Wagers really don’t settle matters, but they are a lot of fun and force advocates to have some skin in the game. In the ongoing debate about scaling, network fees, congestion and mempools, the Lightning Network is Bitcoin Core’s answer. Some in the ecosystem have doubted its efficacy. A bet was placed. If a payment failed, as opponents assured it would, the Core advocate would have to wear a bitcoin cash (BCH) t-shirt. If it succeeded, the BCH advocate would wear a Blockstream t-shirt from their Lightning store.
Also read: Coinsecure India Down After $3 Million in Bitcoin Missing
A Bet in the Bitcoin World Can Be Outrageous or Just Plain Fun
Whatever else anyone thinks about bitcoiners, the ecosystem does have its share of characters. One of the most visible is presidential candidate, software magnate, rebel John McAfee. Using mathematical gymnastics and various theories, Mr. McAfee arrived at the price of $500,000 for one bitcoin core (BTC) by 2020. His Twitter followers were blown away, and so Mr. McAfee goaded them into betting. When challenged further, on 17 July 2017, Mr. McAfee tweeted, “if not, I will eat my dick on national television.” Even after the price dropped, he reportedly doubled down, insisting BTC would reach $1,000,000 in that time. There are people monitoring the price to see if it’s on pace. One snarky columnist even suggested wines to pair with Mr. McAfee’s proposal.
Thankfully, not everyone in the space bets their reproductive organs. In fact, sometimes it just comes down to a t-shirt and bragging rights. Felix Weis isn’t some bitcoin core believing noob. He’s a well-regarded software engineer, researcher, and developer with a deep knowledge of computer science and cryptography. He’s also a world traveler who
