*By Jacqueline Corba*
Bitcoin soared back above the [$8,000 mark this week for the first time since May](https://cheddar.com/videos/reddit-co-founder-on-the-state-of-cryptocurrency). The surge comes as more institutional investors look to grab a piece of the still-emerging crypto market.
"From a stored value perspective I'm a Bitcoin maximalist," [Fin co-CEO and co-Founder Sam Lessin](https://cheddar.com/videos/tech-entrepreneur-sam-lessin-authors-childrens-book-on-bitcoin) told Cheddar's Crypto Craze Thursday. "If you look at the broader blockchain and crypto ecosystem, I don't think people fully appreciate how deeply big a deal it is to have an immutable ledger globally."
Lessin, who served as a vice president of product management at Facebook from 2010 to 2014, joins fellow Facebook alum Anthony Pompliano in his bullish outlook on Bitcoin, the largest digital currency by market cap.
"I've got a high degree of confidence that at some point in the future its going to hit $50,000. And I've got some degree of confidence that it will be by the end of this year," Pompliano, who now runs Morgan Creek Digital Assets, told Cheddar.
The factors driving the value up? Human psychology, speculation around a [cryptocurrency ETF](https://www.coindesk.com/bitwise-proposes-etf-for-top-10-cryptos/), and growing institutional interest, said Pompliano.
Facebook itself even wants in on crypto. In May, [Cheddar reported Facebook is developing its own digital currency](https://cheddar.com/videos/facebook-plans-to-create-its-own-cryptocurrency-2).
"I have a lot of respect for the Facebook team," said Lessin. "What they have is a fundamental networkーthe biggest one ever in the history of the world connecting people." He called a Facebook move toward crypto an "obvious play."
For full interview, [click here] (https://cms.cheddar.com/videos/VmlkZW8tMjExNzY=).
An FAA analysis after the first crash of a Boeing 737 Max predicted there would be more disasters without a fix of critical automated flight-control system. Safety officials estimated there could be 15 more crashes of the Max over the next few decades. Yet the Federal Aviation Administration did not ground the plane until a second deadly crash five months later.
Google's 'Year in Search' report is out, and it shows what we've all been looking for in 2019.
The Recording Academy recently named Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter Jason Mraz as its District Advocate Ambassador. Mraz told Cheddar that it's currently "the wild west in music."
The New York State Department of Financial Services has proposed new guidance for licensed cryptocurrency firms that would make it easier for them to add new coins to their offerings, Superintendent Linda Lacewell announced Wednesday.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Wednesday, December 11, 2019.
The flight marked a new milestone in the international partnership between Harbour Air, a seaplane airline, and magniX, an Australian firm developing electric propulsion systems.
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It's been a quiet start to December for Bitcoin, which has held steady around the $7,500 mark. Bitcoin developer Jimmy Song joined Cheddar to discuss his outlook for bitcoin heading into 2020.
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Mayor Meghan Sahli-Wells of Culver City, California, spoke with Cheddar about transitioning from the golden age of film production to the new Hollywood renaissance of streaming content.
