“I’ve been through the 2017 cycle, too,” Yang says, referencing the ‘crypto crash’ of 2017 that saw many major cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, lose major value. “I know that these things are super volatile, like some days they can go down 80%.”
In 2016, this became apparent with the DAO hack. One way to fix the problem was to implement what’s known as a “hard fork,” which would essentially update the Ethereum-based software to fix the technical gaffe that caused the hack to begin with. But DAO users had to agree to this change, and there were dissenters. Though the hard fork was approved, it created two active blockchains with two different sets of rules. Ultimately, this hack–coupled with the inability to deal with it–caused the DAO to end in 2016.

Dogecoin is thus notable as an experiment in “inflationary cryptocurrency,” and experts are watching it closely to see how its long-term value trajectory differs from that of other cryptocurrencies.
During the lag time between the transaction’s initiation and finalization, the units aren’t available for use by either party. Instead, they’re held in a sort of escrow — limbo, for all intents and purposes.