If Tesla had never sold those 29,000 Bitcoins, do you know how much wealth it could have today?
Once upon a time, Tesla was one of the most symbolic banners of traditional enterprises embracing cryptocurrency. When Elon Musk publicly announced in February 2021 that Tesla had purchased $1.5 billion in Bitcoin, the crypto world experienced a historic moment. Bitcoin surged to $47,000, and the financial community erupted.
However, the peak of this crypto feast came quickly, and the turning point was abrupt. Within just a few months, this electric vehicle giant entered a cycle of 'buying—hesitating—selling', ultimately ending with a significant reduction and even a loss. A strategy that could have accumulated billions in long-term value was completely undermined by shortsighted actions in reality.
Tesla once led the world but has now become a 'background player'.
Before Tesla, MicroStrategy had already begun large-scale BTC positioning in August 2020, but being a niche company, its influence was limited. Tesla's entry brought Bitcoin onto the front pages of global mainstream media for the first time, securing unprecedented 'legitimacy' for crypto assets.
At that time, Tesla boldly stated that it would accept BTC for car purchases in the future. Musk showcased Bitcoin tags in his personal tweets, directly triggering a short-term price surge. Many regarded this series of actions as the official signal for the 'institutional bull market' to start.
However, within three months, the winds changed. In May 2021, Tesla announced it would suspend Bitcoin payments, citing environmental issues with Bitcoin mining. This decision caused market turbulence and led the public to begin questioning its true stance on crypto assets.
Musk stated at the time that as long as over 50% of the energy used in Bitcoin mining comes from renewable sources, Tesla would reconsider accepting Bitcoin. However, according to subsequent multi-party on-chain analyses, this standard was quickly met, yet Tesla never looked back.
Data speaks: How much would that Bitcoin be worth now if it hadn't been sold?
In July 2022, Tesla confirmed in its financial report that it had sold 75% of its Bitcoin holdings, approximately 29,060 coins, at an average transaction price of $32,209, raising $936 million.
Although this sale brought short-term liquidity, from today's perspective, it is no different from 'selling at a low'. Based on Bitcoin's peak price of $109,000 in January 2025, the potential market value of this portion of Bitcoin once reached $3.15 billion. At current market average prices (around $94,000), the value of this asset is over $2.7 billion.
In other words, just from this one reduction operation, Tesla has missed out on nearly $2 billion in potential appreciation.
Ironically, despite this, Tesla still holds 11,509 Bitcoins (worth about $1.08 billion at current prices), and this portion of assets has not changed since. Once 'among the top three holders globally', its ranking has now been far surpassed by crypto-native companies like CleanSpark, Marathon Digital, and Galaxy Digital.
What has been missed is not just profit but also market trust.
This 'exodus' of crypto assets has rapidly transformed Tesla's role in the Web3 market from a leader to a 'hesitator'. Musk's attitude towards Bitcoin has also gradually shifted from initial enthusiasm to silence—since 2022, he has not posted any tweets related to BTC.
Once viewed as the 'faithful leader' of Web3, Musk seems to have completely shifted his interests to X, AI, and political maneuvering. Meanwhile, Tesla itself is facing operational difficulties: sales in Q1 2025 fell 20% year-on-year, profitability plummeted 70%, and TSLA's stock price has dropped 32.4% this year.
In this context, looking back at Tesla's past interactions with Bitcoin evokes a sense of regret: a failure to persist in asset allocation that ultimately missed not just wealth growth but also the capital market's trust in its strategic vision.
The victory of long-termism: Bitcoin becomes a standard for institutional-level allocation.
In contrast to Tesla's reduction-based 'trial', the long-term holding strategies of companies like MicroStrategy, MARA Holdings, and Galaxy Digital have gradually received positive feedback from the market. Especially against the backdrop of institutional compliance and the approval of Bitcoin ETFs in 2024, the logic of 'Bitcoin as a strategic asset allocation' has been adopted by more listed companies.
In this major trend, if a company possesses scientific insight tools for on-chain asset allocation, it may be able to make more rational medium- to long-term judgments—this is the role Mlion.ai plays.
Helping companies analyze on-chain liquidity, institutional behavior, and token volatility trends in real time;
Using AI research report systems to build personalized asset allocation strategies;
Simulating asset return scenarios under various price changes to provide more scientific data support for decision-makers;
Accurately identifying potential black swan risks to assist in building a digital asset portfolio defense system.
Those who missed out on a decade of Bitcoin surges are not just retail investors; it may also include the giants in your hands. The question is, in the next cycle, will you miss out again?
Conclusion:
Musk once said, 'Bitcoin could be a good thing.' However, his actions did not match this belief. As Bitcoin breaks historical highs today, we can't help but ask—if they had insisted on long-termism back then, would Tesla today be on a completely different wealth trajectory?
This is not just a review of Bitcoin's price but a profound reflection on corporate strategy, cycle judgment, and faith choices.
Disclaimer: The above content is for information sharing only and does not constitute any investment advice. The market has risks, and investment should be cautious.
