## Why We Still Should Continue to Believe in Blockchain Technology

Recently, skeptical voices about the crypto industry have been growing louder. A lengthy article by Aevo co-founder Ken Chan caused a stir in the community when he publicly stated that he "wasted 8 years of his life in the crypto industry." This sentiment is not just from an individual but reflects the collective exhaustion of those who have been committed to this field.

Indeed, losing direction in crypto is understandable. You might have experienced airdrops, tracked price charts desperately, or spent hours researching a new protocol only to realize it was a fleeting hype. From ideals of financial freedom to on-chain governance experiments, then to meme coins, perpetual trading, and the crisis of "greed depletion" — all can make anyone wonder whether they are participating in a technological revolution or just gambling in a public casino.

## These Doubts Are Valid

The structure of the crypto industry is truly harsh: the lifecycle of a heroic story is shorter than that of a real product; hype drowns out genuine development; the speed of speculators far exceeds that of builders; successful projects often vanish without a trace. These doubts are justified.

But when we say "we believe in crypto," what do we really believe in? Not the project teams — their compositions change like the wind. Not the famous influencers — their sincerity is uncertain. Not the stories — they are just bubbles.

The only thing that long-term committed enthusiasts truly trust is the fundamental meaning of crypto for the world — the ability to build a financial system independent of any centralized authority.

## Returning to the Essence: Why Was Bitcoin Created?

In 2008, the financial crisis. Major banks collapsed, including Lehman Brothers. The decision-makers and top financiers caused the entire world to bear the consequences of their risks and mistakes.

From this chaos, an idea was born: **"Can we create a currency that requires no trust in anyone?"** That is the first line in the Bitcoin whitepaper — a purely peer-to-peer digital currency.

For the first time in history, humanity possessed a currency that did not require trust in any organization or individual. This is the only financial system that truly does not belong to any country, corporation, or person. Bitcoin is the middle — it sits between people's needs and centralized power. Any Web2 company can deactivate your account tomorrow, but no one can stop you from sending a Bitcoin transaction.

When Nic Carter, co-founder of Castle Island Ventures, quickly responded to Ken’s article titled "I Don't Regret Spending Eight Years in Crypto," he highlighted five main impacts:
- Building a more robust monetary system
- Encoding business logic via smart contracts
- Making digital assets tangible
- Enhancing capital market efficiency
- Exploiting global finance for the underserved

## Signs of a True Revolution

In Argentina, Turkey, Venezuela — countries with staggering inflation — Bitcoin and stablecoins have become the real "underground financial system." In Argentina, stablecoins account for 61.8% of crypto trading volume. Not because of ideology but real necessity: as the peso continually devalues, USDT becomes a Noah’s Ark.

Hundreds of millions of people who previously had no access to traditional banking now own global digital assets for the first time. International payments bypass banks. Billions of people are accessing the same financial system for the first time. Financial infrastructure is beginning to cross national borders.

And these are not just numbers: almost all of the top 20 investment funds worldwide have established Web3 divisions; traditional financial institutions continue to pour capital into (BlackRock, Fidelity, CME); countries are starting to reference Bitcoin in designing their national digital currencies; Bitcoin has risen to become one of the leading financial assets globally in just 15 years.

## We Are Not the Only Generation Building

Some still ask: "If everything disappears in 15 years, if blockchains are replaced, projects go extinct, protocols are rewritten, are we really wasting our youth?"

Look at the history of the Internet. In 2000, the dot-com bubble burst, and NASDAQ dropped 78%. In 1995, Amazon was just "a website selling books." In 1998, Google was considered "less friendly than Yahoo." The early days of the Internet were full of: tens of thousands of startups dying young, huge investments failing, 90% of early mobile Internet products no longer existing.

But those things were not "wasted." BBS, portals, dial-up Internet — although gone — laid the foundation for the mobile era. TCP/IP, the first browsers, initial servers — all contributed to the rise of Facebook, Google, Apple, cloud computing, AI.

Crypto is the same. Even if Ethereum is replaced by another chain, even if Layer 2 solutions are rewritten entirely, even if the DEXs we use today disappear — what we provide will still exist: the groundwork, the experiments, the parameters, the social experiments, the experiences, and the samples that future generations will build upon.

Moreover, you are not alone. There are still millions of developers, researchers, fund managers, node operators, builders, and traders worldwide quietly creating in this era.

We are with you — writing for those still on this path.