5 Little Known Facts About Bitcoin Mogul Michael Saylor

Since joining the Bitcoin scene, MicroStrategy Chairman Michael Saylor has become one of the industry’s most talked-about persons, and many would argue that this is correct. His company is the largest corporate holder of bitcoin, with over $46 billion in BTC at the time of writing. Saylor has almost singlehandedly driven BTC to new heights that seemed impossible a few years ago. 

But there is a lot more to Saylor than just Bitcoin. In this article, we uncover five little-known facts about Michael Saylor, which may reveal why he maintains a die-hard approach to his Bitcoin investing strategy.

Five Things You May Not Know About Michael Saylor

• Family Background 

Michael Saylor was born on February 4, 1965, to Roger Saylor and his wife Phyllis. Roger Saylor was an Air Force chief master sergeant, meaning Michael spent most of his early childhood living across different US military airbases worldwide.

The training he received from home evidently shaped Michael’s disciplined perspective in life. The entrepreneur told the Washingtonian in 2000, “My father taught me character,” while “My mother taught me charisma.” His father’s no-corner-cutting approach to life rubbed off on Saylor, who would also go on to get some military training.

Michael Saylor, for his part, is not married and does not have any children. He is said to be an “unapologetic bachelor” who has occasionally been found at infamous parties, though the details of such outings remain largely unknown.

• Military Training

While Michael Saylor has gone on to achieve tremendous success in software and technology, many do not know that the famed Bitcoin maximalist has some military training under his belt. Mr. Saylor received flight officer training at the Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.

He was subsequently commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the US Air Force, joined the US Air Force Reserve, and worked as a consultant for a few years before co-founding MicroStrategy. He still holds a private pilot license, using this life-long skill when needed.

• His Bet on The Rise of the Mobile and Internet 

Though more popular, Michael Saylor’s Bitcoin bet is not the first time he has made a bold bet on the future of technology. The entrepreneur accurately predicted the rise of the internet and positioned himself for this by acquiring many popular domains in its early stages. 

Saylor’s company MicroStrategy owns popular domains such as mike.com, michael.com, hope.com, strategy.com, emma.com, and many others. Notably, Michael Saylor sold voice.com for $30 million in 2022, one of his significant cashouts from the domain hoarding business.

In the early 2010s, when many doubted the rise of mobile devices and social networks, Michael Saylor was a huge proponent. He authored the book “The Mobile Wave” and publicly went on record for backing companies such as Apple, Google, and Facebook to usurp the incumbents in the coming years. 

In 2012, when Apple stock closed at around $16, Saylor was filmed in a now-popular interview arguing that the company’s products were more than just tech, “but fashion statements.” He further predicted that over five billion people would eventually own mobile devices, tipping Apple’s stock as high as $2,000 per share.

While that prediction has not come true, Apple has grown into a $3 trillion company, with its shares currently priced at over $250. Anyone who followed Saylor’s call would have made so much profit. It’s little wonder that many investors follow his lead on Bitcoin.

• His Personal Bitcoin Holdings

It is public knowledge that Michael Saylor’s MicroStrategy holds billions of dollars in Bitcoin. The exact amount is not mentioned for fear this article will get outdated in the next hour, pun intended.

However, it is not widely known that the entrepreneur holds 17,732 BTC (approximately $1.9 billion at the time of writing).

Some have asked how much #BTC I own. I personally #hodl 17,732 BTC which I bought at $9,882 each on average. I informed MicroStrategy of these holdings before the company decided to buy #bitcoin for itself.

— Michael Saylor⚡️ (@saylor) October 28, 2020

Saylor disclosed these holdings in 2020 and confirmed to Bloomberg four years later that he hasn’t sold any of them. The Bitcoin maximalist is putting his money where his mouth is and still wants some of those personal gains of the cryptocurrency, in addition to MicroStrategy’s holdings.

• Philanthropic Efforts

Michael Saylor appears big on philanthropy and has already made great strides by forming the Saylor Foundation. The foundation has reportedly donated millions of dollars to different efforts, such as health, education, environment conservation, and more. A popular arm of this foundation, Saylor.org, provides free education materials, which, of course, includes a Bitcoin course.

Above all, Saylor has publicly revealed plans to leave his Bitcoin wealth behind for humanity, especially given that he doesn’t have a wife or children of his own. In an interview, he told the New Zealand Herald that he plans to follow in Satoshi’s footsteps.

“I’m a single guy. I have no children — when I’m gone, I’m gone. Just like Satoshi left a million Bitcoin to the universe, so I’m leaving whatever I’ve got to the civilization,” the Bitcoin mogul promised.

Only time will tell whether he lives up to that promise. In the meantime, he continues to be the main man for the Bitcoin community, and his journey with the cryptocurrency could add an indelible mark to his already robust legacy.