Obviously the gains you could get by buying bitcoin right now is not the same as buying bitcoin in 2011, but I really don't get how people think they've "missed the boat" when pretty much most people still thinks that Bitcoin is a scam or just a temporary fad. Heck, we even still see the typical "TuLiPs" argument for some reason.
My experience is different, I can't remember the last time I heard someone claim that Bitcoin is a scam or a fad. These days I hear more "bitcoin is bad for environment" and "blockchain technology has some merit, but other coins will replace it soon".
But I think it's not really important what some random people on the Internet or in real life say, because they are not voting with their wallets.