Crypto glossary
Bitcoin maximalist (maxi)
A bitcoin maximalist, or maxi, believes bitcoin is the only cryptocurrency that matters and regards most other tokens as unnecessary or scams.
Maximalists see bitcoin as a unique monetary breakthrough: a fixed supply of 21 million, a decentralised network secured by proof of work and a long track record. From that view, other blockchains either copy bitcoin, add complexity that weakens security or exist mainly to enrich their creators, so they are dismissed as shitcoins. Many maxis also oppose changes to bitcoin's protocol that they see as risky.
The movement has shaped bitcoin culture, from laser-eye profile pictures to the sats-stacking habit, and its arguments about sound money and self-custody are widely shared outside it. Its warnings about premined tokens, insider allocations and centralised projects have often been vindicated by collapses.
Critics say maximalism can become dogmatic, dismissing genuine innovation such as stablecoins or smart contracts, and that its online advocates can be hostile. The term is also used loosely for ETH or SOL maxis, meaning loyalists of any single chain.
Example
Asked about a new layer 1 token, a bitcoin maxi replies that every altcoin is a shitcoin and that the only thing worth doing is to buy BTC and withdraw it to a hardware wallet.