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skybrian's avatar

It seems like a more puzzling question is why Bitcoin didn’t fade away when other cryptocurrencies become popular? It’s not a technological advantage - the code is easy to copy. Many improvements have been made to other coins.

Is the power of a brand that strong? Apparently so.

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John Loeber's avatar

Network effects of liquidity. You always want to hold a currency that you can actually sell. All other things being equal, you’ll pick the one with the best liquidity and ease of trading.

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skybrian's avatar

If you might need the money soon, it seems like a stablecoin would be better? They aren’t speculative investments though, and speculation seems critical to Bitcoin’s popularity.

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John Loeber's avatar

You’re asking me why Bitcoin didn’t fade away. The biggest stablecoin, Tether, crossed a $5B market cap only in 2020. We are still very early. And yes the speculative aspect matters.

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