Are really things that bad? I think Bitcoin is pretty healthy, and do not feel banks will make something similar anytime soon. It would be great for us that the developers had agreement and more leadership, but do not think it is really that bad. There are lots of money at stake, and, being geniuses, I think they will take care of not going wrong with their own money.
It's operating just fine right now. The issue is its future direction. There are plenty of people who have way more of a clue than me, but it all hangs what direction they believe is the right one. BTC has yet to prove itself to the rest of the world. If it becomes an elitist irrelevance before it has even gotten on its feet then it's goodnight.
Right now the future of bitcoin is pretty uncertain. People don't like uncertainty because it doesn't make for good long term business plans. You can't get people to commit to loaning you money for startup ventures when there is uncertainty.
And blockstream is loving this environment because they get to buy time, and any competition is being slowed. The problem is that the current global financial systems are very fragile right now. If anything sudden and scary were to happen right now - the only clear path that could immediately handle an EXPLOSION of interest in Bitcoin..... is XT.
It is no accident that the News Media is starting to run Bitcoin stories. Bitcoin doesn't make it into the news by accident. News Anchors don't have freedom of choice to run stories about Bitcoin, unless Bitcoin is "approved" for media discussion. Suddenly the leash has come off. Suddenly Coinbase launches XT.
The gloves are getting ready to come off. And at some point you start to see engineered financial crisises.
And XT will be the default winner, because Blockstream Morons have been so d@mn pigheaded, selfish and greedy.
I do NOT like XT as it is. But it's the XT you are going to get most likely - because time has been wasted. And you watch how fast people that would never go to XT - WILL - in the midst of a financial panic.
It was SO easy to fix XT, take a middle course, tweek it, make a decision and run with it. But the little group of monkeys couldn't learn how to share the banana without wanting it all.
It is getting close to showtime people, and you don't have nearly as much time as you think.