Bitcoin is a network that has grown into the world’s most secure decentralized computer network. The network has a built-in asset called bitcoin. One bitcoin (BTC) consists of 100,000,000 satoshis (sats) — similar to cents to a dollar. You can therefore own a fraction of a bitcoin, down to 1/100,000,000 of 1 BTC.
Bitcoin is not a company, and Bitcoin has no CEO. Like physical gold, you do not need to trust anyone if you hold satoshis and store them correctly in self-custody. Under “Get started” you can read more about how to store bitcoin.
Bitcoin has never been hacked. When people have lost bitcoin, it is not because Bitcoin failed, but because the user made a mistake, or a third party — for example an exchange — had a vulnerability or perhaps did not actually hold the bitcoin they sold. It can be compared to selling gold to your neighbor but handing over a paper IOU instead of the gold. That often ends in fractional reserve, where the amount of gold or bitcoin backing claims shrinks over time — in other words, a scam.
Bitcoin can be complex to understand. One thing is how it works technically; another is what led to Bitcoin, which problems it solves, and what impact it may have on the world — now and in the future. It is often recommended to first understand what money actually is, as a good angle for understanding Bitcoin.