who wear fanny packs

I agree with you in principle but practically speaking, do you truly believe that homemade guns are a defense against authoritarian governments? Even at scale this is a stretch. Again, I agree with the idea of defense against the state in principle but in reality I don't think people stand a chance against determined and powerful militaristic states.

"Stop looking at me swan!"

... among other Billy Madison quotes said at the right moments are a good way for me to tell if I'm way older.

Something that I think gets lost in all the hype around Lightning is how heavily it's been subsidized by VC. The growth we've seen over the last eight years has had little to do with organic adoption, contrary to the popular narrative. VC has funded most of the ecosystem including development, infrastructure and especially, marketing.

There's still a chance that bet pays off, but I think a lot of the shortcomings this post highlights indicate otherwise.

Yes, I think that's a good way to frame the debate. And I guess my pov is that it's too early to define bitcoin as a simple thing like "money". We should be more open-minded.

In case I wasn't clear, I agree with this.

True in some ways, but also not. For the fortunate, we are brought into the world by people who care and provide for us. Part of being human is caring for others and being cared for, it's what keeps us going.

I heard this recently and it made me pause. For me, this lines up with your thoughts @kepford. We could all end poverty today if we wanted to, if everybody chose to, but we're flawed.

Help your neighbor, it's the best we can do.

Bingo. It's so interesting to watch the cheerleading of these companies when their success almost guarantees bitcoin will be captured by corporates and its cypherpunk aspirations go by the wayside. But hey, let's pump these bags.

I think it cuts both ways. The ability to take on debt earlier in life can come with a lot of benefits, basically enabling someone to borrow against their future to take a risk on themselves. That can pay off big in the long term if leveraged well.

Also, $0 CAC? That seems... an outright lie?

Bitcoin has a long way to go. Shit like this will just make that road longer.

All these just seem like levered long Bitcoin ETFs. I don't see how this ends well

It's all be fine as long as the music never stops.

It won't ever stop though, right?....

Marketing to bitcoiners is a great way to quickly gain a small user base and then hit a brick ceiling.

I think it's more instructive to see where most of the money already goes. If Doge was actually serious about cutting US spending it would look in these areas. Anything else is just theater.