&gt; it is impossible to factorize big numbers. For any number, there is no way of working out if a smaller number divides into it, short of actually doing the calculation.<p>Yeah, the author doesn&#x27;t understand the difference between the difficulty of factorizing large semi-primes and the elliptic curve discrete logarithm problem.<p>It might be a little error, but lack of understanding of deep technical issues lead directly to specious statements that bitcoin and the blockchain are going to solve world poverty, privacy, fix the economy and neuter the surveillance state.<p>It almost makes me wonder if Bitcoin was a &quot;black-flag&quot; operation to bring out the crypto-anarchist nerds who can&#x27;t look past the fact that Bitcoin is innovative to see it doesn&#x27;t work for most people.