You nailed it on the head. It was about independence from the financial system, not to become rich. And now that's all it is, a way to earn money and has been incorporated into ETF's. It's exactly the opposite of what it was meant to be. I understand why the creator took an exit stage left, he didn't want it centralized.

As with much of the rest of the world communities can corrupt the initial values and intent of anything. I guess it's the way of the world in the end...