California just quietly added $15 to the price tag of every iPhone, computer, and gaming console. All in the name of consumer protection, naturally.

Think about it—when regulations get passed with good intentions, consumers are usually the ones footing the bill. The costs don't disappear; they just get redistributed. Whether it's environmental compliance, data security, or whatever else is being mandated, that $15 tax isn't coming out of corporate margins. It's coming straight from your pocket.

This is exactly why decentralized systems and blockchain tech matter. When intermediaries can't be eliminated by regulation, costs keep piling up. But in a peer-to-peer economy? Friction disappears, middlemen vanish, and prices reflect actual value creation instead of compliance overhead.