SUMMARY

• Tech entrepreneur Balaji Srinivasan wagered $1 million on Bitcoin reaching $1 million within 90 days amidst U.S. bank failures.
• Srinivasan closed his bet ahead of schedule, donating $1.5 million to three entities, an amount exceeding the required settlement.
• The bet spurred a conversation about the state of the economy, with Srinivasan and others debating the potential for a banking crisis and hyperinflation.

As the United States grapples with the fallout from a series of bank failures, renowned tech entrepreneur Balaji Srinivasan chose to place a substantial gamble in mid-March, staking $1 million on the prediction that bitcoin would reach a record $1 million within three months.

On Tuesday, Srinivasan confirmed that he has prematurely closed his audacious bet on Bitcoin (BTC), exceeding the required settlement by donating an additional $500,000, thus giving a total of $1.5 million across three separate entities. Srinivasan, who held the role of Chief Technology Officer at the cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase and was a partner at venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, based his daring prediction on the belief that an impending banking crisis would precipitate a significant devaluation of the U.S. dollar, resulting in hyperinflation and a consequent surge in Bitcoin value.

Srinivasan made his feelings known on Twitter, stating that his expenditure of a million dollars served to highlight the problems of an economy inflating by trillions. He argued that the predicted 'soft landing' assured by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell was unlikely, suggesting instead a much harsher reality. In his view, current leaders, including Powell, are failing to acknowledge the impending crisis, much like U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and then-Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke did during the prelude to the 2008 global financial crisis.

The speed at which crises can develop was emphasized by Srinivasan, drawing parallels with historical events ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic to the financial crisis of 2008 and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. However, his interpretation of recent monetary events, including the Fed's $300 billion print following the Silicon Valley Bank failure, has been contested by other experts like Danielle DiMartino Booth, a former Fed staffer, and economist.

Despite the ongoing debate, Srinivasan closed his bet, making three generous donations of $500,000 each to Chaincode Labs for Bitcoin Core development, Give Directly, and to James Medlock, a pseudonymous Twitter user who in March challenged the prediction of U.S. hyperinflation with his own $1 million wager.

WOM Money Picks

Be a part of the winning team | 81% Success Rate.