Jerry Brito on the Mainstreaming of Bitcoin

A year in Internet time is an eternity, and that goes for the Internet's native currency as well. At the Bitcoin 2014 conference in Amsterdam, last week, the rapid evolution of the digital currency's ecosystem was in full display. Like last year's conference in San Jose, over 1,000 enthusiasts, developers, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and lawyers came together for what is the definitive global Bitcoin summit of the year. But the vibe and the crowd seemed different this time. Fewer ideologues and more VCs roamed the show floor, the hallway talk was more of regulatory compliance and business models than cryptoanarchy. But while the rebel vibe may wane, writes Jerry Brito, the revolution that Bitcoin unleashed is still pulling the world toward freedom.