Then here it is:

Honest, I swear.

It isn't the amount, it's the sheer amateurishness of the operation and the subsequent loss of trust.

Banks, exchanges, and other monetary systems, including currencies themselves, can only function when there exists an implied trust that the system will continue to function, and do so reliably. A loss of that trust is what causes bank runs, hyperinflation, and economic collapses.

Bitcoin has destroyed that trust. They're toast.

"....can they pull it off again?"

Sure; and I can tell you why in three words:

Pointy. Haired. Bosses.

You just try to tell your typical PHB that there's something out there besides Office, or that the workstation and the Operating System are two separate things, and watch their eyes instantly glaze over.

Hell, we still use Centrex in this dump!

....Professional-level OPSEC from amateurs?
XD

....Try reading the corporate SOP.
Step Two: When in doubt, ask.
Step Three: If the SOP isn't something you can abide by, find another job. Dishonesty WILL ruin your career.

Just because governments change doesn't mean cultures have to.

Ridiculously easy: Check-out what's sitting outside the equipment hut of pretty-much every cellular tower in North America.

....Still on Centrex, and paying AT&T boo-koo bucks every month for the privilege. :(

When you screw-up, blame "nefarious outside forces."

Works every time.

I had a pilot once who demanded to know EXACTLY what was wrong with his aircraft.

So, I told him.

After that, whenever something went wrong, he'd stay in the pilot lounge until I told him it was safe to come out.