Key Takeaways
- Michael Saylor claimed at Bitcoin Prague that he never said Strategy would never sell Bitcoin.
- Multiple public statements from 2022 to 2026 show Saylor repeatedly saying Strategy was not a seller.
- The controversy follows Strategy’s sale of 32 BTC.
Michael Saylor has claimed he never said Strategy would “never sell” Bitcoin at the Bitcoin Prague conference this week — after facing criticism over the firm’s sale of 32 BTC.
As the debate continues over his words, CCN has listed all the documented instances in which Saylor, in fact, said Strategy would never sell Bitcoin.
Saylor Defends Strategy Bitcoin Sale After Backlash
Speaking at Bitcoin Prague, Saylor pushed back against critics who accused him of abandoning his long-standing position on bitcoin.
“And I refuse to do it because a troll on Twitter says, ‘Hey, you said never sell your Bitcoin,'” Saylor said.
“Okay, fine, I’ll destroy a $100 billion company so that I don’t sell my Bitcoin.”
Saylor argued that many critics had misunderstood his comments over the years, distinguishing between advice he gave to Bitcoin holders and the company’s treasury management decisions.
“By the way, I said to you never sell your Bitcoin,” he said. “I never said that the company wouldn’t sell its Bitcoin.”
He added that Strategy had long disclosed that it retained flexibility over its holdings.
“And anybody who’s been listening to our earnings calls or reading our disclosures, or has half a brain knows for the last five years, we’ve been very clear that of course we sell Bitcoin if [we] have…”
Timeline: When Michael Saylor Said Strategy Would Never Sell Bitcoin
January 19, 2022 – Bloomberg Interview
Asked whether MicroStrategy would ever sell Bitcoin after the crypto had fallen roughly 40% from its highs, Saylor gave what remains his most widely cited answer.
“Never. No. We’re not sellers. We’re only acquiring and holding bitcoin. That’s our strategy.”
The comments were made specifically in response to questions about the company’s bitcoin treasury.
2022–2024 – ‘Acquire and Hold’ Strategy
Throughout numerous interviews, conference appearances, and earnings calls, Saylor repeatedly described Bitcoin as a long-term treasury reserve asset that would be accumulated rather than sold.
He frequently compared Bitcoin to generational assets such as land or a family business, arguing that owners should borrow against it rather than dispose of it.
February 2024 – Bloomberg Television
Saylor again dismissed the idea of selling Bitcoin.
“There’s just no reason to sell the winner,” he said. “Bitcoin is the exit strategy.”
March 2024 – Yahoo Finance
During an interview focused on Bitcoin’s long-term role within Strategy’s treasury, Saylor reiterated the company’s buy-and-hold philosophy.
“We believe that the highest, best use of capital is to buy Bitcoin and hold the Bitcoin,” he said.
When asked what the ultimate purpose of holding bitcoin was if it would never be sold, Saylor delivered one of his most famous lines.
“Let me say it a different way. People that use fiat currency as a store of value, there’s a name for them. We call them poor.”
The interview became a defining moment for the “never sell” narrative that later spread widely across social media.
October 2024 – Third-Quarter Earnings Call
Saylor described Bitcoin as a “permanent treasury reserve asset” that would be acquired and held indefinitely.
February 2025 – ‘Never Sell Your Bitcoin’
Saylor again publicly advocated holding Bitcoin indefinitely, posting and repeating variations of the phrase: “Never sell your Bitcoin.”
Later that month, he reiterated his “21 Rules of Bitcoin.” Rule 20 stated:
“You do not sell your BTC.”
February 2025 – Bitcoin Falls Below $80,000
As bitcoin declined sharply, Saylor intensified his messaging.
“Sell a kidney if you must, but keep the BTC.”
March 2025 – Strategy ‘Would Never Sell’ Bitcoin
Saylor stated that Strategy would “never sell” its Bitcoin holdings, further cementing supporters’ expectations that the company would remain a perpetual accumulator.
July 2025 – Buying Forever
Acknowledging the company’s increasingly predictable accumulation strategy, Saylor said:
“I’m going to be buying the top forever.”
February 2026 – CNBC Squawk Box
Asked how Strategy would respond to a prolonged Bitcoin downturn, Saylor said the company would continue accumulating rather than selling.
“We’re not going to be selling; we’re going to be buying Bitcoin,” he told CNBC.
He added that he expected Strategy would buy Bitcoin “every quarter forever.”
Shift in Michael Saylor’s Strategy Bitcoin Messaging
Saylor’s Bitcoin Prague comments represent a notable shift from years of statements.
While Saylor now argues that “never sell your Bitcoin” was primarily advice directed at individual investors, critics point to multiple instances in which he explicitly said it about Strategy.
Critics have come out in force against the famed Chairman, with one X user writing: “You fell for this grifter and his Ponzi scheme.”
Another wrote: “Anyone who took his ‘never sell your Bitcoin’ literally is dumb. Seriously dumb.”
Following the firm’s Bitcoin sale last week, an X post from Saylor ruffled the feathers of many Bitcoin holders.
Saylor wrote in a cryptic message on X with a single question: “32?”
The majority of X users correctly guessed that the post was a classic Saylor hint at buying more Bitcoin, as the firm bought 1,550 BTC on June 8.
However, some speculated the post could be a prediction that Bitcoin’s price may fall to $32,000, with Saylor “trolling” the market in the process.
“Easy to troll when it’s other people’s money you’re losing,” said one X user.
Another wrote: “Bro crashed the whole market and is now trolling.”
Kurt Robson is a London-based reporter at CCN, specialising in the fast-moving worlds of crypto and emerging technology. He began his career covering local news in Cornwall after graduating from Falmouth University with First Class Honours in Journalism. There, he cut his teeth on everything from council meetings to missing swans.
He quickly rose through the ranks to become a frontline journalist at several of the UK’s leading national newspapers. Over the years, he has interviewed musicians and celebrities, reported from courtrooms and crime scenes, and secured multiple front-page exclusives.
Following the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kurt shifted his focus to technology journalism—just ahead of the AI boom. With a natural curiosity and a trained eye for emerging trends, he has found a new rhythm in reporting on innovation.
At CCN, Kurt's work focuses on the cutting edge of crypto, blockchain, AI, and the evolving digital world. Drawing on his background in people-first reporting and his deep interest in disruptive tech, Kurt delivers stories that are insightful, entertaining, and human-centric.
