HOLLYWOOD—Back in October 31, 2008, a link to a paper authored by Satoshi Nakamoto titled Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System was posted to a cryptography mailing list. Nakamoto implemented the bitcoin software as open-source code and released it in January 2009. For those that don’t know, Bitcoin is a digital currency, that can be used to book hotels on Expedia, shop for furniture on Overstock and buy Xbox games.
The price of bitcoin actually exploded in November 2017. My friend became a millionaire at that point. Since he kept investing for many years, he had many coins. Bitcoins are stored in a “digital wallet,” which exists either in the cloud or on a user’s computer. The wallet is a kind of virtual bank account that allows users to send or receive bitcoins, pay for goods or save their money. Unlike banks, bitcoin wallets are not insured by the FDIC.
Bitcoin actually hit $58,000 for the first time last month. It continually fluctuates. How many celebrities and CEO’s have Bitcoin? Note, that many celebrities will keep private about their financial affairs. Let’s begin with Elon Musk; despite his initial skepticism regarding cryptocurrencies, Elon Musk purchased $1.5 billion in BTC, which makes up 7 percent of Tesla’s gross cash position and roughly 15 percent of the net cash position.
He’s also a big fan of Dogecoin, one of the main reason the currency’s price has spiked. Jack Dorsey, the CEO of Twitter and Square, is a die-hard Bitcoin investor. He calls Bitcoin, the future world currency. Even the famous former boxer and social star media Mike Tyson saw the potential in Bitcoin earlier than most celebrities, debuting his support for the cryptocurrency in 2015.
That same year, he partnered with Bitcoin ATM manufacturers, a move that saw BTC ATMs bear his face tattoo. Additionally, “Iron Mike” collaborated with Bitcoin Direct to launch a mobile BTC wallet. Billionaire shark tank star and Dallas Maverick’s owner Mark Cuban, whose net worth is estimated at $4.2 billion appears to have a love-hate relationship with Bitcoin. The TV star and mogul also owns the Dallas Mavericks, a basketball team that has accepted Bitcoin for tickets through BTC payment processes BitPay since 2019.
During the early days of Bitcoin in 2012, the American rapper Snoop Dogg was ahead of the curve, making his music available for purchase using BTC. Each album had a price label of 0.3 BTC, which is equivalent to approximately $14,000 at the current Bitcoin price. It’s not clear how many albums he has sold nor is it known how much BTC he holds. Nevertheless, he continues to support the crypto space and has shown a similar fondness of Dogecoin like Elon Musk.
Actor Steven Seagal, though his actual Bitcoin holdings are not known by the time of writing. Seagal has been a common face in the cryptocurrency sector. Unfortunately, he has also been linked with shady crypto assets. In 2020, Seagal was charged by the US SEC for “unlawfully touting” a BTC rival. The martial arts star agreed to pay $314K as a fine. Rapper Kanye West, while appearing on the Joe Rogan podcast, expressed his support for the most popular crypto, noting that Bitcoiners “are the true liberation of America.” Not clear, how much Bitcoin he owns. Or if anyone in the Kardashian clan own it.
Celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, Donald Glover, Ashton Kutcher, William Shatner, Michelle Phan, Tony Hawk, Paris Hilton, 50 Cent, Nas, are totally into Bitcoin.
You may remember Russell Okung, the LA Chargers left tackle recently became a passionate advocacy of the Bitcoin currency. Famously, posting on Twitter, that he requested to have his salary paid in Bitcoin. He also made his request in person, as well. The Charger’s financial manager actually responded, “ What the hell is Bitcoin?” Eventually, they did pay him in Bitcoin.
Rose’s Scoop: Birthday wishes go out to Tom Arnold, Rob Reiner, and my mom, who will be celebrating their birthdays on March 6.
