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The Bullish Case for Bitcoin
The Bullish Case for Bitcoin, first published as a long-form article, represents an intellectual tour de force delivered with elegance and prescience by a polymath well-versed in mathematics, computer science, economics, philosophy, politics, and engineering. After March of 2020, it was evident to me that the world needed a new money based on technology. However, in February 2018, when Boyapati first published his paper, this insight required much greater perspicacity, courage, and conviction.
In a clear and concise manner, Boyapati presents the theory of money, the anatomy of Bitcoin, the reasons it is superior to the gold and fiat standards that came before it, and the promise that it offers to human civilization. He describes path dependence and the trajectory of a newly monetizing asset in terms the layman can understand, and he addresses the concerns that most commonly arise as newcomers struggle to comprehend the essence and significance of this first digital monetary network. I was immediately captivated by "The Bullish Case for Bitcoin" when I first read it and made it part of the recommended reading for all the officers and directors of my firm as we educated ourselves on Bitcoin and considered the logical path forward. In this book Boyapati updates and significantly expands on the ideas presented in his original article.
In a clear and concise manner, Boyapati presents the theory of money, the anatomy of Bitcoin, the reasons it is superior to the gold and fiat standards that came before it, and the promise that it offers to human civilization. He describes path dependence and the trajectory of a newly monetizing asset in terms the layman can understand, and he addresses the concerns that most commonly arise as newcomers struggle to comprehend the essence and significance of this first digital monetary network. I was immediately captivated by "The Bullish Case for Bitcoin" when I first read it and made it part of the recommended reading for all the officers and directors of my firm as we educated ourselves on Bitcoin and considered the logical path forward. In this book Boyapati updates and significantly expands on the ideas presented in his original article.
156 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 16, 2021
210 people are currently reading
757 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
January 11, 2022
The Bitcoin rabbit hole is very deep, but this short book succinctly summarises the personal case for saving with Bitcoin, and the societal case for others to do the same.
“Bullish case” sounds like financial / investor speak, but this book is much more holistic. I’d recommend it as the best introduction to people who aren’t yet convinced, haven’t looked into Bitcoin properly yet, or are gambling away their savings on dog money.
I especially like the genuine steel man “bearish” case in the book too. Ironically, it’s the best critique I’ve seen of some of the risks despite many dedicating themselves to being against Bitcoin.
Finally, I appreciate that this isn’t another “but how does it actually work” type of book. There are better resources for that, although Vijay does include detail where necessary such as when he needs to explain the Bitcoin security and governance model and related network effects.
“Bullish case” sounds like financial / investor speak, but this book is much more holistic. I’d recommend it as the best introduction to people who aren’t yet convinced, haven’t looked into Bitcoin properly yet, or are gambling away their savings on dog money.
I especially like the genuine steel man “bearish” case in the book too. Ironically, it’s the best critique I’ve seen of some of the risks despite many dedicating themselves to being against Bitcoin.
Finally, I appreciate that this isn’t another “but how does it actually work” type of book. There are better resources for that, although Vijay does include detail where necessary such as when he needs to explain the Bitcoin security and governance model and related network effects.
November 29, 2021
This book needs to be made more accessible and spread far and wide. It answered every question and doubt I had prior to reading it.
September 10, 2024
This was a required reading for my college course. It felt a little pushy on the aspect that bitcoin is the money of the "future". However, I don't know if I agree with that. It was a little redundant but could've been worse, and was mildly interesting.
December 23, 2021
Lectura ligera que situa el bitcoin y la blockchain dentro del contexto de la economía a escala histórica, desde el imperio romano hasta la época actual.
December 6, 2024
the best case for Bitcoin that currently exists.
It is short, sweet, and compelling. It conveys in 2 hours what took 1000 hours of research back when i got started down the BTC rabbit hole in 2013.
Is is also not ideologically biased in really any way. Most of the great books on Bitcoin first require you to accept libertarian premises or spending half its pages proselytize libertarianism ad nauseam which gets in the way for the average reader. The Bitcoin Standard is the most notable example of this.
All in all, if you are a thoughtful, well read, and intelligent person curious to hear a fair and balanced case for Bitcoin that does not require a massive time investment nor suspension of ideological belief, this is the book for you.
It is short, sweet, and compelling. It conveys in 2 hours what took 1000 hours of research back when i got started down the BTC rabbit hole in 2013.
Is is also not ideologically biased in really any way. Most of the great books on Bitcoin first require you to accept libertarian premises or spending half its pages proselytize libertarianism ad nauseam which gets in the way for the average reader. The Bitcoin Standard is the most notable example of this.
All in all, if you are a thoughtful, well read, and intelligent person curious to hear a fair and balanced case for Bitcoin that does not require a massive time investment nor suspension of ideological belief, this is the book for you.
Read
January 30, 2024Had some very interesting commentary on money in a society. I definitely learned a lot from this.
Read for school.
Read for school.
November 5, 2022
Great intro to the ideas around Bitcoin. Covers the high-level concepts in an easy to understand manner as well as the pros and potential cons.
