The recent news of ancient crypto wallets coming alive got me thinking about those early days in Bitcoin’s existence.
After some time, an alternative reality formed in my imagination.
Satoshi lives and is having a whale of a time. He made a fair alternative currency that seems to resonate with people.
It moons. Celebrity-dom ensues.
Eventually, fame takes its tragic toll, and Satoshi’s knack for the high life finds him floating face down in a ₿-shaped pool.
The dynamics of politics demand villains. Red versus blue. East versus West.
Satoshi’s masterstroke wasn’t creating his digital dollar. It was turning his back on it.
The true power of Bitcoin - and by generalization, decentralization - is that it has no creator to target.
Crypto is at its weakest when megacorps like FTX and Coinbase breach into politics. It has a face and is controllable.
When Warren summons an almighty anti-crypto army, or Gensler rants about securities, they have a shaggy-haired target to zero in on.
The COVID pandemic, while being a tragedy, was a red pill moment for humanity. It was a shift that made people realize, even if only temporarily for some, that they didn’t have to work 9-5 and that governments can manipulate (or print) money.
It showed us that real change can ensue when something is faceless and uncontrollable.
It’s programmed in us as humans to look towards ‘leaders’. Throughout history cultures have blindly idolized individuals irrespective of their flaws.
It’s why I believe Pepe became Web3’s chosen mascot. It’s a face, but with infinite and blending identities.
Let’s hope that Satoshi remains in the ether. Doing so means that blockchain’s biggest anchor stays infallible and preserves the momentum built up by all of the faces, and faceless, across the entire industry.