Brian Armstrong stirred things up when he said Bitcoin acts like a “check and balance” on the US dollar not by knocking it off its throne, but by keeping it honest. He’s not talking about Bitcoin taking over as the world’s reserve currency. What he means is, just the fact that Bitcoin exists changes the way people in power behave.

Think about it: The dollar only works because people trust it trust in the folks running the show, trust in some sense of discipline, and trust that it’ll hold up over time. But let’s be real, when governments get squeezed, printing more money is usually the first move. Bitcoin refuses to play that game. You can’t inflate it, you can’t tweak it for political reasons, and you definitely can’t rewrite its rules on a whim. That makes it a real alternative a way to call out the dollar when it starts to slip.

Armstrong’s take isn’t about dragging the dollar down. Actually, he thinks Bitcoin could make it stronger by forcing leaders to act like grown-ups. When people have a legit way out, governments can’t just rely on their monopoly; they have to fight for trust. Bitcoin turns into a kind of yardstick, showing everyone when there’s too much debt, runaway money printing, or your paycheck just isn’t stretching as far as it used to.

It’s a bit like how gold used to keep governments in check, but now it’s digital and borderless. Anyone can see exactly how much Bitcoin is out there, stash it themselves, or send it across the world no middlemen, no secrets. Compare that to the way central banks operate, and it’s night and day.

So, is Bitcoin anti-dollar? Not really. It’s anti-complacency. Armstrong’s point is, the dollar’s still king, but Bitcoin makes sure it doesn’t get lazy.