Linux Inventor Says He Doesn’t Believe in Crypto

AnActOfCreation@programming.dev to Technology@lemmy.world – 1577 points –
Linux Inventor Says He Doesn’t Believe in Crypto
u.today
  • Linus Torvalds, creator of Linux, does not believe in cryptocurrencies, calling them a vehicle for scams and a Ponzi scheme.
  • Torvalds was once rumored to be Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto, but he clarified it was a joke and denied owning a Bitcoin fortune.
  • Torvalds also dismissed the idea of technological singularity as a bedtime story for children, saying continuous exponential growth does not make sense.
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I agree. Every crypto except XMR seems to be only seen as an investment to make more money.

Why XMR and not BTC? Do the privacy defaults change how it's seen?

BTC is not private. XMR is actively being used mainly on the darknet because of its superior privacy guarantees. BTC is mostly sold and bought just like investments.

BTC is solely a mode of investment, it offers no real benefits over fiat except decentralization. At least XMR is as or even more anonymous than cash, whereas Bitcoin has zero utility.

If there was a way to use Bitcoin more privately than USD cash, would that give it utility?

Yes. I suppose it would also have a sort of utility if it was mass adopted and therefore practically spendable for the average person, but I would argue that there is no inherent utility to Bitcoin.