in terms of hash rate we're probably seeing the change over from equipment that can no longer run efficiently, but doesn't mean a new wave of new tech doesn't come on line to replace in soon enough...interesting idea to imagine a new mining company selling at loss to hurt other miners pretty risky lol ... seems like another point where speculation over getting into mining is pretty obvious.
I am still running my bitfury gear, 1 year old, and I am still earning, thanks to cheap electricity.
But I think asic bubble is nearing its end, and I think there will be no more crazy difficulty jumps. miners are much more aware of potential risks these days.
asic bubble deflating = price crashing
I'm one of many miners not selling at a loss but did have to reduce hash rate to stay profitable. I had to lower the voltage to each ASIC on the old mining rigs, which forced reducing the hash rate but increased efficiency. Went from an efficiency of 2.5 J/GH to 1.16 J/GH. As a comparison, the newer most modern miners are 0.78 J/GH. My electricity cost is $0.13/kWh. At the current BTC value and difficulty I can only make a profit by slowing down the old miners to make them more effecient. So, I'm not mining as many coins, but still making a profit.
What if the price keeps dropping to say... $400? What would be your response?