This argument doesn't make much sense. It's like saying if rubies are the same as emeralds, then we don't need rubies. Also, there can be multiple types of assets! Nobody wants to put all of their eggs in one basket. Bitcoin can coexist with gold.

Bitcoin is also arguably superior to gold in that it's MUCH easier to pay for bread with a little bit of bitcoin, and MUCH harder to do the same with gold (who's going to chop up the gold bar?). In fact, if I were to use the same zero-sum argument as above, one could even say: "if Bitcoin is the same as gold, then we don't really need gold" (again that's also a bad argument, both can coexist and gold is sometimes better)

> But its point is being different. So you can't handwave away concerns based on it being exactly the same.

You're right that gold and Bitcoin are different, but things can be different while still being "the same" at a fundamental/conceptual level. Cars and bicycles are different, but they still serve the same underlying need: transportation.

> My point is that Bitcoin has not demonstrated any significant value certainly not in excess of its costs and harms, and it's had plenty of time. Bitcoin and Android are basically the same age. Android is coming up on 3 billion users worldwide, providing clear daily value.

I think this is a really strong argument that Android is more valuable than Bitcoin (in some subjective sense), I agree with you that Android is extremely valuable and "good". That said, this is not a particularly strong argument that Bitcoin is absolutely valueless. The value of Bitcoin is in the eyes of the "behodler", and some people seem to value it a lot. People are using it as a safe haven from their country's poor monetary policies (happening in Nigeria and Argentina right now, has happened in Venezuela and Zimbabwe before). That's clearly non-zero value.

And if your argument is that value is strictly a function of its utility, well then I'd like to introduce you to the economic concept of the Diamond-water paradox (https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/032615/how-can-marg...) which is the fundamental underpinning for the Subjective Theory of Value.

> Bitcoin is still at best a niche, probably a shrinking one.

We agree that Bitcoin is currently a niche, but I'm not sure that I agree that it's a shrinking niche. As of the last month, major institutional investors like BNY Mellon and BlackRock have started to include it in their asset mixtures. Major companies like Square and Tesla have started to hold some of their cash reserves in Bitcoin. Canada just approved North America's first Bitcoin ETF, trading on the TSX. I'm not sure how we can conclude that Bitcoin is shrinking with all of this institutional activity.