Highly recommend for those that are curious about Bitcoin or cryptocurrency in general but haven't spent much time looking into it.
Highly recommend for those that are curious about Bitcoin or cryptocurrency in general but haven't spent much time looking into it.
May 3, 2022
I’ve discovered a few risks about Bitcoin investment that was not aware of.
May 20, 2022
An excellent concise primer on Bitcoin. It focuses more the economics of Bitcoin but does address some of the technological developments and how this overlaps with the economic side of Bitcoin so that it can be pristine collateral. It is better even than gold, due to its decentralized nature making it a valuable form of money to HODL to project your wages in fiat from being devalued by government inflation and other centralized threats.
He does have chapters that address many common misconceptions on Bitcoin as well making this a great Bitcoin introduction for novices. There is still much valuable content even for those who have read several books on Bitcoin making it an excellent resources for beginners and more knowledgeable Bitcoiners.
He does have chapters that address many common misconceptions on Bitcoin as well making this a great Bitcoin introduction for novices. There is still much valuable content even for those who have read several books on Bitcoin making it an excellent resources for beginners and more knowledgeable Bitcoiners.
August 25, 2021
This is an excellent book for anyone looking to understand the argument for Bitcoin. Vijay is an excellent communicator and gives good overview of all of the pros and cons of Bitcoin as a form of hard money. If you are looking to delve down the rabbit hole, this book is a great starting point!
Favorite Quote: "The road to serfdom consists of working exponentially harder for a currency growing exponentially weaker."
Favorite Quote: "The road to serfdom consists of working exponentially harder for a currency growing exponentially weaker."
November 22, 2021
Excellent 101-level treatment of Bitcoin. Boyapati writes well -- and winsomely. If you want to learn more about Bitcoin (without getting bogged down deeply into the computer science of it), this is a great place to turn.
In this book, Boyapati is also honest about what could go wrong for Bitcoin. He does not ignore potential risks to this burgeoning asset.
In this book, Boyapati is also honest about what could go wrong for Bitcoin. He does not ignore potential risks to this burgeoning asset.
January 12, 2025
Passes muster as an intro book, but not much beyond the first couple of chapters for those who have been in the space for a few years.
The intro chapter was the best part as it provided a concise history of digital currency initiatives that led to Satoshi's world-changing protocol in 2008-09.
David Chaum introduced eCash in the 80s, followed by Adam Back's HashCash in 1997, Wei Dai's b-money in 1998, and Nick Szabo's bit gold in the same year. Each was flawed in its own way - overly centralized, no Proof of Work node, no difficulty adjustment, etc. But it was only through these discarded attempts that Satoshi could find footing atop the shoulders of giants to see further than they had a decade or more earlier.
Boyapati gives a solid rundown of what qualities something needs to be considered money, with history the only piece bitcoin really lacks now, and with gold still ahead of fiat on all but portability and divisibility. (Bitcoin wins, but gold still outperforms fiat. An uncensorable 24/7 digitial protocol hard-capped at 21 million coins and running on thousands of nodes all over the world will outperform a shiny rock, but that shiny rock that is relatively scarce, nearly indestructible, and with 5,000 years of history will fare better than a piece of paper some bureaucrat can create more of by pressing a button)
We get a look at adoption timelines (bitcoin is playing out much like cell phones and the Internet) as well as how money transitions from a collectible to store of value to unit of account to medium of exchange. The book closes with some FUD-busting (centralization, nation state attacks, broken protocol, competitors) and that's it. Not a bad 90 minute read but not enough new material to give it 4 stars.
The intro chapter was the best part as it provided a concise history of digital currency initiatives that led to Satoshi's world-changing protocol in 2008-09.
David Chaum introduced eCash in the 80s, followed by Adam Back's HashCash in 1997, Wei Dai's b-money in 1998, and Nick Szabo's bit gold in the same year. Each was flawed in its own way - overly centralized, no Proof of Work node, no difficulty adjustment, etc. But it was only through these discarded attempts that Satoshi could find footing atop the shoulders of giants to see further than they had a decade or more earlier.
Boyapati gives a solid rundown of what qualities something needs to be considered money, with history the only piece bitcoin really lacks now, and with gold still ahead of fiat on all but portability and divisibility. (Bitcoin wins, but gold still outperforms fiat. An uncensorable 24/7 digitial protocol hard-capped at 21 million coins and running on thousands of nodes all over the world will outperform a shiny rock, but that shiny rock that is relatively scarce, nearly indestructible, and with 5,000 years of history will fare better than a piece of paper some bureaucrat can create more of by pressing a button)
We get a look at adoption timelines (bitcoin is playing out much like cell phones and the Internet) as well as how money transitions from a collectible to store of value to unit of account to medium of exchange. The book closes with some FUD-busting (centralization, nation state attacks, broken protocol, competitors) and that's it. Not a bad 90 minute read but not enough new material to give it 4 stars.
