Bitcoin celebrates 8 years of independence: What really happened on August 1, 2017?

Each August 1st, part of the Bitcoin community pays tribute to a key moment in its history: the activation of the SegWit soft fork in 2017. This technical event, seemingly minor, symbolizes a conquest of autonomy against hostile economic forces. 8 years after this “Independence Day“, fault lines persist, but the network emerges stronger.

August 1, 2017: the day Bitcoin defied its own miners

In 2017, Bitcoin was suffocating. The fixed block size of 1 MB limited the number of transactions. Fees exploded, the network saturated. The most powerful miners, including Bitmain, advocated a direct increase in block size, with the SegWit2x solution. But some developers and users rejected this path. They feared that this increased centralization would compromise the spirit of BTC.

Faced with this deadlock, a group of actors launched BIP148. This ” User Activated Soft Fork ” (UASF) mandates SegWit activation on a set date. If miners do not comply, a split risks occurring. The standoff ended with their surrender. On August 1, 2017, the network switched to SegWit. For advocates of decentralized governance, this day marks Bitcoin’s ” Independence Day “.

SegWit, forks, and opposing visions: the great divide in Bitcoin scalability

SegWit, activated on August 1, 2017, does not directly increase block size but optimizes their structure, facilitating the emergence of the Lightning Network. This improvement marks a community victory: congestion reduction without giving in to centralizing pressures. The same day, Bitcoin Cash was created with 8 MB blocks, offering an alternative path.

8 years later, the block size war, the debate on scalability persists. While SegWit is widely adopted and Lightning exceeds 5,000 BTC capacity, some still advocate:

• A direct increase in block size;
• A refocus on merchant usage;
• A simplification of the protocol.

Far from a consensus, the ecosystem now reflects a plurality of visions, each embodied by Bitcoin, its forks, or its sidechains.

Roger Ver, Bitcoin Cash, and the never healed rift

Currently facing 109 years in prison for tax evasion, Roger Ver (Bitcoin Jesus) whom Vitalik Buterin demands be freed, is a strong supporter of Bitcoin Cash and has always embodied this divergence. In 2015, he shared a provocative image: a 3 TB hard drive, which he considered sufficient to store 55 years of 1 MB blocks. He saw a technical absurdity there justifying an increase in block size.

Hostile to the slowness of Bitcoin Core, he supports immediate merchant usage of BTC. Yet, his position seems marginalized. The market did not decide by debate but by capitalization: Bitcoin Cash remains at a distance, while BTC establishes itself as a safe asset. The battle was not in vain though. It forced each camp to formalize its principles. Security, simplicity, scalability: each had to prioritize their values.

Sovereignty and valuation: a lasting correlation for BTC?

Since August 1, 2017, Bitcoin has gone from 2,700 dollars to over 117,000 dollars. Some see this as proof that its resistance against mining powers has strengthened investor confidence. Others remind that the correlation between governance and price remains difficult to demonstrate.

What is certain is that the “ Independence Day ” acts as a symbolic landmark. It reminds us that the value of BTC does not rely solely on its code but also on its ability to withstand capture attempts.

This anniversary date continues to fuel Bitcoin’s technical and ideological memories. Far from a static commemoration, it remains a fertile point of tension. Because in Bitcoin, independence is less an achievement than a permanent state of collective vigilance. Which is why Robert Kiyosaki bets on BTC to survive the looming crisis.