People do not realize Crypto is not a stock, it is a protocol, a superior technology that is way better than the medium of exchange we have been using in the past decades. First, because it is fast reliable, and programmable, and second because it is decentralized.
One of the definitions of "legitimate" is:
conforming to recognized principles or accepted rules and standards
It provides a known quantity and quality, with changes agreed to by the group of users themselves. Powerful in regards to a currency.