I'm still only dipping my toe into this crypto/blockchain stuff, but it seems fairly obvious that Bitcoin isn't going to play a very big role in the future. Not in its current form. Pioneering technology doesn't usually hang around long, and in "Internet years," Bitcoin is ancient.

It's already had its flaws pointed out, and other coins were built off of Bitcoin to address that. From that standpoint, it was obsolete as soon as the first altcoin came out. It's true that Bitcoin has been tremendously successful, but in a way, that blessing is also its biggest curse.

It's the first, it's the biggest, it's the most recognizable. That makes it a sacrificial footsoldier on the front lines. It's clearing a space for blockchain technology and a culture of decentralization, but it's doing it by stepping on all the landmines that were blocking the way.