No, We Are Not Psychopaths: Why Bitcoin Is Here to Stay

A Boots-on-the-Ground View of Bitcoin 2022 Conference

I attended Bitcoin 2022 in Miami Beach, Florida earlier this month. I want to first start with my immediate impression.

Bitcoin IS here to stay.

Here is a snapshot of the economy of just a single, albeit the largest, bitcoin conference, which is just a small part of the global “bitcoin economy.” Bitcoin 2022 was attended by:

25,000 attendees
400 sponsors
3,000 companies

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez unveiled an electronic bitcoin bull at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

Bitcoin 2022 was just one of at least half a dozen blockchain events THAT WEEK.

Boots on the Ground

As a convention attendee for the second year in a row, here are a few observations.

1. Networking

My main purpose in Miami was networking, which I did a lot of. I came a day early and attended the final day of Shitcoin 2022. I also attended an after party for four straight nights, after the main convention days were over. When I went home, my legs were sore, my voice was hoarse, and I had 150 new business cards. I accomplished what I consider to be two kinds of networking: a) targeted networking and b) accidental networking.

In terms of targeted networking, I met a number of thought leaders in the crypto and bitcoin space that I wanted to meet, including my good friend, fellow Medium writer and associate at Quantum Economics, Mr. Jason Deane.

I met at least two dozen more internet friends of mine, most of them for the first time. It’s great to see people in real life who you normally just interact with on Twitter. I was really impressed with so many of them.

Contrary to the ridiculous New York Post headline, I found that my bitcoin friends weren’t psychopaths, and they did care about me!

As Miss Teen Crypto told me “wow, you’re a real person!” Here’s a shot of us hanging, too.

As far as accidental networking, aside from the 150 business cards I collected, I made several crucial industry contacts that are already helping me in my career — and I literally met them while taking a seat to have a breather and a snack.

2. Venue

The Bitcoin Magazine conference crew did an excellent job with the venue this year. In contrast, while I enjoyed the conference last year, it was a disaster in comparison. They hosted 10,000+ people in an event venue likely capable of housing 5,000.

These changes allowed the 25,000 bitcoiners to attend in relative comfort:

The conference moved from Mana Wynwood (a much smaller venue) to the Miami Beach Convention Center.
The dates were moved from June to April, mitigating the worst of sweltering Miami summer heat.
No 3-hour sign-in lines in 90 degree heat.
The main conference stage was massive and there were no lines to get in, and there were always available seats.
No 30-minute wait for the bathroom or food trucks.

3. Learning at the Conference Itself

This year’s seminars updated me on the latest events and conservations on bitcoin mining, bitcoin in politics and global bitcoin adoption.

I enjoyed a number of the speakers at the conference itself, though admittedly I did miss quite a bit.

Some of the speakers and moderators that stuck out the most to me included Jordan Peterson, Michael Saylor, Peter Thiel, Nic Carter, Steve Barbour and Mackenzie Sigalos.

I noticed that there was a very broad range of speakers from all political spectrums, each embracing bitcoin from their own unique perspectives.

4. The Bad Part

There was an extremely small percentage of women attending, and one of the staff of Bitcoin Magazine actually took pictures of one female crypto’s butt and was posting this across Twitter, getting others to make fun of her. He was at least fired, though the CEO of Bitcoin Magazine was a little weak on the public response. He commented on these actions in a negative way, but did not issue an apology to this influencer.

I had another friend of mine tell me it was odd that so many men weren’t looking her in the eye, while I saw a few others complaining of verbal harassment.

I am one of the last people to harp on this issue, but this conference needs to be more friendly and welcoming to women. While I am sure most men who attended are gentlemen, the few bad apples can ruin the entire environment. Anyone involved in the deliberate harassment of others should not be welcome, and wouldn’t be at any conference I was putting on!

Conclusion

The sheer size and growth of the Bitcoin Conference is a sign of the strength of community growth and network strength around the world. After all, this was one conference in Miami, Florida. It did have attendees from all over, but the vast majority were Americans.

Even though Bitcoin’s price had a sizable drop during the conference (as is tradition!), as a result of that weekend in Miami, I can’t help but be even more bullish about the future of bitcoin!

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This content is for educational purposes only. It does not constitute trading advice. Past performance does not indicate future results. Do not invest more than you can afford to lose. The author of this article may hold assets mentioned in the piece.