MICHAEL SAYLOR ≈ WARREN BUFFETT 2.0

(Eric-Kim voice: high heat, zero filter. Strap in.)

1. THE PARALLEL UNIVERSE THESIS

OG ORACLE	NEW ORACLE
Warren Buffett: Compound cashflows from railroads, insurance float, and Coca-Cola to out-perform the S&P for six decades.	Michael Saylor: Compound Bitcoin on a public-company balance sheet, using ultra-cheap debt and relentless equity raises to out-perform Bitcoin itself.
Buys “boring” businesses with moats and patient optionality.	Buys the hardest money with a network effect and infinite optionality.
“Rule #1: Don’t lose money.”	“Rule #1: Don’t melt in fiat—buy more BTC.”
$347 B cash waiting for bargains (2025).	553,555 BTC on the books (2.6 % of supply) at ~$38 B cost.

Read it clearly: Buffett compounded equities in the analog age; Saylor is compounding money itself in the digital age.

2. CAPITAL-ALLOCATION PLAYBOOKS

Buffett’s Formula

1. Insurance float → free leverage.
2. Quality companies bought cheap.
3. Hold forever, let cashflow snowball.

Saylor’s Formula

1. Convertible notes / ATM equity → near-zero-cost leverage.
2. One asset only (BTC) bought incessantly.
3. HODL forever, let scarcity exponentiate.

“If cash is trash, I’m buying granite.” — Saylor

3. WHY SAILOR’S “ONE-BET” LOOKS BUFFETT-LEVEL SMART

• Time Horizon: Saylor’s treasury strategy is a 100-year corporate plan—exactly Berkshire’s timeline.
• Conviction Concentration: Buffett put >40 % of Berkshire into Apple; Saylor went 100 % BTC. Same courage, different century.
• Float vs. Debt: Buffett’s insurance float costs <0 %. Saylor’s convertible coupons hover around 0–1.5 %. Both surf nearly free money to buy what they deem inevitable.
• Brand Mythology: Omaha Oracle vs. Tysons Corner Tactician. Each turned personal narrative into shareholder magnetism that lowers capital cost even further.

4. CRITICISMS—AND COUNTERPUNCHES

Mainstream Knock	Saylor’s Rebuttal
“It’s reckless concentration.”	“So was Apple at $36 B in 2016. Concentration + conviction = outsized results.”
“BTC is too volatile.”	“Volatility is energy—harness it; don’t fear it.”
“MicroStrategy isn’t diversified.”	“Berkshire looked crazy in the 1980s with 25 % in one stock. Vision precedes vindication.”

5. LESSONS FOR THE HARDCORE BUILDER

1. Pick your granite. One asset, one niche, or one craft—go uncomfortably all-in.
2. Engineer cheap leverage. Could be insurance float, could be low-coupon converts, could be sweat equity.
3. Tell a story bigger than profit. Buffett sells American capitalism; Saylor sells monetary freedom. Your narrative lowers capital cost.
4. Measure in decades, act in minutes. Both men move fast when they see blood in the streets, then wait years to cash the check.
5. Publish the thesis relentlessly. Shareholder letters or marathon podcasts—repeat until the market understands (or capitulates).

6. FINAL TAKE

Michael Saylor isn’t copying Warren Buffett; he’s rhyming with him—same melody, new instrument.

• Buffett mastered industrial capitalism: buy cash-spitting businesses.
• Saylor is mastering digital capitalism: buy the ultimate asset that denominates those businesses.

If Buffett is the oracle of value, Saylor is the oracle of hard money. Different arenas, identical prime directive: compound, protect, and outlast.

Choose your side of history—and then compound like a lunatic.

.

MICHAEL SAYLOR IS THE NEW WARREN BUFFETT

(But louder. Sharper. More cybernetic. A digital Rockefeller with laser eyes.)

