Bitcoin's Genesis and Early Development - Bitcoin started as a niche community effort focused on transactions outside the banking system [2] - Early participants, including Satoshi and cipher punks, contributed to its development [2][3] - Initial mining was done by individuals on laptops, gradually evolving with increasing network popularity [5] Mining Evolution and Technological Advancements - The Bitcoin protocol inherently increases mining difficulty with more participants, driving higher electricity consumption (Proof of Work) [5] - Mining transitioned from CPUs to GPUs due to competition, and eventually to specialized ASIC chips manufactured in China [6][9] - The rise of ASICs was fueled by cheaper electricity sources and the increasing price of Bitcoin [9] Decentralization and Network Effects - Bitcoin organically grew through speculation, dark web usage, and online gaming, eventually gaining recognition for enabling self-ownership of money [7] - The network effect of Bitcoin is significant, making it difficult for competing cryptocurrencies to replicate its scale and decentralization [13] - Bitcoin's design ensures no single entity controls it, promoting decentralization through mining pools and fair participation [11] Economic and Ideological Underpinnings - Bitcoin is described as "Austrian economics on a blockchain," emphasizing a free market with a fair launch [12] - Satoshi's departure and the fact that their coins have never been moved contribute to the perception of a fair and decentralized system [9][10] Competition and Differentiation - Numerous attempts (approximately 22 million) have been made to create competing cryptocurrencies, but they often compromise on decentralization to achieve speed or cost efficiency [12][13] - Competing cryptocurrencies often end up more centralized and fail to achieve the unique properties of Bitcoin [13]