Overstock公司CEO：我支持、但不持有比特币

    比特币引起了极大关注。接受比特币支付是否只是你们的一种营销手段？

    比特币的使用率很低，但我认为，只要我们和其他大型零售商开始接受比特币，情况就会很快发生变化。

    仅仅在十二月份，比特币的币值就在480美元至1,280美元之间大幅波动，非常不稳定。这种情况是否让你有一种心惊肉跳的感觉？

    没有。我们不会持有任何比特币。这只是一种交易媒介。我们只是接受比特币支付，然后将它兑换成美元，至少在最初是这样做。如果我们每天进行一次兑换，那么最大的风险将是比特币当天的波动性。不过，据我所知，这种风险已经很高。

    目前尚没有对冲这种风险的衍生工具，但据我们预测，以后肯定会出现某种形式的衍生产品。

    你还预见到了什么其他的什么风险吗？

    我其实并没有看到其他风险。而且，比特币的使用者不仅仅是在Silk Road上购物的那些人。越来越多的人不相信政府管理经济的能力。而我们接受比特币支付其实是在向这些人发出一个信号，让他们知道我们支持他们，我们与他们有着相同的质疑。

    华盛顿为比特币召开过听证会？你有没有对任何人谈起过这种货币？

    我会避免与华盛顿的任何人进行讨论，不过，我们有律师会与他们商谈。他们认为，华盛顿对于比特币和比特币的监管仍然存在质疑，当然假如比特币需要监管的话。担忧的焦点是类似Silk Road这样的黑市网站和洗黑钱者。我们当然不会鼓励、也不会容忍这样的行为，我们会严格遵照美国法律。

    美国是否会禁止使用比特币，尤其是零售商和消费者？

    我看不出他们有什么办法禁止。我认为，如果比特币的使用足够普遍，它将会对美国经济带来非常积极的影响。如果我们的货币系统开始崩溃，像2008年一样，再次陷入恶性通货膨胀和系统性风险，对于那些对官办机构失去信心的人来说，比特币将为他们提供一种便利的保值手段。

    目前涌现出许多比特币交易初创公司。你们计划与哪一家合作？

    我们正在与三家公司谈判。

    能知道他们的名字吗？

    目前还不方便透露。（财富中文网）

    译者：刘进龙/汪皓  

    Bitcoin has gotten a lot of attention. Would you say that accepting it at Overstock is just a marketing tool for your company?

    Adoption of bitcoin is low, but I think once we and some other major guys start accepting it that could change very quickly.

    In December alone, bitcoin fluctuated between $480 and $1,280. This is super volatile. Does that freak you out at all?

    No. We're not going to be holding any bitcoin. It's just a medium of exchange. We're just going to be taking bitcoins as payment and converting them into U.S. dollars, at least initially. If we just do the conversion every day, the most risk would be the volatility it experiences in one day, which is still pretty high I know.

    There aren't any derivative instruments out there yet to hedge that risk, but we anticipate they will be created in one way or another.

    Any other risks you see?

    I really don't see any. Plus a certain type of person is using bitcoin -- not just the guys shopping on Silk Road. An increasing population distrusts the government's ability to manage the economy. This is a way of signaling to these people that we stand with them and we share their same doubts.

    Washington has been holding Congressional hearings on Bitcoin? Have you talked to anyone about the currency?

    I avoid discussions with anyone in Washington, but we have lawyers that talk to them, and they say that in Washington there are questions about bitcoin and how it's going to be regulated, if at all. The concern is primarily the Silk Road kind of crowd and money launderers. We certainly don't want to encourage or condone that kind of behavior and we'll do everything the law requires us to do.

    Can the U.S. stop bitcoin from being adopted and used, especially by retailers and consumers?

    I don't' see how they can. If anything, I think if usage gets widespread enough, it could have a beautiful effect for the United States. If our current system starts melting down or we start experiencing hyperinflation and systemic risks and all kinds of things we experienced in 2008, then it will provide a very convenient way for people to move to a safe store of value as they lose faith in the current government-run institutions.

    A few bitcoin exchange start-ups have emerged. Who are you planning to use?

    We're down to negotiating with three companies.

    Which ones?

    We haven't disclosed that yet.