DID THE LIGHTNING NETWORK FAIL? ❌⚡️
According to the conversation in the "Real Hard Money Podcast" (
@realhardmoney) episode featuring Bobby Shell from Voltage (
@iBobbyShell @voltage_cloud), The
#LightningNetwork has definitely not failed; it has grown into a robust global payment rail used by enterprises and individuals alike. Lightning's success is proven in real-world usage:
Tens of millions of people in Africa, millions in Argentina, and numerous neo-banks rely on Lightning daily for dependable payments, especially where the local infrastructure is unreliable.
Large enterprises and exchanges adopting Lightning typically see 25–50% of their Bitcoin transactions move to that network due to better user experience and instant settlement.
Cash App (an S&P 500 company:
@CashApp) earned millions in yield via their Lightning node, at a rate of about 9.79%, showing not just payment utility but also financial incentives for routing and liquidity.
Businesses now use Lightning for high-value payments (up to $100,000), demonstrating scale and reliability, with infrastructure improvements such as multi-path payments increasing capacity further.
Shell argues that criticisms of Lightning generally come from people focused on technical hurdles or FUD, while real use cases—especially in regions with fractured payment systems—show significant success.
Ongoing development has made Lightning valuable where it matters most.