{"id":11861,"date":"2022-01-21T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-01-21T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ci0297c73a600425f8"},"modified":"2025-01-29T12:54:54","modified_gmt":"2025-01-29T12:54:54","slug":"smart-contracts-for-bitcoin-is-altcoins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/culture\/smart-contracts-for-bitcoin-is-altcoins","title":{"rendered":"Why \u201cSmart Contracts For Bitcoin\u201d Really Means \u201cBuy My Altcoin\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"bsf_rt_marker\"><\/div><figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/26_image5.jpg\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n<p>Over the course of 2021, I have noticed the emergence of an ever-growing rift between the people that I would call my fellow Bitcoiners. Among the multiple contentious subjects in the Bitcoin community, the way that Bitcoin is meant to evolve has emerged, to my surprise, as one of the leading causes of disputes on Twitter.<\/p>\n<p>The same age-old opposition between chaos and order that <a href=\"https:\/\/guerillav2.medium.com\/a-tale-of-chaos-vs-order-the-ideological-war-between-bitcoin-and-ethereum-doesnt-need-to-happen-383dc2e3adc4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">I have previously explored between Bitcoin and \u201ccrypto\u201d<\/a> is now creeping up to Bitcoin itself, in what is akin to a traditional battle for identity: Bitcoin progressives versus Bitcoin conservatives. We will explain who they are later. <\/p>\n<p>Real-world political considerations aside (Bitcoin \u201cconservatives\u201d can be progressives IRL), I think this divide is worth exploring to fully understand the 2022 Twitter landscape.<\/p>\n<p>In this short essay, I will dive into the causes of this perennial divide, reflect on the consequences it can have on the future path for Bitcoin development, and finally, explore what can be done to bridge the gap between these two factions before one drives away the other from what is possibly the most important innovation of the 21st century.<\/p>\n<h2>The Emergence Of The DeFi On Bitcoin Crowd.<\/h2>\n<p>I originally had the idea of writing this essay after the recent wave of hate on Bitcoin \u201cmaximalists\u201d (how ironic) by the likes of <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/udiWertheimer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Udi Wertheimer<\/a> and Muneeb, people that I would not traditionally portray as unreasonable Bitcoin critics.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">A real Bitcoiner understands that the #1 spot is irrelevant <br \/>It&#39;s not about market cap bro \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n<p>We&#39;re going for something else and you still don&#39;t understand, we&#39;re not competing against other cryptos <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/GII19PbrDl\">https:\/\/t.co\/GII19PbrDl<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; GG \ud83c\udde8\ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\udfe6 (@GuerillaV2) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GuerillaV2\/status\/1479214626437009414?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">January 6, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GuerillaV2\/status\/1479214626437009414?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/twitter.com\/GuerillaV2\/status\/1479214626437009414?s=20<\/a><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Bitcoin maximalism is limiting the growth of Bitcoin.<\/p>\n<p>Retweet for visibility if you agree. <\/p>\n<p>Tweet thread\ud83d\udc47<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; muneeb.btc (@muneeb) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/muneeb\/status\/1467906253158592517?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">December 6, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/muneeb\/status\/1467906253158592517?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/twitter.com\/muneeb\/status\/1467906253158592517?s=20<\/a><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">6\/ There are many shortcomings in Ethereum. However, Bitcoin currently has little to offer as alternatives. There are no major decentralized exchanges, liquidity protocols, stablecoins in the Bitcoin ecosystem.<\/p>\n<p>The answer to ETH growth is to build better products for Bitcoin.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; muneeb.btc (@muneeb) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/muneeb\/status\/1467909490989273091?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">December 6, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/muneeb\/status\/1467909490989273091?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/twitter.com\/muneeb\/status\/1467909490989273091?s=20<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Shqiptar_Bulls\/status\/1467997231756230664\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/twitter.com\/Shqiptar_Bulls\/status\/1467997231756230664<\/a><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">bitcoin maximalism failed<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Udi | BIP-420 \ud83d\udc31 (@udiWertheimer) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/udiWertheimer\/status\/1467963309471113219?