The hype around blockchain—decentralized ownership, open protocols, peer-to-peer networks—can feel like the dawn of something new. But is it?

Yeh, we’ve definitely been here before.

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The first time decentralization threatened the status quo at scale wasn’t with Bitcoin or Ethereum. It was with MP3s. When Napster hit in 1999, it didn’t just disrupt the music industry; it cracked open the idea that the internet could bypass middlemen entirely. Files moved directly between users. No labels, no stores, no gatekeepers. Sound familiar?

napster-interface.jpg

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