1Right, in that case, why do I keep hearing that Ethereum complements Bitcoin? And if Ethereum is as amazing as some of the hype out there, can it eventually replace Bitcoin? – Organic – 2016-06-01T14:44:40.700

@Organic It could replace Bitcoin. Ethereum has a much more advanced scripting language, which is its strength (and weakness). Bitcoin is simpler (more elegant) and has a much larger support base. – Geremia – 2016-06-01T15:15:05.683

Bitcoin is more focused on being a currency, while Ethereum is more focused on being a smart contract platform. They both play their roles well, even though they are separate roles with some overlap. That is what people mean when they say they complement each other. – Jestin – 2016-06-01T15:40:51.453

@Geremia I thought Ethereum "inventors" originally said it specifically does not want to be a currency and gas certainly isn't. Did they change their mind? Anyway, Bitcoin is already hard to scale as a currency, adding a bunch of unrelated stuff on top certainly isn't going to make that easier. – Jannes – 2016-06-01T16:09:03.217

@Jannes Is Bitcoin even a currency? Many people hold different opinions on that question. – Geremia – 2016-06-01T16:17:29.820

@Geremia strictly sure, but we're comparing bitcoin to ethereum here, one of which obviously meant to be payment mechanism/currency, the other... – Jannes – 2016-06-01T17:50:50.813