I am not sure that either myself nor many other people who bought in to crypto are fully aware of what actually they bought.
I’ll try to explain what I believe I bought and what it means. Think of TCP/IP protocol - it is a base for the Internet. The guys who invented it didn’t really make themselves billionaires, but they could have. The entire internet network uses this protocol, all the websites, online services and many more businesses are built on this base. What if the TCP/IP protocol usage would cost a fraction of a coin? Imagine how different the distribution of the wealth would look ! Imagine yourself buying TCP/IP protocol in the form of a share or stock back in 80s?
How small this asset would have cost at that time .
It took the internet 30 years to flourish. I am hoping that Crypto currencies will fully rise up in my life time and I will be able to share the stories to my grandkids about using silly paper bills for buying coffee.
If this idea has anything to do with reality then think of buying Bitcoin or Ethereum as you would buy into TCP/IP protocol. The TCP/IP protocol is free now and many businesses are capitalizing on it. In this scenario when it could have been paid - you are buying a crypto asset that will bring a passive income for many years to come.
The description above relates to crypto protocol investing. In cases when it is a dAap crypo application then almost the same passive income idea applies. Buying Facebook or Snapchat on pre IPO basis would have given you a massive capital gain. The major problems are: 1. to be able to recognize the business idea potential and 2. to be able to access the investment opportunities like certified investors have.