The biggest opportunity set we can think of over the next decade.” – Bob Greifeld, CEO NASDAQ on blockchain
There are many concerns over cryptocurrencies in use right now. For the average person, what is crypto ranks top of that list. We see crypto volatilities, ICOs, new currencies and the entire thing feels pretty science fiction.
It reminds me of the story of Jeff Bezos. Back when he was selling books out of his garage (14 years ago) he had an idea: build an online commerce site.
He went looking for investment. When he pitched his idea, investors said what is the internet? The first 20 investors turned him down. The second 20 gave him an average of $5,000 (these were good friends), and after that, 20 eventually said yes, giving him an average of $50,000.
I think about this a lot because you might say how stupid were you to turn down Jeff Bezos but today with blockchain I think how stupid are you to turn down early involvement in this…
It’s an issue of tracking trends, which most people do not do. Most people just want to feel comfortable.
As things like the Internet become easier to explain and use, we get more comfortable. Those of us who are forward-thinking Nostradamus types can make a lot of money in this pre-cycle to comfort.
Like myself, the CEO of Digits, who became a dot com millionaire by 14 years old. I am now innovating the crypto-currency space, and my team is excited to see cryptocurrency become just another currency that everyone can use in their existing debit or credit cards.
What I do know, is we are in our third major technological revolution. There was the personal computing revolution, the communications revolution (Wifi!) and we are now in the storage revolution. This is precisely where big data falls, and it is powered by blockchain technology.
What does this all have to do with cryptocurrencies? The answer is: we don’t know. The currencies here today may be gone tomorrow, as new currencies are launched and consumer trust in primitives disappears. On the other hand, as consumers become more comfortable and safe with Bitcoin, Etherium and others, they may well continue forever.
Where I see this all converging is at that inflection point by which your wife, your kids and your friends start feeling comfortable. Like, when the internet stopped being some wacky coding sphere and started being utilized by the masses without a second thought.
That without a second thought piece is exactly where we are aiming to revolutionize in this third technology evolution. For quite some time now, Ben has been in digital payment systems. He’s now adding cryptocurrencies onto these systems. As there’s no personal relationship between payment and credit card companies, you can actually add them right onto any debit or credit card. Digits turns any credit or debit card in the world into a cryptocurrency card.
You could swipe your debit card at a grocery store, on Amazon, or anywhere else that takes crypto. When your wife, your kids and your friends stop noticing the technology, that’s exactly when it becomes comfortable. And when it becomes comfortable to users, it speeds the frictionless switch-over in businesses.
I really love this idea, because when I swipe my card today, no one knows if I’m using Euros, or Yen, or Pesos. Money is money. Our primitive government-issued currencies are able to scale across geography now, and I had not once even thought about that.
There is no question that cryptocurrencies are here to stay. Whether today’s cryptocurrencies survive is the only question. What I do know, is that ease of use is everything, and I am excited to watch this new payment platform launch.
When my grandma was still alive I loved playing with her with new technologies. It would have been so fun adding bitcoin to her Visa and watching her buy milk without even knowing it.
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