How much you’d have if you invested $1,000 in Bitcoin when Bill Gates said he’d short BTC

On December 10, Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) made cryptocurrency headlines as its shareholders overwhelmingly rejected a corporate investment in Bitcoin (BTC) urged by MicroStrategy’s (NASDAQ: MSTR) Michael Saylor.

In the short term, the decision had little impact on MSFT’s share price, and though it did send BTC plunging, the coin’s downturn was exceedingly short.

Though some have taken the vote as a major mistake, few who have been following Microsoft founder Bill Gates would have been surprised as the billionaire has been something of a high-profile Bitcoin bear for years.

Indeed, in early May 2018, Gates also made cryptocurrency headlines when he proclaimed he would short BTC if it were possible.

How much would have going long when Gates called for shorting returned

While the long-term impact of Microsoft shareholders’ decision is yet to be seen, Gates’ own opposition to Bitcoin had been a decisive mistake by press time on December 13, 2024.

Specifically, at the time the billionaire made his comment, BTC was trading at $9,373, while the world’s premier cryptocurrency is trading at $100,273 at press time.

The 969.8% price difference between May 7, 2018, and December 13, 2024, means that any investor who elected to go long on Bitcoin with a $1,000 investment when Gates called for taking a short position would now have $10,698.07.

In other words, they’d have made a profit of $9,068 just by having a dislike for Bill Gates.

What will happen to Bitcoin price in 2025?

Looking forward, numerous on-chain analysts and the community as a whole estimate that 2025 will bring an even greater upside.

Indeed, the press time sentiment dictates that Bitcoin has only dipped its toes in the ongoing bull cycle and that, as major as crossing the $100,000 threshold was, it is but the first step.

In recent weeks, $250,000 has emerged as a common price target for BTC in 2025, with many famous investors, authors, and some of the best-regarded Wall Street analysts setting it as a plausible goal.

For example, while many might not be surprised that Robert Kiyosaki, author of ‘Rich Dad Poor Dad’ – and a very consistent and vocal Bitcoin bull – predicted such a climb, it may be more noteworthy that Fundstrat’s Tom Lee recently unveiled the exact same forecast.

Should the ambition price target be met, Bill Gates contrarians will have turned their 2018 $1,000 investment into a full $26,672.36 sometime next year.

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