The Vultures Are Here…and other Consensus Takeaways
Consensus 2018. New York City. 8000 people — Cryptocurrency is officially mainstream. Or should we use that dastardly “B” word. It’s a B…ubble.
My thoughts?
So what if we’re in a bubble? Fact is I wouldn’t be here writing it if it weren’t a bubble. Bubbles are important. They pull money and talent towards a new technology.
I’m one of the 1000s that flocked to blockchain as we watched the epic rise of BTC and ETH through 2017. And at Consensus I met my own ilk. There were the ex goldmans mixed in with yacht parties where Aston Martins were given away.
It’s a funny dichotomy this industry is facing.
The ethos of crypto is clearly underlined in Satoshi Nakamoto’s whitepaper, Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System.
And it’s these very financial institutions and trusted third parties that are entering this new economy.
FinTech, hedge fund, and investment banking experience is pouring into the ethos of cryptocurrency. I mean we’re talking 4 figure tickets to be there, most blockchain entrepreneurs (pre-ICO) don’t have that kind of money.
Consensus — A Quick Overview
The crowd was relentless, the conversation varied, the swag sensational. I was a particular fan of Interbit’s lego mug giveaways and lego brick stand.
With more than 150 sponsors, and meetups/ parties bookending each day, there was a general kool-aid flowing through the crowd.
Things slowed down over days two and threes but what was most ostentatious was the parties. We’re talking NYC penthouses and free flowing booze. The yacht party by Decentral and Jaxx wallet that marked the end of Consensus involved 3 Aston Martins being given away.
Tell me about it.
Consensus Key Takeaways:
- Several key players in the cryptocurrency space opted out (Ethereum, OmiseGo, Cardano, and IOTA). That’s a plot point in itself.
- You couldn’t pay with crypto — at blockchain’s biggest conference. WHUT.
- The Civic Beer fridge wasn’t even that cool.
Here are some other roundups if you’re interested:
1. How Not To Host a Blockchain Summit
2. BTC Flat, Consensus Fails to Deliver.
In Conclusion.
All in all a fruitful event. But it left me with several more abstract thoughts in my mind — especially the fact that we couldn’t even pay with crypto at the crypto event of the year.
Was the networking great? Absolutely.
Perhaps this is the inherent nature of a bubble, that it gets a little ridiculous. But bubble as it may be, blockchain is here to stay.
Also I’ll be going to Anarchapulco next year.
Disclaimer: Free speech doesn’t pay my bills. Opinions don’t represent the businesses I work with or advise.
🤷🏽♀️ About The Author
I’m just a brown girl, running around the whole world. Check out my travel blog.
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