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    The Scoop

    MicroStrategy's Michael Saylor on gold, Ordinals and Bitcoin ETFs

    Fri Jun 30 2023
    BitcoinMicroStrategyDigital AssetsCryptocurrencyInstitutional Adoption
    1. Trends in the Bitcoin Space
    2. Bitcoin as an Asset Class
    3. Bitcoin as a Digital Property Network
    4. Bitcoin Protocol and Securities Market
    5. Institutional Adoption of Bitcoin
    6. Bitcoin Performance and Digital Securities
    7. Defining a Framework for Digital Assets
    8. Advocating Bitcoin Adoption

    This comprehensive summary covers recent trends in the Bitcoin space, the emergence of Bitcoin as an asset class and digital property network, the debate around Bitcoin's protocol and securities market, institutional adoption of Bitcoin, Bitcoin's performance and the future of digital securities, defining a framework for digital assets, and advocating for Bitcoin adoption. The episode explores topics such as inflation, MicroStrategy's investment in Bitcoin, the performance of big tech companies' stocks, endorsements from regulators and politicians, the passion behind Bitcoin maximalism, challenges faced by Ethereum and other crypto tokens, the importance of spot ETFs for institutional adoption, tax and custody issues with buying and holding Bitcoin, the potential dominance of Bitcoin in the crypto market, the need for a law defining digital currencies and securities, and the role of leadership in shaping the digital assets framework. It also emphasizes the importance of work-life balance in the crypto market.

    Trends in the Bitcoin Space

    00:03 - 08:16

    • Inflation of the money supply was expected due to zero interest rates and unlimited printing of dollars.
    • MicroStrategy decided to invest $250 million in Bitcoin as a non-sovereign store of value asset.
    • Since August 2020, Bitcoin has outperformed gold, silver, bonds, and real estate.
    • MicroStrategy has bought over $4 billion worth of Bitcoin at various prices through stock buybacks and bond issuances.
    • By adopting a Bitcoin standard, MicroStrategy's stock has outperformed Bitcoin itself.
    • Big tech companies like Apple, Google, and Microsoft have also seen significant gains in their stocks.

    Bitcoin as an Asset Class

    07:54 - 15:37

    • Apple, Google, and Microsoft have seen significant stock price increases, while Facebook, Netflix, and Amazon have experienced declines.
    • Bitcoin has been the best performing asset in the last three years due to its simplicity and thermodynamic soundness.
    • MicroStrategy holds a large amount of Bitcoin on its balance sheet, benefiting from Bitcoin's price increase.
    • Interest rates have gone from zero to 500 basis points in a short period of time, impacting various industries.
    • Bitcoin skeptics have fallen out of consensus as major institutions acknowledge it as a legitimate asset class.
    • Investors are increasingly entering the crypto space and viewing Bitcoin as an uncorrelated asset with potential for growth.
    • The decrease in volatility and breakdown of correlations would be beneficial for Bitcoin's adoption by mainstream institutional investors.
    • Technocrats who believe in the power of tech monopolies like Apple and Google are also becoming interested in Bitcoin as a dominant digital network or commodity.

    Bitcoin as a Digital Property Network

    15:21 - 23:12

    • Currency is controversial as every nation state wants to control their own currency.
    • Bitcoin is emerging as a digital property network and meets the use case of store of value.
    • Endorsements from regulators, Congress, legislators, and presidential candidates have made a huge difference for Bitcoin.
    • Bitcoin maximalists believe it is an instrument of economic empowerment and good for the world.
    • Open permissionless protocols like Bitcoin are not subject to leverage by nation states like corporations are.
    • Maximalism reaches toxicity when it dismisses other ideas without evaluating them on their merits.
    • Ethereum and other crypto tokens face challenges as unregistered securities in terms of disclosures to the general public.
    • The passion behind Bitcoin lies in establishing a protocol that cannot be changed by anyone.

