Central Bank Digital Currencies May Be Inevitable, and Thats a Problem
Readers of a certain age will remember Carnac the Magnificent, Johnny Carson’s recurring alter ego. As Carnac, the late-night host would list off three seemingly unrelated words, all of which answered a question that was sealed in an envelope that he held to his forehead.
Today we’re going to play the same game, with the answers being PayPal, Kanye (or Ye, as he’s now known) and central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). And the question: What are the consequences of financial hyper-centralization?
Some of you will make the connections immediately. For everyone else, let me explain.
PayPal (PYPL), the financial technology firm cofounded over 20 years ago by Peter Thiel, Elon Musk and others, was roundly criticized last week after an update to its terms of service showed that the company would fine users $2,500 for, among other things, spreading “misinformation.” A PayPal spokesperson was quick to walk back the update, even claiming that the language “was never intended to be inserted in our policy,” but the damage was done. #DeletePayPal started trending on Twitter, and the company’s stock tanked nearly 12%.
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