Basically, I don't see how bitcoin remains out of the control of the elite. ... can be swayed by the old money.
Or by new firearms. By elite you mean the Chinese communist party. That is who now has control of the overwhelming bulk of the ASIC hash power, ultimately: The central committee. Specifically, the revanchist wing of the central committee, the ones seeking war in the south china sea, and the lopping of a thousand blossoms.