The code born in 2008 has weathered storms and skeptics alike, and this week Bitcoin cemented its immortality by soaring past $110,000 to a record $111,963. With a $2.2 trillion market cap, it now eclipses Amazon as the world’s fifth-most-valuable asset.

For believers, this milestone delivers poetic justice: No long-term Bitcoin holder has ever lost money. MicroStrategy, the corporate flag-bearer of BTC accumulation, sits on $23 billion in unrealized gains. Its chairman Michael Saylor even taunts: "If you’re not buying at all-time highs, you’re already behind."

Yet Bitcoin’s ascent also exposed high-profile detractors—voices of authority who dismissed it as worthless. As their predictions crumble, we revisit their most infamous quotes.

The Oracle of Omaha’s anti-BTC tirades:

• 2013 (~$100/BTC): "Bitcoin is rat poison."

• 2018 (~$9,000): "Probably rat poison squared."

• 2019: "It’s a gambling device… No intrinsic value."

The Missed Opportunity
Berkshire Hathaway’s cash hoard grew from $112B (2018) to $350B (2025)—a bet against traditional markets. Had it allocated just 1% to BTC in 2018 (~$14K peak), that $1.1B would now be worth $8.6B.

Buffett retires in 2024, leaving successor Greg Abel to grapple with this legacy.

The Anti-Crypto Era

• 2019: "Not a fan. Volatile and facilitates crime."

• 2021: "A scam competing with the dollar."

The Pivot
Facing 2024 reelection, Trump embraced crypto to court a growing voting bloc. Post-victory, his empire monetized the trend:

• Launched World Liberty Financial crypto project

• Issued TRUMP meme coin and USD1 stablecoin

Verdict: Cynical? Yes. Impactful? Undeniably.

The Microsoft co-founder’s stubborn skepticism:

• 2018: "I’d short BTC if I could."

• 2022: "NFTs are pure greater-fool theory."

• 2024: "Crypto adds no societal value."

Yet BTC’s "fools" now laugh all the way to the bank.

JPMorgan’s CEO has called BTC:

• "A fraud" (2017)

• "Worthless" (2021)

• "Like smoking—legal but unwise" (2025)

Irony: JPMorgan launched its own stablecoin (JPMCoin) in 2019 and now offers BTC trading.

BlackRock’s CEO evolved from critic to evangelist:

• 2017: "Crypto indexes global money laundering."

• 2023: "Digital gold."

• 2024: "What’s the price of human freedom?" (on BTC’s value)

• 2025: Predicts "$500K–700K BTC."

Proof even Wall Street’s old guard capitulates.

The Alibaba founder’s 2018 take: "Blockchain isn’t a bubble—Bitcoin is."

A common tech-exec refrain: Praise the tech, scorn its native asset.

The economist’s 2014 quip: "I’d refuse free Bitcoin—it’s worthless."

2025 Math: That rejected BTC would now buy a Shanghai penthouse.

BTC’s rise mirrors religious movements:

• No churches, but a decentralized congregation.

• No scripture, but an immutable ledger.

To skeptics: "Generations change, but adoption marches on."

As MicroStrategy’s Saylor quips: "There are two types of companies—those that buy Bitcoin, and those that will." The market has spoken—and the faces of doubt still sting.

Final Thought: When "rat poison" outperforms every asset class, perhaps the poison was in the narrative all along.

Data as of May 2025. All "face-slapping" calculations are approximate and for illustrative purposes.