Fast forward to today: ETH/BTC pair is in a multi-year downtrend, alt narratives are fading, and Bitcoin dominance is back above 60%. The ecosystem feels quiet. No more hype, no more retail. Altcoins aren’t leading anymore — they’re trailing.
Do you remember that time back in 2020 when ETH prices were below $500, and then just a year later it almost broke $4500? That time DeFi, staking, and NFTs were hugeee and really took the world's attention. I believe that was ETH's hottest run to overtake BTC in terms of growth and popularity, with altcoins like Compound and Aave doing really well.
Fast forward to now most altcoins did not survive, though recent ETH and some altcoins like Aave are doing better, due to constant innovations. (Aave V4 is under development currently, can read up more on their blog)
In marketcap or utility, any coin may surpass bitcoin but cannot disturb the growth of bitcoin which is the first mover advantage. There were many altcoin backed by real projects but nothing survived or bitcoin will include any needed utility within its ecosystem. So these are all not the criteria, we need to consider at first hand.
The first mover advantage is true, since the branding is too strong and BTC will likely be the new crypto investor's first stop. However, the thing about BTC not adopting any needed utility is kind of by design. Bitcoin is just meant to be as it is, that's why we saw ETH and its related new projects.
To answer your question, I do think that utility is a critical criteria to consider, and if somehow in the future where new technology gives the common people a good enough reason to consume ETH related projects, I think BTC can be flipped by ETH.
Yeah, ETH had its big moment in 2020,2021 - DeFi, NFTs, staking, all booming. Felt like it might actually flip BTC.
But even then, it didn’t. BTC is simple, trusted, and has the strongest brand. People go to Bitcoin first - always.
ETH still building, sure. But flipping BTC? Gonna take more than tech. Not impossible, but not likely anytime soon.