⸺ Obituary · February 16, 2026 ⸺
“Crypto Is A Victim Of Its Own Success”
— The Atlantic, James Surowiecki
“The traditional “fundamental” case for bitcoin has been that because its supply is permanently capped at 21 million coins, it can serve as a hedge against inflation in traditional currencies such as the dollar. But the geopolitical turmoil, economic uncertainty, and drop in the value of the dollar relative to other major currencies in recent months have undermined this case. If bitcoin truly served as a hedge, then its value should have risen sharply. Instead, its value plummeted. That’s because bitcoin is not a hedge: It’s a speculative asset, which is valuable solely because people think it is valuable.”
Price at death
$68,843
Today
$73,539
Resurrection
×1.1
On 2026-02-16, James Surowiecki (Journalist) declared Bitcoin dead via The Atlantic. Bitcoin was trading at ~$68,843 at the time. The call joins the growing canon of premature obituaries.
The declaration was catalogued on February 16, 2026, when one Bitcoin traded for approximately $68,843. Since then, Bitcoin has appreciated by 7% relative to the price on the day The Atlantic pronounced it finished.