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">December 6, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/udiWertheimer\/status\/1467963309471113219?t=6siScwnv45BSr7v501-o6w&amp;s=19\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/twitter.com\/udiWertheimer\/status\/1467963309471113219?t=6siScwnv45BSr7v501-o6w&amp;s=19<\/a><\/p>\n<p>How weird coming from the guy that harassed every Bitcoin critic with \u201cHFSP\u201d for the past two years. Looks like \u201canti-toxic\u201d Udi had a change of mind? I can respect that, but he was literally the most toxic guy against Ethereans for years. I would even argue that he molded an entire generation of \u201cmaxis,\u201d \u2014 thanks Udi, I guess, you reasonable king.<\/p>\n<p>The recurring theme is that maximalists are hurting Bitcoin\u2019s adoption by refusing to be \u201copen-minded\u201d and that their (apparently unbearable) toxicity is a turn off for newcomers.<\/p>\n<p>This sudden change of narrative had me reflecting on multiple questions, two of them being, \u201cWhat do they mean exactly by toxicity?\u201d and \u201cWhat would Bitcoin look like if we went down the \u2018open-mindedness\u2019 path for protocol development?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The way that Bitcoin values have traditionally been shaped is by <a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/@nic__carter\/visions-of-bitcoin-4b7b7cbcd24c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">successive waves of narratives<\/a>, some newer than others, growing the potential user base for what is meant to become the base for a new financial system. In 2020, inflation was on everyone\u2019s mind and Bitcoin greatly benefited from the somewhat older narrative of \u201cBitcoin as an inflation hedge.\u201d However, even if inflation remained a major topic in 2021; the greater narrative surrounding \u201ccrypto,\u201d NFTs and the \u201cmetaverse\u201d have eclipsed the greater role of Bitcoin, at least in the mind of the general population. (Of course, \u201cwe\u201d are all aware of how magnificent 2021 was for Bitcoin, on multiple levels).<\/p>\n<p>In response to this feeling of Bitcoin seemingly taking a back seat, many have called for Bitcoin to try and \u201ccompete\u201d with the rest of the market for fear that Satoshi\u2019s invention might suffer the same fate as Skyrock. For those of us who were around in 2017, this is nothing new as many groups have attempted to approach Bitcoin with a \u201cbusiness mindset\u201d in order for it to remain relevant. (We know how that turned out.)<\/p>\n<p>In an effort to reduce criticism from the crypto community (which Bitcoiners can be a part of), some have tried to bring to Bitcoin what the rest of the market seems to favor so much lately: DeFi capabilities.<\/p>\n<p>The general consensus among crypto Twitter seems to be that Bitcoin is absolutely dead, uninteresting, and that you cannot do anything with your coins except keep them in cold storage.<\/p>\n<p>I will explore later why this view is absolutely flawed, but it seems to have elicited FOMO from some of our fellow Bitcoiners. <\/p>\n<p>I suspect that, deep down, these people are envious Bitcoiners that have missed on DeFi\u2019s massive gains and want to be part of what they perceive to be the \u201ccool kids\u201d club, with a monkey profile picture and earning 700% APY on a \u201cdecentralized\u201d exchange (I\u2019ve long argued that DeFi should be called Distributed Finance because nothing is decentralized but that\u2019s a topic for another day).<em> <\/em>More simply put, they want to foster a constant state of overexcitement that is so prevalent within DeFi in the form of big promises and innovative new concepts for fear that Bitcoin will not be able to \u201cstay ahead.\u201d They look at the Bitcoin dominance chart on CoinMarketCap and ask themselves: How can we reverse this trend?<\/p>\n<p>While I can understand this point of view by newcomers, not necessarily molded by years of bear market and overexposure (in my case) to some of the greatest minds in Bitcoin (Nic Carter, Yorick de Mombynes, Dan Held, Gregory Trubetskoy, Yassine Elmandjra\u2026).<br \/>I cannot wrap my head around this kind of behavior from people I used to look up to.<\/p>\n<h2>Why Attacking Maximalism Is Fundamentally Dishonest<\/h2>\n<p>First, a quick reminder on the absolute need for maximalism because I, and many others, have already dove into this at great lengths.<\/p>\n<p>Just like the lock on your door, maximalists are absolutely useless 99% of the time and they can be a pain in the ass to deal with on a daily basis. <\/p>\n<p>Maximalists are the gatekeepers of the protocol rules and of the original Bitcoin ethos. When everything is fine, they are not needed, but in times of extreme crisis such as the Blocksize War of 2017, these harbingers are crucial to remind us of the core values that make this community so great and to call out bullshit where they see it.