David Marcus, former head of Meta's blockchain project Diem, recently revealed that the initiative was halted due to intense political pressure from U.S. regulators. Launched in 2019 as Libra, Diem aimed to create a decentralized payment network with a stablecoin backed by the US dollar, supported by giants like Visa and PayPal. Despite regulatory hurdles being addressed, political resistance, particularly from Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, led to its demise. Meta eventually sold Diem's assets in early 2022. Marcus, now CEO of Lightspark, emphasizes Bitcoin's potential as a neutral, decentralized financial network.