There's some kind of bias against crypto here on HN. I've seen people here who revel in rubbing it in whenever the market crashes just because some so called "crypto bros" were smug about their profits.
That doesn't deny its purpose though. I've gotten paid via XMR for programming tasks. Anonymously, even. The fact people treat cryptocurrencies like stocks doesn't nullify that.
The truth is the true source of all problems in this space is the exchanges themselves. They are literally unregulated banks in disguise. Cryptocurrencies should not be regulated at all but exchanges definitely should be.