<\/p>\n<p>People tend to forget that Bitcoin\u2019s most important security metric is not the proof-of-work consensus, but rather the community of like-minded people willing to die for the greater purpose it serves. <em>The people\u2019s consensus<\/em>. This level of commitment necessarily comes with its trade-offs. It requires a constant adversarial mindset in order to identify any potential threat. We must remember, our enemies are numerous and powerful, in addition to being corrupted to the core.<\/p>\n<p>This might result in overaggressiveness toward ideas that are perceived as \u201cthreatening\u201d to these core values. If you cannot understand this, or deal with a couple of mean tweets, maybe it\u2019s time to rethink your commitment to decentralization because the war against the State is not going to be pretty.<\/p>\n<p>OK, so, if you can understand why a minority of Bitcoiners will always be extremely skeptical of anyone bringing new ideas to the table (because Bitcoin already works fine without you), then we can dive into what these ideas look like and what they bring to the table. <\/p>\n<p>As I\u2019ve presented above, much of these ideas come in the form of added programmability to Bitcoin in order to compete with other chains that have been capable of attracting arguably more interest last year. Whether you like it or not, DeFi is a fascinating space when you exclude the token aspect of it.<\/p>\n<h4>They say \u201csmart contracts for Bitcoin,\u201d but what they really mean is \u201cbuy my altcoin.\u201d<\/h4>\n<p>I guess what is bothering me with all this, is that these people claiming that nothing happens on Bitcoin, are the same who will build an entirely different protocol and come out with a token. When\u2019s the last time that you have attended an RGB community call?<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m not personally against altcoins as a sort of equity in an innovative fintech company (think SushiSwap), but I will always put into question the incentives of these people compared to mine. You can be a maximalist and own altcoins by the way, just like you can own gold and equities, but do not conflate one for the other.<\/p>\n<p>While I, personally, think that RSK or Stacks can be super interesting, my focus is Bitcoin as a monetary asset. You can\u2019t change that. <\/p>\n<p>When it comes down to it, this idea of \u201copen-mindedness,\u201d at its core, is really not about being \u201copen\u201d to new ideas but being open to <em>their <\/em>ideas.<\/p>\n<p>Allow me to doubt your intentions when you spend the majority of your time trying to replace Bitcoin\u2019s most important defense mechanism (its historical maximalist community) with another, newer community that is only interested in monetary gains. They will famously say, \u201cDo you want to be right or do you wanna make money?\u201d <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&quot;Do you wanna be right or do you wanna make money?&quot;<\/p>\n<p>I want to be right motherfucker, because your Freedom depends on it. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Bitcoin?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#Bitcoin<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/jXKfcRo1m6\">pic.twitter.com\/jXKfcRo1m6<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; GG \ud83c\udde8\ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\udfe6 (@GuerillaV2) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GuerillaV2\/status\/1444713688393568259?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">October 3, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GuerillaV2\/status\/1444713688393568259?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/twitter.com\/GuerillaV2\/status\/1444713688393568259?s=20<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cLook at how slow Bitcoin is, please buy my coin to fix it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This has created a situation that I\u2019ve decided to call: the duality of Bitcoin development. Where one community is actively pushing to add \u201csmart contract\u201d capabilities to Bitcoin, while the other is trying to cement the progress that has been made and ensure its survival for the next century.<\/p>\n<p>The crazy thing is that these critics, from the DeFi world, are completely disconnected from reality on the ground. Because they live in an echo chamber where the consensus is that Bitcoin is the \u201cboomer coin,\u201d they are not aware of everything that\u2019s happening. They have never talked to a Lightning company, they don\u2019t know what DLC is, they do not understand the fundamental blockchain trilemma.<\/p>\n<p>The only way to reconcile with these people is to encourage them to step out of this bubble and share with them our vision for what\u2019s to come.<\/p>\n<p>The paradox is that everything that these people want is already being worked on by incredible people (God bless our developers) within the Bitcoin community, they just don\u2019t know them.