For investors who entered crypto markets last year and now find themselves underwater, the timing can feel brutal. Price drawdowns have revived familiar doubts about whether crypto has slipped into a bear market. According to Andreas Brekken, founder of Sideshift AI, those concerns are understandable but ultimately misplaced.
During a recent interview with TheStreet Roundtable at Solana Breakpoint, Brekken drew on his experience across several market cycles to demonstrate how sentiment has changed over time.
Shifting Perceptions: From "Dying Profession" to Enduring Technology
Brekken recalled his early experiences in the crypto space, sharing, "In the couple first bear markets, I was personally very concerned that I had chosen a profession that was dying. Actually, not only the profession, but I put all my money into something that was dying. I was actually very concerned."
However, that fear has significantly faded over time. Even as prices fall, Brekken stated that the underlying conviction in the technology has strengthened.
“In the last few bear markets, I haven’t had any concern like this,” he explained. “This technology is here to stay. There’s no competition for this technology.”
His reasoning for this conviction is practical rather than ideological. Brekken believes that Bitcoin and blockchain networks solve fundamental problems that still lack viable alternatives in traditional systems.
Finding Perspective: Comparing Crypto to Traditional Finance
For investors feeling pressure after buying earlier in the year, Brekken offered a grounding exercise to re-evaluate the value proposition of cryptocurrencies.
“If you’re underwater from the summer like me, because I’m still buying,” he said, “then just go to the bank, deal with the bank, doing something normal, send an international transfer, and just see how difficult that still is. Then I think you’ll feel better about Bitcoin, about Solana, and about stablecoins.”
The comparison, he suggested, makes the inherent value and efficiency of crypto infrastructure significantly easier to appreciate when contrasted with the complexities and inefficiencies of traditional banking.
Understanding Market Cycles: The Four-Year Bitcoin Pattern
Brekken also addressed the persistent idea that crypto markets follow a predictable four-year cycle, often tied to Bitcoin’s halving schedule. While he once hoped the industry would evolve beyond this pattern, he has grown more skeptical. He even cautioned investors to be wary when they hear pronouncements that the four-year cycle is dead.
“As soon as somebody says the four year cycle is over,” he said, “you should probably sell, because that has become a bit of a top signal.”
For long-term participants in the crypto market, the key takeaway from Brekken’s insights is that time in the market generally proves more beneficial than attempting to precisely time the market. Volatility remains an inherent characteristic, but the fundamental question of whether the underlying technology is here to stay appears to be settled.