This is a really interesting thread with great detective work.
Hopefully Bitcoin doesn't end up with a 1%er problem but at the rate we're going at - I'm not sure how that would be avoided.
Yes. Thanks rpietila, for starting this thread. It's quite the eye opener. It is making me rethink whether I want to hold a currency with such a top heavy distribution. Disturbing to have your beliefs challenged, but useful.
I KNOW it's not a Ponzi pyramid scheme, but the shape of the adoption curve, and the growth pattern is similar enough that potential adopters might be thinking that, if it looks like a duck, and quacks like one too, then maybe...
That has to be a long term problem for mainstream take-up.
I would disagree that Bitcoin looking like a ponzi will be the cause of low uptake.
I suspect it's too sophisticated for most people and will just need adoption to come via recommendation. At some point it'll reach critical mass and be accepted just like Paypal.
I still remember the time when if you mentioned Paypal, people would look at you like some sort of computer nerd. These days it's commonplace to find it at any online store.
No-one cares that I've used PayPal to pay, just that I did. That's where I see Bitcoin when it's finally adopted by the masses.