🧠💸 The story of Stefan Thomas and the $220 million in lost Bitcoin
Imagine having a fortune at your fingertips... and not being able to touch it.
That is the real drama of Stefan Thomas, a German programmer who, in 2011, received 7,002 Bitcoins as payment for a video explaining how this new technology called Bitcoin worked.
At the time, they were worth almost nothing. So he securely stored them in an IronKey device — an encrypted pen drive with a password and 10 attempts before being permanently locked out.
The problem? He forgot the password. 😨
Today, that fortune is worth over 220 million dollars (and it could be worth even more in the future).
Stefan has already tried 8 passwords.
Only two attempts remain before the device self-destructs.
“I would just lie in bed and think about it,” he told the New York Times.
“Then I would become depressed.”
He was not alone: it is estimated that about 20% of all existing Bitcoins are inaccessible, locked in wallets lost forever.
🔐 The moral of the story?
In crypto, you are your own bank. Total freedom... and total responsibility.
🧠 Back up.
🔑 Keep your passwords safe.
🧾 Use secure tools.
Or, as Stefan Thomas might remind you... be prepared to lose more than just sleep. 😬
At least on Binance, you can recover your password hahaha
