I wasted years of my life in crypto (twitter.com)

Article summary

The author of the post spent 8 years involved in the crypto industry, but now considers that time to have been wasted. The author's involvement was initially driven by the idea of creating a private bank for wealthy individuals. The post sparked a discussion about the crypto industry and its potential impact on society. The author's change of heart has led to reflections on the value of their time spent in the industry.

Main themes

• Crypto industry
• Personal regret
• Financial systems
• Societal impact
• Learning from experience

What commenters say

• Working towards a goal, even if it ultimately fails, can still be a valuable learning experience.
• The crypto industry's potential to harm society means that time spent in it could be considered wasted, even if lessons were learned.
• The pursuit of wealth and power can corrupt even those who start with idealistic goals, such as creating a new financial system.
• Alternative paths, such as working for established companies, could have been more impactful and less speculative than investing time in crypto.
• The crypto industry's ideology was initially driven by a desire for privacy and financial freedom, but was later overtaken by those seeking to accumulate wealth.
• The idea that one can build a new financial system is overly ambitious and unrealistic, given the existing power structures.
• The value of experience and lessons learned from time spent in the crypto industry is disputed, with some arguing it is still valuable and others considering it a waste.
• The crypto industry's technology, such as blockchain, may have potential applications, but its use in creating a currency has been criticized as impractical and misguided.