There really is no end to the number of investors who have become millionaires or more thanks to Bitcoin’s recent crazy bull run. Interestingly, Michael Saylor is one of the world’s most popular Bitcoin (BTC) bulls, with a net value reaching $4.8 billion. The American billionaire is also a major figure in several companies, earning both wealth and prestige to his name.
From his early days in the streets of Nebraska and Ohio, through his high school dominance, and up until the start of his wealth-making mission, Michael Saylor’s story is packed with ups and downs. Today, he has leveraged his skill and expertise in science and tech and transformed himself into a prominent figure among the world’s richest dudes.
In this article, we will trace Michael Saylor’s story from his childhood till he got to this stage of having a dumbfounding net worth. We will also highlight the various ventures that the American investor is into and find out just how much he has to his name. But firstly, who is Michael Saylor?
Michael Saylor: Early Life and Background
Michael J. Saylor (@saylor) was born in Lincoln, Nebraska on February 4, 1965. Saylor’s father was an Air Force chief master sergeant, so he and his family spent a huge chunk of their lives in various Air Force bases around the world. In 1976, Saylor and his homies settled in Fairborn, Ohio, around the Wright-Patterson Air Force base. At Ohio, Saylor attended Fairborn High and was a top student in the school. He graduated as the best student in his class, claiming the valedictorian prize. Many argue that he got this dedication from his father, who was a patriotic master sergeant in the Air Force.
In 1983, Saylor enrolled at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Following his father’s footsteps, Saylor joined the Theta Delta Chi fraternity, where he met Sanju Bansal—one of the future co-founders of his multibillion-dollar company, MicroStrategy. In early 1987, Saylor earned a double major in aeronautics and astronautics and science, tech, and society, graduating as one of the best students in his set.
Michael Saylor had always wanted to be a pilot, but a medical condition crushed his dream of flying a plane. Facing defeat, he decided to shift his focus towards tech and software development. In that light, Saylor got his first job with a consulting firm, The Federal Group, Inc. in 1987, where he focused on computer simulation modeling. He worked with DuPont a year later, helping them develop computer models that can predict changes in the company’s key markets.
What is Michael Saylor’s Net Worth in 2024?
Following the massive pump in Bitcoin prices and MicroStrategy’s holding of thousands of BTC assets, Michael Saylor’s net worth took an upward thrust between 2022 and 2024. Specifically, the American’s net worth is estimated to be around $4.8 billion in 2024. At the time of writing, Forbes’ Real-time Billionaires ranking placed Michael Saylor as the 796th richest person in the world.
Most of this figure came from the astounding increase in the value of MicroStrategy and Saylor’s ownership of about 23% of the company’s public shares. Additionally, Saylor has numerous personal investments, including his crypto holdings and the establishment of multiple companies. This includes his current 29 patents that range from business intelligence to security and automation. Michael Saylor and the companies he owns control over 140,000 Bitcoins – and that’s a lot if you ask me!
How Did Michael Saylor Build His Net Worth?
As mentioned earlier, Michael Saylor is among the world’s luckiest Bitcoin bulls. This is because he, his partners, and his company bought and held thousands of BTC just before the coin made its most recent pump that crushed its previous all-time high. Also, Saylor’s share of the company’s financial cake is large enough to earn him billions of dollars in his bank account!
Moving on, let’s check out how some of the major investments, companies, and ventures fetched Michael Saylor his $4.8 billion net worth, starting with his first blowout firm, MicroStrategy.
MicroStrategy
Not long after working at DuPont, Michael Saylor, Sanju Bansal, and Thomas Spahr co-founded MicroStrategy. MicroStrategy is an enterprise analytics software company that has developed into a multibillion-dollar company over the last 30 years. Since its establishment in 1989, the company has focused on providing cloud-based services, mobile software, and business intelligence to different firms.
MicroStrategy’s first major breakthrough happened in 1992 when it landed a $10 million contract with McDonald’s to develop applications to analyze the efficiency of its promotions. This gave Saylor and his team enough morale boost to make the company public, selling shares to interested investors. In June 1998, Saylor sold about 4 million company shares at an initial price of $12 each.
Companies Market Cap’s data showed that MicroStrategy’s value went from $1 billion in 2004 to $22 billion in 2024. At a point in the early 2000s, Saylor was regarded as the wealthiest man in Washington, DC, thanks to his huge shares in a booming MicroStrategy. Between July 2020 and April 2023, the company bought 140,000 Bitcoin at an average price of $29,803. Today when one BTC is valued at over $70,000, we can only imagine how much profit the company must’ve made from purchasing that much BTC.
Saylor served as the company’s CEO from its inception until August 2022. However, he remained an executive officer with about 20% shares in the company and over 64.7% of the voting power.
Alarm.com and Angel.com
A small chunk of Michael Saylor’s net worth also came from the sale of his companies, Alarm.com and Angel.com. Alarm.com was established in 2000 as MicroStrategy’s research and development unit. The firm functioned until 2009 when it was sold to ABS Capital Partners for $27.7 million. Angel.com, on the other hand, was created in 1997 as a subsidiary company. It was eventually sold to Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories in a liquid cash deal worth $110 million.
The Saylor Foundation
Michael Saylor established The Saylor Foundation in 1999, of which he is the sole trustee. The non-profit organization (now called Saylor Academy) offers its students free college-level online courses, new learning materials, and degrees worldwide.
Michael Saylor’s Tax Fraud Case
Saylor saw the bad side of the law in August 2022 when he was charged for avoiding more than $25 million in D.C. taxes. The Attorney General for the District of Columbia accused him and his company of pretending to be residents of other jurisdictions from 2005 to 2021. Although Michael Saylor publicly disagreed with the accusations, he eventually settled the tax dispute by agreeing to pay a $40 million fine.
Conclusion
Michael Saylor’s path through the unpredictable cryptocurrency markets demonstrates his vision and determination. With a net worth that reflects his intelligent investments, Saylor is a towering figure in the crypto world, motivating people to explore the possibilities of digital assets. His story is one of extraordinary insight and bold financial decisions.
