According to the EconomicTimes, at the “WeAredevelopers” conference in Vienna on May 18, 2018, Wozniak acknowledged that “Ethereum interests me because it can do things and because it’s a platform.”
While the Apple co-founder sounds bullish about blockchain technology, at the Money20/20 Conference in Vegas in October 2017, Wozniak also expressed his interest in Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies. He alluded to the idea that Bitcoin may be better than gold or the US dollar. “Gold gets mined and mined and mined. Maybe there’s a finite amount of gold in the world, but Bitcoin is even more mathematical and regulated, and nobody can change mathematics.”
Even at the Vegas conference, Wozniak had also linked Ethereum and the introduction of smart contract platforms to when computers first emerged. He noted that people wrote “tens of thousands of programs” no one had thought of earlier and that smart contract platforms enable similar opportunities to arise.
Wozniak bullish on cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology
Although Wozniak previously owned some Bitcoins, he had sold a significant portion of his tokens during its volatile surges and dips. In an interview with the CNBC in 2017, Wozniak remembered being “interested in Bitcoin some time ago.”
The Apple co-founder admitted at the Vegas conference that he “admired” Bitcoin and “looked at it as a form of currency.” He did not initially understand the ramifications of Bitcoin’s underlying digital ledger and blockchain technology. Wozniak, however, explained that he sold a portion of his cryptocurrencies because he didn’t want to be consumed and stressed from its rollercoaster prices. “I had Bitcoin to experiment with and when it shot up high, I said, I don’t want to become one of those people that watches it, watches it and cares about the number. I don’t want that kind of care in my life,” said Wozniak.
Wozniak, however, mentioned the countless opportunities for blockchain technology for governments, businesses, and consumers. He noted that there are new and emerging applications that people hadn’t initially imagined. “There is a lot more to this cryptocurrency than just the Bitcoin,” said Wozniak.
A key example he spoke of was of conflict minerals and how blockchain can improve transparency in the supply chain. “Right now, there is conflict with minerals in the world, and you don’t want to buy conflict minerals,” said Wozniak. “Well, how do you avoid it?” Wozniak went on to state that blockchain-based solutions can help increase transparency and track where minerals originally came from. “They are applying the technology where all the payment can only go to the good, legitimate sources that don’t have conflict minerals.”
Online cryptocurrency community divided over Wozniak’s prediction
Members of the online cryptocurrency community have expressed frustrations at the Forbes’ Steve Wozniak article. While they do not disagree with Wozniak’s opinions, many Redditors are annoyed with the lack of critical thinking in the cryptocurrency community.
Mongoose0141 mentioned that “nobody wants to hear both sides of the argument, they just want to listen to other people parrot their own viewpoint so they can delude themselves into thinking they are 100 percent absolutely correct. This issue isn’t exclusive to crypto, although I agree it is a big problem here.”
While others users are on the defense, stating that Wozniak’s opinions are invaluable user Top_kek_top agrees with Mongoose0141. Top_kek_top noted that Wozniak “has nothing to do with crypto, he helped build the first PCs 30 years ago. Bill Gates had similar accomplishments (and is a much better businessman), and he wanted to short Bitcoin.”