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, there is the possibility that they are not interested in them because there is a much weaker financial incentive to launch a Lightning company that will change the lives of millions using remittances than launching a brand new DEX on Avalanche, but we are not cynics, are we?<\/p>\n<p>When it really comes down to it, this whole debate is a perfect barometer for your time preference and your confidence in the Bitcoin protocol. Let\u2019s explore why.<\/p>\n<h2>Bitcoin Being Inherently Conservative Doesn\u2019t Exclude Progressive Ideas<\/h2>\n<p>Strike\u2019s CEO Jack Mallers once said during a speech that he was ultra-conservative when it comes to the base chain, but that he was happy to be a progressive fiddling on top of the Bitcoin blockchain.<\/p>\n<p>This is a view that is shared by many in the community, the Bitcoin blockchain will be the settlement chain because of its overwhelming security assurances, and we can then build in a layered approach on top of it for computation. This approach has the benefit of not threatening the core protocol in case something ever goes wrong.<\/p>\n<p>If you are confident in Bitcoin\u2019s capacity to remain the most secure chain for the settlement of transactions, then you have to trust that eventually, even smart contracts will be settled on Bitcoin. It will just take time.<\/p>\n<p>To my fellow plebs, I say this, rushing smart-contract capabilities to Bitcoin in order to pander to the DeFi crowd and feel \u201cinclusive of new ideas\u201d will not change anything in the grand scheme of things. The .eth people on Twitter have already made their choice, and you will not convince them to drop the massive financial opportunities they have with altcoins. And again, that doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t get interested or even involved with altcoins, I\u2019m interested in the technical side of them because I want to bring the economic activity over to Bitcoin. It just means that trying to change the core ethos of Bitcoin in order to \u201cfit\u201d the latest narrative is dangerous, and you\u2019ll be called out for it.<\/p>\n<p>People like Muneeb focus on \u201ckeeping the #1 on CMC\u201d and think that BTC needs to compete against other cryptos, they cannot understand that we are trying to build something that can resist government attacks. That comes with necessary trade-offs. Bitcoin is not a tech stock, we don\u2019t need a \u201cnew\u201d version every year. <\/p>\n<p>If you truly believe in Bitcoin\u2019s superior design, lower your time preference to accommodate for the slow pace of innovation deliberately chosen by the community. We are already winning; it\u2019s just a matter of time. Just like Schrodinger\u2019s cat, Bitcoin is already the settlement layer for all transactional activity, it\u2019s just not revealed to the rest of the world yet. <\/p>\n<p>Conservatism is a feature of Bitcoin at the base layer. Progressive ideas are welcomed at every other layer. <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Bitcoin\u2019s conservatism is its most important feature.<\/p>\n<p>A system that aims to provide a scarce, decentralized, global, borderless, non-sovereign money SHOULD be boring and predictable. <\/p>\n<p>If you aren\u2019t boring and predictable, you aren\u2019t competing against Bitcoin.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Yassine Elmandjra (@yassineARK) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/yassineARK\/status\/1475596881589936130?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">December 27, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/yassineARK\/status\/1475596881589936130?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/twitter.com\/yassineARK\/status\/1475596881589936130?s=20<\/a><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">This is a big reason why classifying other chains as competitors is unproductive.<\/p>\n<p>Bitcoin cannot compete with other chains, nor should it want to.<\/p>\n<p>Other chains are losing to competition for not being \u201cprogressive\u201d enough.<\/p>\n<p>Bitcoin will win by not being \u201cprogressive\u201d at all.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Yassine Elmandjra (@yassineARK) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/yassineARK\/status\/1475596883498356736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">December 27, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/yassineARK\/status\/1475596883498356736?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/twitter.com\/yassineARK\/status\/1475596883498356736?s=20<\/a><\/p>\n<p>But don\u2019t take my word for it, go down the rabbit hole:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Play to earn\/gaming? Look at<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/zebedeeio?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> ZEBEDEE on Lightning<\/a> + THNDR games.