Lessons about early adoption and risk acceptance.
On May 22, 2010, programmer Laszlo Hanyecz used 10,000 BTC to buy two pizzas. At that time, that amount of Bitcoin was worth about $41; today it is equivalent to hundreds of millions. His action was not only the first recorded transaction using Bitcoin, but also demonstrated a pioneering spirit, trust, and high-level risk acceptance.
This is a vivid lesson for anyone participating in the market: the most successful people are often those who dare to act when the market is still skeptical, daring to "spend internet money" on everyday things before the whole world understands its true value.
Cryptocurrency and the potential to reshape daily spending in the next 10 years.
Bitcoin Pizza Day raises the question: Can we use crypto to buy pizza, coffee, or movie tickets every day?
The answer is gradually shifting from "No" to "Maybe".
+ Faster payments, cheaper fees: Layer 2 solutions like the Lightning Network for Bitcoin or zkRollups for Ethereum are paving the way for instant payments and near-zero fees.
+ Stablecoins and more user-friendly Web3 wallets: The development of stablecoins combined with easy-to-use crypto wallets makes crypto a more practical means of payment than ever.
+ Integration with traditional financial systems: Apple Pay, Visa, Mastercard have all experimented with integrating crypto payments.
+ It is expected that in the next 10 years, spending with crypto could become a common habit, especially in digital economies, smart cities, or countries with high inflation.
If you had 10,000 BTC today – would you dare to spend it?
A more philosophical question than a financial one.
With 10,000 BTC (over 700 million USD at the time of writing), you hold one of the rarest assets in the world – there will only ever be a maximum of 21 million BTC.
Would you dare to spend it on a watch, a villa, or even... pizza?
+ If you are a long-term investor, you may hold BTC like "digital gold", waiting for the price to continue rising over time.
+ If you believe in BTC's role as a currency, you would want to use it as a means of payment, helping to increase the circulation and practicality of BTC.
+ Or if you are a history maker, you can spend it meaningfully – like Laszlo – to mark a turning point in global finance.
There is no absolute right answer. The more important question is: What role do you believe Bitcoin plays?
How to turn Bitcoin into a real medium of exchange, not just "digital gold"?
Currently, the majority of users view Bitcoin as a store of value – this helps drive the price up but limits its usability in everyday life.
For BTC to become real money, several conditions are needed:
+ Smooth payment infrastructure: The Lightning Network needs to be scaled and integrated directly into wallets and POS systems.
+ Clear legal policies: Countries need to recognize BTC as a legal asset or legal currency, as El Salvador is doing.
+ Wide acceptance from businesses: The more stores, services, and platforms that accept BTC – the liquidity and demand will increase.
+ Avoid strong volatility: The current price of BTC is too volatile to be a reliable "unit of account" – a problem that needs to be addressed with hedging mechanisms or intermediary layers.
+ Educate users: Users need to understand that spending BTC is not a "waste", but a contribution to the ecosystem developing in the right direction.
