I understand the vision, but argue it hasn't lived up to it.

Anyone can walk into dozens of places in my city to buy, sell, exchange gold. There are many reputable online services for this as well. In reality it's really very easy to exchange. It's also way easier to deal with gold coins, etc Tham the whole crypto exchange/wallet/physical backup thing. People always mention theft, anyone who has any amount of gold should have it insured as part of their home/renter insurance, or can store it professionally with the same insurance guarantees. There isn't really a problem that needs solving here.

It's hard to think about it protecting from inflation while it's so volatile. 5-10% inflation seems small when the market fluctuates +/- 25% regularly.

I think crypto will end up going down in history as one of those Enron, Theranos, Segway, DIA automated baggage system, Lularoe things in 10 years. If it were this amazing world changing idea we'd all already be using it. Think about Facebook, Google, Netflix, these all became daily parts of most of our lives within a year or two. We've had crypto for a while now and I argue that the average person doesn't use it much, interact with it much, other than an investment vehicle.

I think the crypto industry needs to take a hard look on the value prop they originally made, if they're meeting it, and what value, if any, they're providing instead. Does crypto work without continued investment? Does it add value and hold water on its own or does it rely on a steady stream of new investors putting more money in? Does it create value?