<\/li>\n<li>Generating yield in a noncustodial way with your bitcoin? Look at<a href=\"https:\/\/lightning.engineering\/pool\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Lightning Pool<\/a> and<a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/blockstream\/lightnings-missing-piece-a-decentralized-liquidity-market-a0bb47534a4f\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Liquidity Ads by Blockstream<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Smart contracts on Bitcoin? NFTs? Look at the insane progress the LNP\/BP team has made on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lnp-bp.org\/products\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RBG<\/a> over the past year.<\/li>\n<li>DeFi on Bitcoin? Look at what the<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AtomicFinance?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Atomic finance team is doing with DLCs<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Oracles? Check out what<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Suredbits?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Suredbits<\/a> are working on.<\/li>\n<li>Stablecoins?<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GuerillaV2\/status\/1476288347509243907?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> It\u2019s coming to the Lightning Network<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These are just some examples of what is happening on top of Bitcoin. But a lot has been happening on the base chain as well. Taproot was obviously a massive upgrade in 2021, but are you familiar with<a href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/bitcoin\/bips\/blob\/master\/bip-0119.mediawiki#Eltoo_with_OP_CHECKSIGFROMSTACKVERIFY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> BIP-119<\/a>? Are you familiar with<a href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/bitcoin\/bips\/blob\/master\/bip-0118.mediawiki\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> BIP-118<\/a>? They will massively improve Bitcoin, and the list goes on.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Those who state that &quot;Bitcoin doesn&#39;t innovate&quot; are merely proclaiming their ignorance. Those of us who are deep into BTC are struggling to keep up with technical advancements &#8211; not just protocol changes, but new techniques and best practices. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/bDLJzFwmhF\">https:\/\/t.co\/bDLJzFwmhF<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Jameson Lopp (@lopp) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/lopp\/status\/1156616699162046470?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">July 31, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/lopp\/status\/1156616699162046470?t=B8Ihle3JthE_h2mtrJU3vA&amp;s=19\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/twitter.com\/lopp\/status\/1156616699162046470?t=B8Ihle3JthE_h2mtrJU3vA&amp;s=19<\/a> <\/p>\n<p>The next time you come across someone claiming that they know what\u2019s wrong with Bitcoin, either the \u201ctoxic\u201d community or the pace of innovation, ask them if they know what I have listed above. Ask them if they understand the role that maximalists play. You can tell a lot about people\u2019s motives by asking them simple questions.<\/p>\n<p>Are these people here to sell you something or to truly make you reflect on a fundamental question for the future of Bitcoin? Are they prioritizing the present over the future? Do they understand that waiting 20 years, if we have to, for the next Bitcoin upgrade is worth it because, in the grand scheme of things, 20 years is negligible?<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><em>This is a guest post by Guillaume Girard. Opinions expressed are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc or <\/em>Bitcoin Magazine<em>.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Navigating the duality of Bitcoin development in 2022 is going to be a major challenge for the community.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3122,"featured_media":6320,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[2608,1831,1899,59,1279,1891],"class_list":{"0":"post-11861","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-culture","8":"tag-altcoin","9":"tag-martys-bent","10":"tag-maximalism","11":"tag-opinion","12":"tag-smart-contracts","13":"tag-toxic-maximalists"},"author_data":{"id":3122,"name":"Guillaume Girard","nicename":"guillaume-girard","avatar_url":"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/photo_2022-01-03_20-03-16-96x96.jpg"},"featured_image_url":"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/anonymous.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11861","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3122"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11861"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11861\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6320"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11861"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11861"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11861"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}