A claim that has been repeated since Bitcoin and Blockchain became a thing in 2013/4 was that even though there are no applications or business models emanating from them, we should regard the technology as http and html in the early 90s. [1/5]

The protocols and technologies that gave us the modern internet, with everything that came with it (social media, smartphones, etc.) were pure geekery in the early 90s. By a similar logic, blockchain will enable applications that we can hardly imagine today. [2/5]

But it took "the internet" and "the web" a couple of years from going mainstream (defined in this thread as "most people talking about it", "showing up in the news ") to enabling companies like Google and Amazon that truly changed business and consumer behavior. [3/5]

Meanwhile, what has blockchain achieved? Decentralizing some transactions, speculation and bubbles, tax evasion, blockchain "bros" that bully anyone who dares doubt the magic of blockchain, and an environmental disaster. [4/5]

I like the blockchain tech, and teach in my courses. But the impact is a second-order effect. The internet/web lowered the transaction costs of everything and changed the world. Machine learning and AI are changing the world through prediction and automation.

Blockchain?

[5/5]