[ycombasks]

> * Bitcoin skyrockets until infrastructure comes under strain.

Source? Unless you consider the failure of Mt. Gox an "infrastructure" problem, then this is not the case.

[acchow]

It's hard to see how that wasn't an "infrastructure" problem. Mt Gox was the largest BTC exchange - an integral bridge from old world to BTC world.

[Lerc]

Not the failure of MtGox, but their day to day operations were significantly impacted during the peak hype.

Other Exchanges had problems, I remember the "you can have bitcoin next friday, when we've got some ourselves" episode (bitinstant perhaps?).

Even the most prepared business are going to have trouble when everyone decides to come knocking on your door in in the space of a fortnight. You can prepare for rapid scaling, but you can't hire and train people overnight.