Bitcoin Success Story (Billionaire story)

#1 First story

On May 13, StockTwits, the world’s largest financial communications platform for the investing community, revealed one of its users’ growth chart comparing various currencies, bonds and assets. In it, a StockTwits user by the name of Charlie Bilello noted that a $10,000 investment in Bitcoin made in July 2010 would have earned investors a $200 mln return.

To be exact, a Bitcoin investor who purchased $10,000 worth of Bitcoin in 2010 would have earned $201.56 mln.

In contrast, an investor who purchased $10,000 worth of gold in 2010 would have experienced a negative return of $9,981.

Gold is widely regarded as a safe haven asset, which by definition means an investment that retains or increases its value amidst market turbulence and economic certainty, over time. In the past seven years, gold hasn’t met either of the two descriptions. Gold has failed to sustain its value over a seven-year period and has failed to see an increase in its value. Thus, whether gold can still be considered as a safe haven asset is quite unclear.

Since July of 2010, Bitcoin has significantly outperformed the Japanese yen, Canadian dollar, Euro, Silver, Gold, US Dollar, bonds, global stocks, US real estate and US stocks. Naturally, its decentralized nature, high liquidity and transportability began to appeal to a wide range of investors seeking for alternative assets to protect their wealth with a long-term investment.

#2 Story

The recent meteoric rise of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies has led to the appearance of some unlikely millionaires. A recent interview by Forbes magazine shows just how powerful Bitcoin has been over the course of the past decade for those who invested early.

The interviewee, a former software engineer in Silicon Valley, asked to remain nameless. However, he did explain that he started purchasing Bitcoin in 2010 after doing some research. He decided that the purchase should be sizable enough to provide some real upside, should Bitcoin ever increase in value, and so he bought $3,000 worth, or, at the time, 20,000.

When the Bitcoin price really started to jump, he made his first sale of 1,000 Bitcoin, netting him $2.6 mln. Since then, he’s quit his day job and now travels the world, flying first class and staying only in five-star resorts.

After explaining his multiple sell-offs, and the $25 mln in profits he’s realized thus far, he explained that he sees Bitcoin values at $150,000 in the long term. “I really do think it will get there,” he says confidently, "But a lot of governments and companies will have to be on board, first. No amount of speculation in the world will push it that high.”