The $300 Million Pizza: My Bitcoin Regrets

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On May 22, 2010, something completely insane happened in crypto history. Looking back now, I can't help but laugh at what we now call "Bitcoin Pizza Day" - though some nights, I still wake up in a cold sweat thinking about it.

I've been following this Laszlo Hanyecz story since it happened. This Florida programmer was supporting Bitcoin when nobody gave a damn about it. Back then, Bitcoin was worth a pathetic $0.003 - basically monopoly money that computer nerds were playing with.

Then this madman posts on BitcoinTalk: "I would like to pay 10,000 Bitcoin for two large pizzas. If you're interested, please contact me."

Someone actually took him up on it! Ordered him some Papa John's pizza for what was then about thirty bucks worth of magic internet money.

Jesus Christ, can you even wrap your head around this? Those 10,000 coins would be worth over $300 MILLION today! For two fucking pizzas! I've made some terrible financial decisions in my life, but nothing on this scale.

The most infuriating part? Laszlo claims he has "no regrets" about his decision. Who is he kidding? I'd be living in constant agony. But I guess his public statement - "I didn't know Bitcoin would reach this level" - is the understatement of the century.

The crypto world celebrates this catastrophic financial decision every May 22nd like it's something to be proud of. Sure, it proved Bitcoin could actually buy things in the real world, but at what cost?

This whole saga perfectly illustrates how early adopters never truly understood what they were holding. While everyone was treating crypto like a fun experiment, they were sitting on digital gold. How many other people threw away fortunes because they didn't see the potential?

This wild price volatility is exactly why trading these assets is so damn risky. One day you're buying pizza, the next day you've accidentally spent a mansion, a yacht, and your grandchildren's college fund on pepperoni and cheese.

I'm not saying I would've hodled all the way to $300 million... but man, I'd sure like to think I wouldn't have blown it all on fast food.

BTC-1.41%
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