Speaking of Bitcoin, I think the entire future of BTC depends on second-tier scaling solutions such as the Lightning Network. I have decided not to invest in Bitcoin any longer but buy alts instead. The bull run of Ethereum, Litecoin, Monero, Dash, IOTA, ZCash and a few up and coming coins has demonstrated that they are fully capable of taking Bitcoin's place if it should stagnate.

My friend doesn't have a Facebook account, either, and I think he quipped he did not want the money just because I suggested that he join Steem for the monetary benefits. He is certainly wealthy enough to not need to work for a living but that is a much more a function of his low expenses than his high net worth. He is a bachelor and has no children and, apart from travel, has always led an Uncle Scrooge kind of lifestyle. My friend had a 15-year career as a research engineer working for a major corporation, the division of which he worked at fell victim to creative destruction. After that, he decided he'd had enough of serving a corporation. I don't think he could very well afford to be a patron of anything. He lacks social media presence and may have been reluctant to join Steem to begin with but I sensed a whiff of contempt for earning money by means as tulipy or otherwise suspicious as Steem. ;) (I had explained Steem to him in a conversation that took place several months earlier.)