“I realized it was not a currency without a government. It was just pure speculation. It’s just like a game ... I mean, you can create another game and call it a currency.”
Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Essayist, Scholar, Former Trader · Bitcoin since: +58%
‘Black Swan’ Author Calls Bitcoin A ‘Gimmick’ And A ‘Game,’ Says It Resembles A Ponzi Scheme ↗
A little perspective.
Illustrative value using a Bitcoin price of $80,782, checked Oct 29, 2026, 6:03 PM UTC. Excludes fees, taxes, and inflation. A price change alone does not settle the original criticism.
Nassim Nicholas Taleb appears in 3 recorded obituaries. 39 declarations were recorded in 2021.
Keep the receipt.
Bitcoin Is Dead. “‘Black Swan’ Author Calls Bitcoin A ‘Gimmick’ And A ‘Game,’ Says It Resembles A Ponzi Scheme” — Nassim Nicholas Taleb, CNBC, April 23, 2021. Bitcoin: $51,161.15. https://bitcoindeaths.com/posts/2021-04-23-black-swan-author-calls-bitcoin-a-gimmick-and-a-game-says-it-resembles-a-ponzi-scheme