Educational information, not financial advice.
A common criticism: a few early holders own a large share, so bitcoin is a scheme for the early.
What actually happened
- Anyone could download the software and mine from January 2009. There was no premine or private sale.
- The supply schedule was published from the start: rewards halve about every four years until the cap of 21 million.
- For years, bitcoin was widely seen as worthless or a fad. Early holders bought or mined at the risk of losing everything, and many sold early or lost their keys.
Bitcoin's answer to the fairness question
Fiat money has its own early-access problem: newly created money reaches banks and governments first, before prices adjust (often called the Cantillon effect). Bitcoin has no such channel. New coins go only to miners who spend real resources, under rules that apply equally to everyone.
Ownership is not fixed
Coins move every day. Each sale moves bitcoin to a new owner at a market price. Exchange and custodian addresses often hold coins for many users, so "one address = one rich person" is a frequent misreading of the data.