Not really sure that Bitcoin involves "no major intellectual breakthroughs".

Perhaps no breakthroughs for independent parts (Satoshi did not create a new cryptographic function, for example) but the placement of known parts into a working system is in itself an intellectual breakthrough.

I don't understand how the author can say that Bitcoin is in no way an intellectual breakthrough. Perhaps I misunderstood the article.

Maybe the author misses the creative and novel system that Satoshi built just because the bricks are not all brand new. Even Bill Gates called Bitcoin a techno tour de force.