[snoshy]

Coinbase did need something like Mt. Gox to become what they are today, but not in the sense you imply. The whole Mt. Gox episode opened people's eyes up to the fact that large institutional frauds could take place with their Bitcoin wealth, and that there indeed was a need for a well managed reputable provider for these services. Bad actors can come in many sizes, and a bad actor of Mt. Gox scale also brought about plenty of controversy and media attention that was heaped on this subject. It benefited Coinbase in no small part to capitalize on this already acknowledged need for a business.