If You Invested $1,000 In Bitcoin When Chamath Palihapitiya Had His 'Best Call Of All Time,' Here's How Much You'd Have Now

by Chris Katje Benzinga Staff Writer

Zinger Key Points

Chamath Palihapitiya was an early investor in Bitcoin and shared several public takes on BTC years ago.
A look back at what Chamath calls his "best call of time" that involves Bitcoin.
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Venture Capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya has realized many strong returns from investments over the years including Facebook, Slack, the NBA's Golden State Warriors and many SPAC mergers.

Palihapitiya recently highlighted what he calls his "absolute best call of all time," a tweet about Bitcoin BTC.

What Happened: Along with being an early investor in many emerging trends, Palihapitiya was an early supporter of Bitcoin, as Benzinga previously shared.

The venture capitalist said he bought $1 million in Bitcoin in 2012 after a recommendation from a friend. He said he would later add to that investment after learning more about the cryptocurrency.

A study of cryptocurrency and realizing its potential long-term benefits led Palihapitiya to write an op-ed in Bloomberg on May 30, 2013.

The original piece from Palihapitiya shared many catalysts for Bitcoin and laid out the investment thesis.

"The opportunity here is to think constructively about a world in which money flows are more transparent (Bitcoin), easy (Bitcoin), cheap (Bitcoin) and secure (Bitcoin)."

Palihapitiya cited the 2008 financial crisis and a lack of trust in the sector since the collapse of companies like Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns.

"The point is that this fundamental trust no longer exists; in its place, rises Bitcoin."

At the time, Palihapitiya said Bitcoin was being used to avoid high banking fees, paying for goods and services and as a currency in areas around the world.

"Bitcoin provides a safe way for anyone, anywhere to send, receive or store his or her money."

Palihapitiya said the same couldn't be said for traditional banks where large banks were investing the deposits in derivatives, international banks could seize the money and the currency could be devalued by a government.

"If Bitcoin grows into something bigger – a useful reserve currency, then watch out: Its value will far exceed $400,000. I personally think that Bitcoin is already superior to gold."

The investor recommended allocating 1% of assets into Bitcoin at the time.

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Palihapitiya would double down on Bitcoin a year later with a Sept. 1, 2013 tweet.

"My prediction is that BTC will trade thru $200 before the end of this year. #BuyBTC," Palihapitiya tweeted.

The tweet came when Bitcoin was under $200. In a reply to a social media user, Palihapitiya also said he thought BTC would "trade to more than $100,000 per coin in my lifetime."

"No easier way to make $1B…I'm long forever."

Palihapitiya recently shared this nearly 12-year-old tweet on X.

"This was the absolute best call of all time. Nothing will come close to this."

That's a pretty impressive statement given Palihapitiya's past investment success.

Investing $1,000 in BTC: Investors who were fortunate enough to follow Palihapitiya on social media and follow his advice are doing quite well assuming they still are holding their Bitcoin.

Bitcoin traded at $138.34 on Sept. 1, 2013. A $1,000 investment that day could have bought 7.23 BTC.

Fast-forward to today, and Bitcoin trades at $104,101.00, surpassing Palihapitiya’s $100K prediction.

The $1,000 investment would be worth $752,650.23 today, representing a return of +75,165.0%.

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