Silicon Valley deftly answers two frequently asked questions about Bitcoin

Spoilers ahead for the penultimate episode of Silicon Valley.

In the latest season of Silicon Valley, startup Pied Piper braves all kinds of obstacles, from an aggressive pizza company trying to steal their coders to contending with their archnemesis Hooli’s Galvin Belson (played by Matt Ross). In last night’s episode, it addresses one of the most salient issues of the tech world: Bitcoin. In the process, it explains two commonly confusing aspects about cryptocurrency: why are people obsessed with Bitcoin and why aren’t more people getting rich off it?

Bitcoin enters the picture when Richard Hendricks (Thomas Middleditch) and Bertram Gilfoyle (Martin Starr) create a plan to launch their own cryptocurrency in hopes of making a quick buck. They’re fully immersed in the cryptocurrency craze, believing that it will raise enough capital to eliminate their need to rely on a venture capital firm, and also look good for their brand image to build a decentralized internet funded…