Curious what the sentiment is regarding crypto going mainstream. IMHO I think crypto will slowly fade into nothing or at most, a tiny community of speculators.

I promise this is not a troll post. I am legitimately curious.

From 2016 to 2023, I was deeply involved in the crypto and blockchain space, working on blockchain tech and collaborating closely with several prominent projects. Back then, I was enthusiastic about these “legitimate” initiatives that seemed to address real problems.

Now that I no longer have any personal or professional ties to crypto, I see things differently. As an outsider with significant knowledge, I’m no longer “drinking the Kool-Aid.” While I still believe blockchain technology has its merits in solving certain issues, I strongly feel that the financial aspect of “crypto” will gradually fade away. For years, I’ve heard statements like, “As soon as crypto/blockchain solves X, it will become mainstream,” and “Project/technology X will push crypto mainstream.” I’ve witnessed many problems being solved (reducing wallet friction, increasing transactions per second, enabling cross-chain transactions, and so on) yet here we are, still having the same conversations we had over eight years ago when I was involved. Nothing has changed.

I think it’s entertaining to speculate and essentially gamble occasionally, and people will continue to make some gains. However, regarding crypto becoming mainstream, I personally don’t think it’s going to happen.

If you mention blockchain or crypto to anyone on the outside the general sentiment is it’s a bunch of degens hoping to go to the moon so they can get their purple Lambo. It’s actually a shame because the financial aspect of “crypto” has completely overshadowed the real-world solutions that blockchain as a technology can and is providing.

I’m interested to hear what others think about this perspective?