Strategy co-founder and executive chairman Michael Saylor has experienced a substantial increase in his net worth, adding $1 billion since the beginning of the year. This remarkable rise coincides with his entry onto the Bloomberg Billionaire 500 Index, where he is currently ranked 491st with an estimated net worth of $7.37 billion. His wealth has grown by 15.80% from January 1 to date, in tandem with a nearly 12% surge in the shares of his company, Strategy (MSTR), which closed at $335.87 on Friday.
According to the Bloomberg Index, which monitors the wealth of the world’s richest individuals, approximately $650 million of Saylor’s assets are held in cash, while the majority, roughly $6.72 billion, is invested in Strategy equity. Within the crypto finance community, Saylor’s ascent places him alongside other notable billionaires, including Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong and Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, who rank 234th and 40th, respectively, with net worths of $12.8 billion and $44.5 billion. Notably, former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried was also part of this elite group before the exchange’s collapse in November 2022.
Strategy is highly recognized for its aggressive Bitcoin accumulation strategy, holding approximately 659,739 BTC, valued around $72.9 billion based on current market rates. This amount represents about 3.42% of Bitcoin’s circulating supply, according to StrategyTracker. Despite holding such a significant quantity, the company maintains that its purchasing practices do not affect Bitcoin’s market price. Shirish Jajodia, the corporate treasurer and head of investor relations, emphasized that their approach allows them to acquire Bitcoin without influencing its market value.
However, the stock performance of Strategy has been somewhat volatile. Although the stock rose by 2.53% on Friday, it has decreased by 12.4% over the past 30 days. This slide is particularly notable given a recent disappointment regarding the company’s exclusion from the S&P 500 in August, an outcome that surprised many market observers who believed the Bitcoin-accumulation firm had met all necessary criteria. Reports have indicated that despite its inclusion in the Nasdaq 100, Strategy could still face denial from the S&P 500 if the selection committee concludes against it after a comprehensive evaluation of prospective candidates.
