Dogecoin cofounder likens crypto mania to mental illness

Dogecoin (DOGE) co-founder Billy Markus described investors in digital assets as people who invest money in mental illness.

investing in crypto is literally just investing in mental illness

which i suppose is on the rise, so…

— Shibetoshi Nakamoto (@BillyM2k) April 22, 2023

“Investing in crypto is, without exaggeration, investing in a psychiatric disorder that’s on the rise, so…”, wrote Markus.

When asked whether he includes non-fungible tokens in his definition, Markus replied:

“NFTs are crypto-derivatives, so they appear to be an even bigger mental disorder.”

In his view, the world is getting “more stupid and hopeless”.

Earlier in 2015 left Dogecoin and sold all his coins. The same year, the second co-founder of the cryptocurrency — Jackson Palmer — left the project. He expressed disappointment in an industry whose users “run around hoping to get rich”.

One of the commenters in Markus’s thread wrote that it was he, as the creator of DOGE, who helped him do that.

i mean, whoever bought the stuff from you made you rich

— Shibetoshi Nakamoto (@BillyM2k) April 22, 2023

“I would say the one who bought your assets made you rich,” said the project’s founder, hinting at the «большего дурака» theory.

In a later tweet he compared participating in trading on any financial markets to gambling.

all money you make on all markets come from other people gambling.

if you make money, you’re taking it from others.

if you lose money, you’re giving it to others.

you’re just playing poker. no one is a hero. no one is morally superior. you’re just playing a stupid rigged game.

— Shibetoshi Nakamoto (@BillyM2k) April 23, 2023

“If you make money, you’re taking it from others; if you lose, you’re giving it to someone else. Like poker, there are no heroes and no moral superiority. You’re just playing a stupid rigged game,” Markus said.

In 2021 he released for sale a collection of NFTs bearing the Dogecoin logo.