Bitcoin & Blockchain – 17 Years Strong

(Jan 3, 2026)

Exactly 17 years ago today, the first Bitcoin block was mined.

That cheeky little message about bank bailouts still hits different.

What started as a geeky experiment has become one of the most resilient financial experiments in modern history.

Quick reality check – where we actually are in early 2026:

Bitcoin survived 4 halvings, 3–4 proper bear markets, countless exchange blow-ups, regulatory FUD waves… and it's still here

~$88–92k range right now after touching new highs last year Institutions aren't just watching anymore – many are stacking seriously

Network hashrate keeps making all-time highs. Security looks ridiculous compared to 2013.

Blockchain itself went through puberty and came out pretty damn impressive:

From "weird internet money" → smart contracts → DeFi summer → NFT craze → real-world assets on chain → actual boring-but-useful infrastructure.

DeFi in 2026 feels very different from 2020:

Less "degen yield farming 1000×", more "this might actually replace parts of traditional finance"

Real yield, tokenized treasuries, on-chain credit, stablecoin rails everywhere, institutions quietly building on top

Bottom line (my honest human take):

Bitcoin didn't die.

Again.

And again.

And again.

17 years in, it's clearer than ever:

This isn't a get-rich-quick story anymore.

It's a slow, stubborn, surprisingly antifragile bet on digital ownership + sound money + open financial rails.

And somehow… it's still only getting started.

Happy genesis block day, cypherpunks.