Over the past few weeks, we’ve taken several deep dives into different parts of the crypto landscape. Now I want to zoom out and recap the big ideas we’ve covered — the through-line that connects them — and offer a few questions to consider as you think about where this shift is heading.

These are the patterns, the turning points, and the breakthroughs that show why this technology matters and how it’s reshaping the way value moves.

Across history, when leaders fell short on funds, they didn’t cut spending — they changed the money itself. In medieval France, the silver content of coins was reduced. The coins looked identical, but held less value. Today, governments expand the money supply in moments of stress — “printing” new currency during war, recession, or financial crisis, even when no new goods are being produced.

Currency debasement raises prices and erodes your purchasing power. Groceries rise. Rent climbs. A paycheck covers less. You feel like you’re working harder than ever, yet somehow falling behind. People tell you to “live within your means,” but the truth is more complicated — these are the ripple effects of a structurally flawed monetary system.

The decisions happen at the top. The squeeze shows up in everyday life.

Read The Hidden Tax of Kings to learn more.

Bitcoin emerged from the fallout of the 2008–2009 financial crisis. During that period, governments created large amounts of new money to rescue major banks from collapse. Institutions at the center were stabilized. Millions of families faced layoffs, lost homes, and years of slow recovery.

This is the nature of fiat money — currency created by governments and backed by authority rather than a commodity. When more fiat is printed, the value of what people already hold stretches thinner.

Bitcoin was built as the opposite of that system: a currency with a capped supply, no central issuer, and an open ledger anyone can verify.