The Internet’s undisputed answer to the question “Who created Bitcoin” returns a solid reference to Satoshi Nakamoto and the 2009 genesis block that sparked a decentralized revolution. But beyond the standard facts surrounding Bitcoin’s origins or the lore motivating countless amateur detectives to uncover who is truly behind Satoshi’s alleged pseudonym lies a deeper question - why is Bitcoin here? Could there be an alternate universe where Bitcoin never existed, or was its emergence an inevitability? Today, Bitcoin undeniably circulates the globe gaining greater influence with each transaction, but could it also disappear and what will be the future of digital assets?
Before Bitcoin, Came Electricity
Electricity is a naturally occurring force which can be seen in the sky. You feel it when you touch a doorknob, and it’s even emitted from eels. Humans have always been fascinated by the effects of electricity and worked to understand this phenomenon. Not until the 18th century were humans able to harness the power of electricity. Now that we have this knowledge, we can never lose it. It breathes life into the foundations of modern society.
Computers as a Byproduct of Electricity
Electricity enabled people to build factories, machines and then computers. After the introduction of the computer, we began networking and connecting these computers together, creating the internet. Now that we have the knowledge, losing it will never be possible. Short of an apocalyptic event, the information shared has spread to enough corners of the world and been documented by a sufficient number of witnesses that its evidence can easily be recovered. Skills, materials, processes, and practices are already etched into humanity’s existence. From computers and the internet, people are empowered to create software, share it, and allow others to collaborate and iterate.
The Future of Digital Assets Has Roots in Open Source Software
Once you have an idea and share it with someone, it’s out in the world. Anyone can embrace the idea and adapt it for their purposes. That’s open source software. Some software is closed, and more closely related to a secret. It’s like a recipe for a delicious sauce. You know it tastes good, and you can guess what's in it, but you might not be able to recreate it exactly. With closed software, you don’t have access to the actual codebase. The beauty of open source software is that it allows anyone to inspect the details of its operation. You can make edits - big or small - and republish it under a new brand or name. If people see value in the application, contributors can simply help improve the existing version and contribute to the overall longevity of the project.
Bitcoin’s Beauty is Open Source
Bitcoin is an application of open source software. The code which powers Bitcoin is and always has been openly available. All of the parameters which control Bitcoin are fully viewable. Every large corporation or government which has embraced it did so because their people on the inside approved the code. Bitcoin is software which has two main components, the mining software and the wallet software. Bitcoin miners run the open source software on computers, processing the transactions broadcasted to the network between users. Individuals and corporations use Bitcoin wallet software to send, receive, and store funds. It’s incredible that software which is open source and owned by no one central party can facilitate trillions of dollars in value without any issues - ever. The future of digital assets is going to continue to run on open source software.
From “Who created Bitcoin?” to “Was Bitcoin Inevitable?”
There was always going to be a Bitcoin network. It was an inevitability, due to the proliferation of computers, the internet, and open source software. Anyone who says Bitcoin is going to zero or Bitcoin will fail one day has not had the realization that it is going to be here as long as we have the ability to harness electricity.
Just as the internet is a network, so is Bitcoin. No one says the Internet will go away - because it's not possible. As long as there are computers and means to connect them together, we will have the Internet. All open source software will forever be accessible to people, and so we will have Bitcoin. The internet is successful because it is distributed. There is no one central point of failure. The internet works by computers around the world and in space communicating with each other. As they send and record this data, the internet grows stronger. More computers come online, and more data is sent and stored. Bitcoin works the same way, it has no one point of failure and grows in strength and dominance each day it’s in use.
Esoteric Bitcoin Truths
All around us, floating in space throughout this dimension are claimable units of value. Bitcoin is the first tool which allows people to claim and classify bits of information in cyberspace. Bitcoin creates a system for people to make the intangible, tangible. We can sit and discuss an idea, and use gestures and words to visualize any kind of system. Bitcoin allows us to discuss a system of value tracking and make it real and secure - on a global scale. Bitcoin takes an idea (decentralized, finite, digital money) and enforces it through the use of electricity, mathematics and computing.
Bitcoin always existed, we just needed to figure out how to unlock and access it. Using electricity, computers, cryptography, software, and the internet, we brought Bitcoin into our pockets from the ether around us.
Computing, the Internet, and software are here to stay - so is Bitcoin. All of these are just as guaranteed as our ability to harness the power of electricity. They are as real and as natural as electricity. A true byproduct. Nature always intended for people to unlock this value system. Bitcoin always existed, and discovering it was just as predestined as discovering electricity.
Digitize Everything
The digitization of finance is well underway. Money is being reimagined by governments and institutions through the adoption of Bitcoin and other digital assets. Not long ago, all communication was physical. Hand written letters with pen on paper. All information was stored physically. Now, nearly all information is exclusively stored digitally. In fact, we hold in contempt the offices and government agencies who still do things by paper, giving disapproving glares at file cabinet storage systems.
Money is information. It is data. Money is a way to represent value and work done by people. When we hand someone a dollar, we’re just handing them a piece of paper. This paper communicates the message “I am transferring value to you.”
Gold has proven that a form of money not run by the state is useful. Information has proven to be better transmitted digitally - email and texting. Bitcoin is the best of both concepts. State independent digital money. And since Bitcoin is an open source software, it can improve and adapt over time, as long as there is consensus from the users who vote on any major financial or technical changes.
Realizing Satoshi’s Vision
Since Bitcoin is the first asset in this new asset class, not many who have come after it have been able to rival the number of participants and its accumulated authority. The Bitcoin network can always be enhanced, but it leaves little room for another system intended to carry out the same functions that Bitcoin already excels at.
As a contributor to the Bitcoin network, Gocheto Financials helps businesses gain early exposure, adopt new use cases, and accelerate success in all aspects of the digital economy. Digital assets have already begun to permeate most areas of life and solve problems inherited by centuries of centralized and flawed systems. We’ve seen Bitcoin transform energy, electricity, and freedom during its short 15-year lifespan, and the results have been more than enough to give us the confidence to dedicate our mission and personal lives to the open source mentality of furthering Bitcoin’s cause.