Rather than blame Zuckerberg, we need to grapple with the real-world problems that fuel people’s desire for a golden ticket. For many millennials, saving money earns no interest, retirement looks to be a dream, and owning a house is beyond reach. That’s what allows people like Bitcoin icon Charlie Shrem to tweet: “5 BTC is all you need, HODL for 15-20 years and you’ll never need to work again.”
Why blame Zuckerberg? Blame Satoshi, Bitcoin’s creator, or policymakers who haven’t worked out how to control speculative asset bubbles anywhere, let alone crypto’s. For once, Facebook isn’t the bad guy.
Lionel Laurent is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Brussels. He previously worked at Reuters and Forbes.