A well-known and prominent figure in the digital asset sector. This individual is the founder and major shareholder of MicroStrategy, serving as chairman (and until 2022 as CEO). He graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was already taking his first steps in creating MicroStrategy at the age of 24.
Michael Saylor emerged in 1994, when he entered the market with a business intelligence product. It was the first product for building analytical applications on large databases. Over time, the product was improved and became an entire business intelligence suite for reporting, analytical processing and information distribution.
Michael Saylor – Education and Early Days
Saylor is an American entrepreneur, philanthropist, inventor, and author. Interestingly, he comes from a military family. He was born in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1965. He spent his childhood living on various US Air Force bases, all over the world. However, in his teenage years, his family eventually settled at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio.
The biography of Michael Saylor is not only interesting but truly fascinating. He served as the class president, being the first in his class to hold this position. From a young age, he was regarded as a person with the greatest potential for achieving tremendous success. In his free time, he played guitar in a rock band and… learned how to fly gliders!
Even as a teenager, Michael Saylor took a strong interest in the application of computer simulation technology to public policy and business strategy. It comes as no surprise that he chose the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for his studies. Furthermore, he was awarded a full Air Force Officer Training Corps scholarship. He completed his education with the highest distinction from MIT. During his time at MIT, Michael Saylor was also a member of Theta Delta Chi, which led him to earn dual degrees in Aeronautics and Astronautics, as well as Science, Technology, and Society.
In college, his fascination with computer simulation technology became even greater. Eventually, he wrote a thesis titled “A Mathematical Model of an Italian Renaissance City”.
At the same time, Mr. Saylor successfully completed flight officer training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. Following his training, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force. While serving in the reserves, he embarked on his consulting journey. During this period, he primarily focused on developing computer simulations to facilitate strategic decision-making for notable companies such as DuPont, Dow, and Exxon.
In 1989, when Michael was just 24 years old, he brought all his passions together. That’s how MicroStrategy was founded. He based the business on his vision of providing assistance to enterprises.
MicroStrategy – Company Operations
MicroStrategy leveraged the capabilities of graphical operating systems and client-server computing. The company grew steadily, thanks to its pioneering approach to business analytics (ROLAP). As a result, it went public in 1998 (NASDAQ: MASTR).
Under Michael Saylor’s leadership, the company has become a global leader in enterprise analytics and software. It currently serves thousands of organizations around the world! Saylor himself is the inventor of more than 40 patents. In addition, he is considered the inventor of relational analytics. And it was he who introduced MicroStrategy to the sector of web analytics, distributed analytics, mobile analytics, cloud computing, mobile identity and the Internet of Things (IoT).
It is worth mentioning that Mr. Saylor is not only a prominent figure in the digital asset sector but also the founder of several successful companies. Among them is Alarm.com, which was one of the pioneering companies in the field of home automation and security. Additionally, he founded Angel.com, which became the first provider of interactive services.
In his busy schedule, Michael Saylor has even managed to write a book. We are talking about “The Mobile Wave: How Mobile Intelligence Will Change Everything”. As you can see, nothing is impossible for him. The book has appeared on bestseller lists – The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.
While writing about this passionate individual, we must add that he is also the founder of The Saylor Foundation. The foundation donates funds to philanthropic causes such as children’s health, refugee aid, education, environmental protection and support for the arts. The organization additionally runs the Saylor Academy (Saylor.org), which is a free college and professional development course for students around the world.
Michael Saylor and Bitcoin
Following the world of digital assets, you’ve surely managed to notice that Mr. Saylor is an active supporter of the flagship cryptocurrency, Bitcoin. MicroStrategy’s BTC holdings are valued at around $3.9 billion! According to Forbes, the former CEO of MicroStrategy’s personal wealth is about $1 billion. The amounts are impressive, aren’t they?
Michael Saylor’s wealth itself is very much tied to MicroStrategy and Bitcoin. MicroStrategy is the largest corporate investor in Bitcoin.
How and when did the company’s adventure with digital assets begin? Back in 2020, MicroStrategy began exploring alternatives to classic cash. This was its response to the market turmoil that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic. The company used its treasury assets and bought more than 21,000 BTC for that time. This was its first investment. The bold move resonated strongly in the world of digital assets and was heavily watched by industry experts and the media. Since then, the company has been steadily making quite large purchases of BTC and increasing its holdings in this digital asset.
As we have already mentioned, Michael Saylor is a staunch and outspoken supporter of cryptocurrencies. On his X (formerly known as Twitter) account, we can find many posts about crypto. He also speaks at conferences and gives interviews on Bitcoin. There is no denying that he played a key role in MicroStrategy’s Bitcoin accumulation. Behind the scenes in the media, he is seen as the person who helped pave the path for institutional cryptocurrency investors. What’s more, some experts say he contributed to Bitcoin’s 2020-2021 bull market.
In 2022, the drop in Bitcoin’s price caused MicroStrategy’s stock to lose its value. This, however, did not discourage Michael’s proactive policy toward BTC. True, he resigned as the company’s CEO, but he remains a steadfast supporter of crypto and keeps buying more Bitcoin!
Interesting fact: In 2021, Michael Saylor started selling company debt to raise more funds to buy BTC! Since then, and in fact since 2022, MicroStrategy’s stock has been moving almost parallel to the price of Bitcoin.
Summary
Michael Saylor is a fascinating person. He is deeply involved in Bitcoin, where, according to him, the value of this asset will overtake gold in the next 10 years, and the potential market capitalization of BTC will reach $10 trillion. In his own words, he is a self-proclaimed Bitcoin maximalist.
We will summarize our argument today about Mr. Saylor with one of his tweets: #Bitcoin is digital energy. With this technology we can deliver any amount of power, at any frequency, anywhere in time and space, with nearly zero friction. It is smarter, faster, and stronger than mechanical energy, chemical energy, or electrical energy. It is the future.