Saylor has a history of encouraging extreme measures for Bitcoin investment, including mortgaging homes and maxing out credit cards.
By Chimamanda U. Martha
Edited by Marco T. Lanz
Updated
3 mins read
For Bitcoin BTC $81 441 24h volatility: 1.7% Market cap: $1.61 T Vol. 24h: $13.98 B maximalists like Michael Saylor, the leading cryptocurrency is worth everything – even an organ. On Friday, the founder of Strategy, the business intelligence firm that pioneered corporate Bitcoin adoption, teased his 4.1 million followers on X, suggesting they should sell their kidneys to buy BTC.
His comment follows the recent market downturn that saw Bitcoin drop below $80,000 on Thursday evening, marking an 8% decline within 24 hours. In January, Bitcoin surged to an all-time high of $109,000, its highest price since its inception in 2009. The bullish momentum was fueled by Donald Trump’s inauguration as US president. However, enthusiasm faded after Trump failed to mention crypto in his inauguration speech.
Bitcoin continued trading between $90,000 and $100,000 until a recent hack rattled the entire crypto market. Last week, hackers exploited vulnerabilities on the crypto exchange Bybit, stealing approximately $1.5 billion in Ethereum (ETH). The incident sent shockwaves through the industry, pushing Bitcoin to its lowest level since November 2024.
Despite the turbulence, Saylor sees the dip as a buying opportunity, urging his followers to consider drastic measures like selling a kidney to acquire more Bitcoin.
Sell a kidney if you must, but keep the Bitcoin.
— Michael Saylor⚡️ (@saylor) February 28, 2025
Meanwhile, this is not the first time the billionaire Bitcoin advocate has encouraged extreme actions for BTC accumulation.
During the past bear market, which wiped out billions from the crypto space, Saylor advised investors to liquidate their assets and max out their credit cards to buy Bitcoin on leverage. In an interview with Fox Business, he even suggested that people mortgage their homes to invest in BTC.
These comments have drawn sharp criticism from figures like Peter Schiff, an American stockbroker and longtime Bitcoin skeptic. Responding to Saylor’s latest kidney-selling joke, Schiff questioned whether the billionaire had any shame, recalling his history of extreme Bitcoin endorsements.
In response, an X user known as Pickle Rick pointed out that if Saylor’s followers had mortgaged their homes to buy Bitcoin when he first made such comments, they would have made massive profits by now.
Schiff fired back, reminding Rick that at the time of Saylor’s advice, Bitcoin was trading around $50,000. According to Schiff, anyone who bought Bitcoin using credit cards back then would now be drowning in interest payments, with current credit card rates reaching 24%.
Rick partially agreed, stating that only the “stupidest of the stupidest” would blindly follow Saylor’s advice.
“That’s insane rates 💀 Hopefully, if anyone followed, they paid off their debt. And if they sold their house, they didn’t have to pay interest on a mortgage. No need to assume you have the stupidest of the stupidest taking this advice,” Rick wrote on X.
Despite the backlash, Saylor remains a staunch Bitcoin advocate. His company, Strategy, has been acquiring Bitcoin since 2020 and is now the largest corporate holder of the asset, with 499,096 BTC.
The firm’s Bitcoin reserve strategy has paved the way for other publicly traded companies to adopt BTC as a corporate treasury asset. In the US, several firms, including Semler Scientific, Marathon Digital Holdings, Riot Platforms, and even Elon Musk’s Tesla, hold Bitcoin as part of their reserves.
Disclaimer: Coinspeaker is committed to providing unbiased and transparent reporting. This article aims to deliver accurate and timely information but should not be taken as financial or investment advice. Since market conditions can change rapidly, we encourage you to verify information on your own and consult with a professional before making any decisions based on this content.
Chimamanda is a crypto enthusiast and experienced writer focusing on the dynamic world of cryptocurrencies. She joined the industry in 2019 and has since developed an interest in the emerging economy. She combines her passion for blockchain technology with her love for travel and food, bringing a fresh and engaging perspective to her work.
