If whales want then everything is possible, you know. Current market situation is good for the futher growth
We could say that they have such influence on the market and they can able to manipulate the situation but we don't even wonder why they never left crypto instead of going back to stock market investment? It is because they love crypto and that we called manipulation is only has a slim chance that could make a bullish or even bearish market trend.
(Maybe) We can't either see another ATH again but it is not the most important to us. What we are looking for now is to have a sustainable market demand and adoption. Bullish will come momentarily even without the whale's participation.
tbh I think it will definitely reach ATH again. this will need some time till the market holders get changed and people a bit forget about the last ATH and how a lot have lost as much as many made profits.
history will always repeat itself, this is a fixed rule as the fact of death. both can't be denied
I don't think It will reach ATH again, not in near or far future, simply because in near future people still remember how it fall hard and in far future, there will be better solutions even if the blockchain is the futuristic way for economy and financials bitcoin will just remain as an honorable mention as simple as how the first lamb was created, it wasn't the best didn't stay for so long and many alternatives with a better efficiency came out.