    Bitcoin Protocol and Securities Market

    22:47 - 30:36

    • Bitcoin is a protocol that should not be changed unless there is an overwhelming consensus in the community or a fatal defect in the system.
    • Innovation should take place on layer twos like Lightning to avoid putting the entire world at risk.
    • Bitcoin represents a city in cyberspace where different companies can launch with different ideas on top of it.
    • It's okay to criticize people's business ideas, but one should not meddle in the free market.
    • Unregistered securities should be observed and objected to if they involve manipulation of the securities market.
    • The issue lies in whether sellers are truthful about disclosing risks when selling securities to the public.

    Institutional Adoption of Bitcoin

    30:08 - 37:41

    • There is a debate about whether securities being sold to the public should fully disclose the risks involved.
    • Some market participants in the crypto industry believe that there is a conspiracy involving Wall Street, finance, and politics to take over the industry.
    • People often post conspiracy theories on Twitter for engagement and clicks.
    • Rational decisions are made based on available information, but there are many independent parties acting at their own speed.
    • It can take a long time for things to happen due to natural delays and coordination challenges.
    • A spot ETF is an important milestone on the road to institutional adoption of Bitcoin.
    • Institutional investors want clarity and legitimacy for Bitcoin as an asset, which a spot ETF can provide.
    • Many institutional investors can only buy securities, not commodities like Bitcoin, due to charter or tax requirements.
    • The performance of Bitcoin compared to BTO (a major ETF) shows that futures-based ETFs may have decay and lag behind spot ETFs.

    Bitcoin Performance and Digital Securities

    37:17 - 45:21

    • Bitcoin's performance in the last year is down 20%.
    • Bitcoin's performance over the last 12 months lags behind other assets by 12%.
    • Institutional investors may prefer a spot ETF for Bitcoin exposure.
    • A low-cost ETF would be more reasonable than futures trading for institutional investors.
    • Buying and holding Bitcoin as an asset comes with tax, charter, and custody issues.
    • Spot ETFs provide an on-ramp for institutional investors to easily buy large amounts of Bitcoin exposure.
    • Bitcoin dominance in the crypto market may increase to 80% in the future.
    • If securities tokens register, they may be called digital securities instead of crypto assets.
    • The SEC and CFTC guidance suggests that the crypto industry will trade fewer assets in the future.
    • Digital assets industry includes digital currencies, commodities, securities, tokens, and exchanges.
    • A law defining a taxonomy for digital currencies and securities is needed for registration and trading of these assets.
    • 24/7 digital trading of all securities could be possible in the future with lighter disclosures for certain tokens.
    • A legitimate path to issue tokens is necessary to avoid fraud and ensure investor protection.
    • Securities are more complicated than commodities due to issuer liability and legal recourse issues.

    Defining a Framework for Digital Assets

    44:51 - 52:42

    • The debate is about issuing digital assets cheaper and faster, and giving self custody to everyone on every device.
    • The current financial establishment has a monopoly on trading, custody, and issuance of assets.
    • The focus should be on allowing companies like Apple to issue tokens or shares of stock that can be traded on a 24/7 exchange.
    • Shareholders should have the right to take custody of their assets.
    • Leadership at the political level is needed to define a framework for digital assets.
    • Compliance with public securities law is expensive and restricts artists from issuing their own tokens.
    • There is no legitimate path currently for issuing, trading, and custodying digital assets.
    • The US will likely play a significant role in defining the digital assets framework.
    • Work-life balance in the crypto market requires focus and prioritization.

    Advocating Bitcoin Adoption

    52:13 - 57:34

    • Focus on advocating and accelerating the adoption of Bitcoin throughout the world
    • Maintain a rhythmic routine for health and well-being
    • Avoid getting drawn into unconstructive fights and controversies
    • Underestimated the volatility of Bitcoin in the past year
    • Believes that Bitcoin is a constructive solution for individuals, corporations, governments, and agencies
    • Recognizes that not everyone understands or embraces Bitcoin yet, but believes education will lead to rationalization
    • Compares Bitcoin to fire and electricity, acknowledging initial fear but eventual adoption
    • Bitcoin is spreading at its fastest rate possible
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