Overstock公司CEO：我支持、但不持有比特币

    网络零售商Overstock.com在线销售的商品从床上用品到餐具不一而足。最近，这家公司宣布将从明年六月开始接受比特币支付，成为美国首家接受这种虚拟货币的零售商。虽然比特币仍在试验阶段，但它的价值却已经从一月份的13美元飙升至十二月份的1,200多美元。

    虽然比特币的价值在持续飙升，但Overstock CEO帕特里克•拜恩表示，接受比特币支付的计划并不代表公司认定这种货币的价值会再次暴涨。

    本周一，《财富》杂志（Fortune）电话采访了位于犹他州办公室的拜恩。拜恩因灾难预言而为人熟知，而且，他和前美国国会议员、自由主义者罗恩•保罗意见一致。罗恩•保罗认为，美国应该重新实行金本位，同时撤销美联储（Federal Reserve）。

    拜恩认为比特币可以作为支付系统的有力补充，但他自己对这种货币的态度却非常复杂。下面是这次采访的内容摘要：

    《财富》：你本人持有比特币吗？

    帕特里克•拜恩：没有。我持有黄金。

    真的吗，你持有多少黄金？

    很多。这么说吧，就算哪天地球上僵尸横行，我也有足够的黄金照顾好我和我的家人。

    希望所谓的僵尸只是在开玩笑。我们还是回到比特币的话题吧。你自己计划购买比特币吗？

    我没有投资比特币。我只是说我们会接受比特币支付。我对它的价值也没有任何看法。我甚至不知道除了每天查询之外，怎么去确定它的价值，以及它目前的交易价格。Overstock接受比特币并不代表我们公司认定这种货币的价值会再次暴涨。我们不会持有任何比特币，我们只是把它作为一种交易的媒介。

    但很明显你是比特币的拥护者。原因何在？

    既有商业上的原因，也有哲学上的原因。首先是商业方面的原因：我认为会有一定数量的消费者希望能够使用比特币购物。他们喜欢这种货币的匿名性。到目前为止，市场上仅有一些黑市网站，比如Silk Road。此外，使用比特币交易可以为我们节省大约2%的兑换费用。我们目前的净利润大约是2%，这已经不是什么秘密。所以，所节省的交换费将实质性地改善公司的盈亏状况。

    至于哲学上的原因：我是奥地利经济学派（Austrian School of Economics）的支持者，我们讨厌法定货币。所有法定货币的长期价值都是零。如果你相信有限政府，那么你所希望的货币体系将不再是政府官员大笔一挥就能创造货币的体系。黄金是一种解决方案，但我们没办法在短时间内重新回归金本位。我们也不可能很快撤销美联储，所以比特币是向正确方向迈出的一步。

    Overstock.com, which sells everything from bedding to dinnerware online, recently announced it would accept bitcoin as early as June, making it the first U.S. retailer to use the virtual currency. Still in its experimental phase, bitcoin has fluctuated from as low as $13 in January to more than $1,200 in December.

    And while it has had a wild ride, Overstock's (OSTK) plans to accept bitcoin as payment shouldn't be read as another bet that the currency will soar higher, says CEO Patrick Byrne.

    Fortune caught up with Byrne over telephone on Monday from his office in Utah. The executive is known to be a doomsdayer, siding with the likes of former libertarian U.S. Congressman Ron Paul, who has argued that the U.S. should return to the gold standard and that the Federal Reserve should be abolished.

    Byrne thinks bitcoin could be a helpful addition to the payment system, but even he has mixed feelings about the currency. Here's an edited version of our chat:

    Fortune: Do you own any bitcoins?

    Patrick Byrne: No. I own gold.

    Really, how much gold?

    A lot. Let's just say enough that if zombies walked the Earth I will have enough gold that me and mine are taken care of.

    I hope you're kidding about the zombies, but let's get back to bitcoin. Do you plan to buy any for yourself?

    I'm not investing in bitcoin. I'm just saying we'll accept it. I don't have any opinions on its value, and I don't even know how one would go about finding that out beyond just looking it up everyday and what it's trading at. Overstock accepting bitcoin shouldn't be read as an endorsement or a view that the value of it is going to go up. We're not going to be holding any bitcoin -- it's just a medium of exchange.

    But you're obviously a bitcoin fan. Why?

    There are business and philosophical reasons. First, the business reason: I think there are a legitimate number of consumers who want to be able to shop with bitcoin. They like the anonymity of the currency. So far, the market has only served them with shady websites, like Silk Road. Also, it saves us about 2% from interchange fees. It's no secret that our net margin is about 2% now. And so the savings would be a very substantial improvement to our bottom line.

    As far as the philosophical reason: I am from the Austrian School of Economics, which means we're the guys who hate fiat money. The long-run value of all fiat money is zero. If you believe in limited government, you want to have a monetary system that is based on something where no government mandarin can just create money with a stroke of a pen. Gold is a solution, we're not going to bring back the gold standard any time soon. We're not going to get rid of the Federal Reserve any time soon, so bitcoin is a step in the right direction.