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Comment by inter_netuser | Hacker News Reader

Putin, a "get rich quick dreamer pumped by celebrities with little or no underlying knowledge of the tech or economics"

Just announced he will back Bitcoin mining in Russia: https://bitcoinmagazine.com/business/putin-backs-bitcoin-min...

He allows it in his country, which has a lot of fossil fuels and a giant, unusable freezer called Siberia. This is a nice PR move, and a good way to get some money from hard to track sources, which may be a good idea if you are trying to start a war, but it doesn't mean that Putin is good sources of inspiration.

Today, the reserve currency is USD, and if you settle international trade, you have to deal with the US financial system.

What does Putin (and many others) gain, if he no longer has to do that for international trade?

Except he does, because the only trading partner he has is El Salvador lol and even they only have a few bucks of reserves.

Interesting that supporters of the currency of freedom and the future rush in to flutter their eyelashes at any oligarch and dictator that looks their way from across the bar.

[edit] Well if Vladdy-P - 16 year veteran of the KGB - is doing it then I guess I must have been wrong this whole time. Thank you for setting me straight. WAGMI.

Even more interesting that some people think Putin is an easily swindled dreamer.

Criminals usually lead technology adoption, as they don't have any moral or legal constaints, real or imagined.

> Even more interesting that some people think Putin is an easily swindled dreamer.

I didn't say that at all. I maintain he doesn't support the espoused goals of advocates.

> Criminals usually lead technology adoption, as they don't have any moral or legal constaints, real or imagined.

That doesn't mean it's for the better, though, haha. Just pointing at the times that it did would be a form of survivorship bias. Criminals were quick to adopt fentanyl, human trafficking, and shooting your business rivals after all.

Let's face it, Putin's goal is to harm the west. So you could say his adoption of this technology is likely to undermine the west. Whether that's directly through the adoption of the technology or the perception it creates.

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