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Michael Saylor, founder of MicroStrategy, shared a link to his fresh interview. One curious statement he made about BTC owners who prefer to keep their private keys to themselves over lack of trust to the government drew the attention of the crypto community since in this statement Saylor was somewhat critical about them.
Saylor's Bitcoin interview
In the tweet that accompanies the link to the interview, Saylor says that this conversation addresses “popular myths and risks that hinder Bitcoin adoption”. The host of the conversation was YouTuber Madison Reidy who interviews experts in the financial markets.
This conversation addresses popular myths & risks that hinder #Bitcoin adoption, explains why Bitcoin is the superior digital asset, capital asset, and store of value, and advocates for universal recognition of Bitcoin as sound, clean, digital money essential for human progress. https://t.co/1km8VmoLha
— Michael Saylor⚡️ (@saylor) October 21, 2024
Extracts of this interview have been separately published on X by other crypto enthusiasts. One of the statements that caught the attention of the Bitcoin community was the statement made by MicroStrategy’s Saylor about those who prefer self-custody to hedge funds like BlackRock.
Madison Reidy’s question on this was if there are any risks posed on those people who prefer to hold Bitcoin with custodians and whether it increases the risks of having their Bitcoin confiscated and seized by the US government in the future. Here she made a historical reference to the Great Depression times, when the government confiscated gold from wealthy American citizens.
In 1933, during the Depression, president Roosevelt announced should gold holders to turn their gold bullions and coins in and get $20.67 per ounce in return. Back then, US dollar was on the gold standard and after collecting the gold, Roosevelt raised the price per one ounce to $35. The gold inflow from holders and the printing of dollars that followed was one of the radical measures that allowed the US to steer out of the Depression.
"Paranoid crypto anarchists" who hold Bitcoin
Saylor stated that “when Bitcoin is held by a bunch of crypto anarchists, who aren’t regulated entities, who don’t acknowledge government or don’t acknowledge taxes, or don’t acknowledge reporting requirements, that increases the risk of seizure.”
Saylor thinks you are a paranoid crypto anarchist if you hold your own keys and don't trust the government. 😏 pic.twitter.com/6owj7LzrdM
— Adam Simecka (@AdamSimecka) October 20, 2024
Saylor claimed that only “paranoid Bitcoin anarchists” fear that Bitcoin can be seized from them and he claimed that gold was not seized in 1933 but turned on voluntarily. Since the US is not on the Bitcoin standard, he said, there’s nothing to be afraid of.
The community was stunned by these words, reacting in the comments.