But gold has been around for thousands of years, and Bitcoin is only ~16 years old.
Do you think Bitcoin can really replace gold as a store of value — or should they just complement each other?
I love this question, it's as neutral and curious as they should be, unlike how some people paint it.
Bitcoin will not replace Gold, they were created for different purposes, and one is centralised, while the other is decentralised. Nonetheless, complementing each other is a very good point, but that depends on the person. They can complement each other if the person is interested in both. But they can't complement each other if the person is only interested in either of them.
Gold is not a centralized asset, it can also be considered decentralized because it is not issued and controlled by any agency or government. Gold is everywhere on earth, and anyone can mine and own gold if they have the ability.
Thanks for the correction, I agree with you, and I also understand all these, but let me say I overlooked the generalisation of centralisation of Gold itself. In that sense, gold is decentralised, but in the sense I wanted to use it, the government can still locate "your Gold" and find a way to confiscate it by force.
But with a decentralised system like Bitcoin, it is a self-custody arrangement, and even if they know you have the asset, they have absolutely no power over it, unless you submit it to them by yourself.