July 16, 2023
I read this book because I was trying to understand why folks were willing to ignore facts, delude themselves, and strongly believe in Bitcoin.
This book was written when crypto was hot. And I read it because I was curious.
At the core - I believe it was that there was this class of people who hated the idea that Money was not understandable and not under their control.
That fiat money was controlled by "governments" that, in the end - once you scratch the surface of absurdity, turn into the "tri-lateral commission" and the "Illuminati" and then "the globalists" and then "Jews."
The book is a fascinating tale of how wrong you can be when your basic hypothesis is that money you don't control is evil and how desperate you become to argue differently.
This book was written when crypto was hot. And I read it because I was curious.
At the core - I believe it was that there was this class of people who hated the idea that Money was not understandable and not under their control.
That fiat money was controlled by "governments" that, in the end - once you scratch the surface of absurdity, turn into the "tri-lateral commission" and the "Illuminati" and then "the globalists" and then "Jews."
The book is a fascinating tale of how wrong you can be when your basic hypothesis is that money you don't control is evil and how desperate you become to argue differently.
June 15, 2025
To my surprise it was NOT a tilted or advertising book towards Bitcoin - no, it was also critical about it and gave the threats. But it was a good neutral “paper” and easy to understand. And also some history about Bitcoin. Yes, I would recommend this overview to anyone (haven’t bought any bitcoin in my life, though, sadly, hehe).
Oh, and one fun fact - it was the primitive ways of money (animal teeth, shells etc) that gave the Homo Sapiens an edge over Neanderthal people, because humans were able to TRADE with tribes they hated or even attacked. To trust in primitive money meant that they could get missing resources from everywhere and focus on what they do best.
Oh, and one fun fact - it was the primitive ways of money (animal teeth, shells etc) that gave the Homo Sapiens an edge over Neanderthal people, because humans were able to TRADE with tribes they hated or even attacked. To trust in primitive money meant that they could get missing resources from everywhere and focus on what they do best.
August 28, 2021
It was good for what it is. If his aim was to reach the average person, then he needs to learn how to write in a way that the average person understands instead of using academic terms that causes the person to spend time in a dictionary every so often. The average person is going to get tripped up and discouraged with a bunch of academic terms that can easily be explained with words people use every day.
February 1, 2022
This is big
Me to my younger arrogant self - I forgive you. :”)
Great book. Great read, gives a new perspective on the same things. Has a lot of light-bulb moments in simple text that is easy to understand. But I would still stay skeptical, and read more books, more articles, more things and continue my trip down the proverbial rabbit hole.
Me to my younger arrogant self - I forgive you. :”)
Great book. Great read, gives a new perspective on the same things. Has a lot of light-bulb moments in simple text that is easy to understand. But I would still stay skeptical, and read more books, more articles, more things and continue my trip down the proverbial rabbit hole.
April 4, 2023
Very easy to read. Goes over the case for BTC as a savings mechanism , a unit of account , and a potential reserve currency . Goes over why it can be considered as the online equivalent of Gold and the set of potential risks going forward and the game theory behind how things could play out over time.
May 15, 2022
Easily digestible to the average person. Watch for his sly add ins such as idolizing BTC once it reaches and surpasses the gold market cap. Vijay doesn’t point out that golds market cap is 11 trillion and BTCs is around 600B. Yet he makes this case multiple times throughout the book
July 31, 2022
This book gives a clear perspective on the place Bitcoin has in today’s society without going too deep in the technicalities of blockchains. Perfect for new people trying to understand Bitcoin or for the ones that have been in the space for longer.
October 15, 2022
I read the original online version. A good option for people only willing to read a really, really, really long article. That audience being limited, though, my base recommendation would still be the duo of The Bitcoin Standard and Inventing Bitcoin, and to bypass this.
March 21, 2024
Interesting points of view. Don’t think most of it will happen but again nice to read someone else’s different and well argued points of view.
In short, what is bitcoin, why it might grow to be something much bigger, history.
In short, what is bitcoin, why it might grow to be something much bigger, history.
June 3, 2024
"The Bullish Case for Bitcoin" van Vijay Boyapati is een erg beknopt maar uitstekend geschreven boekje als inleiding over Bitcoin. Ook een aanrader voor lezers die reeds meer ervaring hebben met betrekking tot economie, wat is geld, Bitcoin, etc.
August 5, 2025
Solid intro book to understanding bitcoin as a future of money Very easy and quick read - would recommend to anyone without any previous knowledge of the topic. Holds up well in terms of predictions about its adoption
September 30, 2021
Nicely done.
October 11, 2021
Excellent introduction to why Bitcoin is a strong candidate for the role of global reserve currency.
August 29, 2022
A great read and very useful metrics of bitcoins challenges and on its potential value directions.
February 14, 2023
Gives basic arguments for and explanations to bitcoin.
Great source for newbies imo.
Great source for newbies imo.
February 4, 2024
short but informative intro for newbies
April 16, 2024
Zajímavé postřehy a data relevantní pro bitcoin, které se v mnoha jiných knížkách nevyskytují
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews