In one sense, the repeated and total fiascos of Ethereum and IOTA (which has a hell of a lot more problems that just an ad hoc has function) are good because they make the costs of our industry's lazy and self-indulgent "artist" approach to software very obvious, and the cost of it becomes clear.

I don't think those two projects belong in the same category. I got into Ethereum tech in 2016 and found it so immature that I sold most of my ether. I'd expected problems and felt disappointed even more so. But it looks to me like Vitalik was brilliant and inexperienced then, while IOTA has basically nothing to recommend it. I'm not looking to start another cryptocurrency argument, just noting my disagreement.

Yes, real money in smart contracts is part of the economics shift I brought up.

A fiasco is a fiasco. Vitalik is still around because he at least owns his fiascos. The IOTA folks probably won't be at this rate.