Greed. That's the reason crypto is worth so much - it's not the reason it was created, but rather why it had continued onto the modern day. 

Crypto and anything financial will always be fueled by greed and the want for more. For as long as people exist, finance will exist. A way to avoid unneccessary government/3rd party intervention - will always be fueled by individuals who need it most - criminals, rule-breakers, and most importantly, bribers. I remember reading somewhere that the estimated bribes paid in bitcoin would top 5 billion in 2023 but that statistic can't even be measured so I have no idea how they'd reach such a conclusion. 

Regardless, isn't it good to know that crypto is tied to the unlimited supply of greed and financial freedom? All those redditors that could've started a business ended up starting a crypto account instead. That means there's more place for me to reach the top.. 1 less competitor in the business world and 1 more for you crypto enthusiasts.

In short, the popularity of cryptocurrencies have diverted entrepreneurs from traditional businesses to trading stocks and crypto as they tend to go hand in hand. That's how it's supposed to be though - just like how gambling gets rid of many future entrepreneurs, the same with crypto occurs and with stocks alike. It's supposed to be like that - anyone that fights for regulation for that specific reason should also fight for the banning of gambling and/or stocks. 

Greed is the driving force behind the soaring value of cryptocurrencies, which has always allowed them to persist, even though their original purpose was completely different.

We've got to now get used to market manipulation being the norm in crypto as there are now no regulators, which makes it all the better since you now have a chance to take advantage of such drastic shifts in price by using your eyes and watching addresses. I recall a dude on youtube buying into a token that had a whale put 9 bitcoin into his wallet right before he put all that 9 bitcoin into the token - token price was only affected by 12% but that's insane how you're able to just do that since all crypto addresses are public.

A few downsides of greed are as follows:

1. Market Manipulation: Just summarizing the above in dotted points...market manipulation is good, not bad. (benefits everyone)

2. Short-term Focus: Greed can lead to a short-term kinda lens on immediate profits rather than long-term sustainability. I remember vitalik talking about this and how the actual use of crypto has been completely overlooked in recent times.

3. Financial Crises: Referring to shitcoins... they can really suck upto 2 billion dollars from the crypto economy in 1 go. All of that money just vanishes.

4. Corruption: This is your average millionaire becoming a whale and then threatening the project lead or something, to make a quick buck.

   1. Social Cohesion: Excessive greed can erode trust within a society. When people perceive rampant greed as the norm, it can lead to social tensions, a decline in civic engagement, and an erosion of ethical values.

   2. Crypto really does even out the fairness in the world.

That's all for today. Cheers!