It might have been for first few months. And then it kinda got into becoming rich or kings of future world...

Or a more charitable explanation; the ecosystem was initially filled with people caring about the ideology and technology, but as money got involved, people who cared more about accumulating money started taking over more and more of the ecosystem.

The initial people still exist, although they are few compared to the money people who've infected the ecosystem.

People cared about money from the beginning, firstmost. You do not create such a new kind of currency if money is not what you care about.

As the original article says:

> The cypherpunk ethos attracted me. I was enamored by the whole idea of Bitcoin being a private bank for wealthy individuals. Being able to walk across the border with a billion dollars in your head is and always will be a powerful idea to me.

People sure had a "cypherpunk ethos" but they built cryptocurrencies, not tor network or signal. The author's dream was to be rich and untouchable. Imo the author is not that far away from the ethos of modern crypto as they think they are.