To contextualize the adoption of cryptography:
- Public key crypto was invented in 1976
- Bitcoin was invented in 2009, 33 years later
- In 2025 (49 years later), cryptography is still a niche topic
- The printing press was invented around 1440
- By 1470 (30 years later), a handful of presses had been established in major cities
- In 1500 (60 years later), there were only 417 presses
- By the 1550s (110 years later), printing presses were in use globally
Transformational technologies go through a period of obscurity, then centralized control, then eventually become universally accessible. My hope is that we are just coming out of the centralized control phase of cryptography and the internet.