1. BUFFETT MASTERED VALUE INVESTING. SAYLOR MASTERED DIGITAL MONETARY DOMINANCE.

• Buffett: Buy strong businesses. Hold forever. Compound slowly.
• Saylor: Buy the strongest money ever created. Hold forever. Compound at light speed.
• One plays chess on a board made of paper.
• The other plays 4D interstellar strategy on a Bitcoin blockchain.

“Bitcoin is the apex property. It is thermodynamically sound money.” — Michael Saylor

2. BERKSHIRE BUYS PRODUCTIVITY. MICROSTRATEGY 

BUYS POWER.

• Buffett allocates capital to Coca-Cola, Geico, and railroads.
• Saylor converts capital into immortal digital scarcity.
• Berkshire compounds value by investing in companies.
• MicroStrategy compounds sovereignty by buying Bitcoin with laser focus.

MSTR isn’t just a software firm. It’s a Bitcoin proxy, a vault, a digital bank of the future.

3. BUFFETT UNDERSTANDS RISK. SAYLOR 

TRANSCENDS IT.

• Buffett: “Rule #1: Never lose money.”
• Saylor: “Hold an asset that can’t be inflated, seized, or diluted—then borrow against it.”
• Buffett avoids volatility.
• Saylor harnesses it like a hurricane to generate alpha + exposure + narrative domination.

4. BUFFETT = 20TH CENTURY. SAYLOR = 21ST CENTURY.

	Buffett	Saylor
Core Asset	Cashflows	Digital Scarcity
Era	Industrial	Post-nation
Defense	Cash + Earnings	BTC + Leverage
Language	Accounting	Thermodynamics
Style	Conservative	Conviction-maxi
Currency	Fiat	Sats

5. THE NEXT GENERATION WILL STUDY SAYLOR’S 

BTC TREASURY STRATEGY

• While Buffett hoards fiat and buys equity,
• Saylor used fiat to buy the most pristine collateral,
• Then used that collateral to stack more BTC,
• Then used the media spotlight to onboard nations.

It’s not investing. It’s monetary insurgency.

He didn’t buy Bitcoin. He made his company Bitcoin.

6. SAYLOR’S LEGACY IS 

MONETARY RENAISSANCE

Buffett made billions safer.

Saylor made billions smarter.

He didn’t just seek alpha—he built a global escape hatch from fiat tyranny.

“Warren Buffett was the sage of Omaha. Michael Saylor is the oracle of cyberspace.”

FINAL VERDICT

Michael Saylor is not replacing Warren Buffett.

He is what Buffett would be if he were born in 1980, armed with a MacBook, a testosterone surplus, and a Bitcoin node.

Buffett built Berkshire.

Saylor built a Bitcoin citadel on NASDAQ.

Michael Saylor IS the new Warren Buffett.

But with leverage.

And laser eyes.

WEAK SHIT vs STRONG SHIT

(Eric Kim VOICE: HONEST. VIOLENT. NO MERCY FOR MEDIOCRITY.)

1. MINDSET

WEAK SHIT	STRONG SHIT
“I hope it works.”	“I will MAKE it work.”
“Maybe later.”	“Right f**king now.”
“I don’t feel motivated.”	“I act, regardless of feeling.”
Victim mentality	OWNER mentality
Waiting for permission	Issuing orders to reality

2. BODY

WEAK SHIT	STRONG SHIT
Elliptical	Deadlifts
Treadmill selfies	Weighted sled pushes in the sun
Gym for aesthetics	Gym for DOMINANCE
“I’m sore.”	“Good. I’m growing.”
Overtraining fear	Overrecovery obsession

3. FOOD

WEAK SHIT	STRONG SHIT
Seed oils, sugar, snack packs	Red meat, liver, eggs, raw milk
6 small meals a day	One feast after battle
Supplements before steak	Steak before anything
“What’s the macros?”	“What’s the power in this?”

4. WORK

WEAK SHIT	STRONG SHIT
Endless to-do lists	One goal. CRUSHED.
Meetings about meetings	Solo execution before sunrise
Job titles	Outputs that echo
Talking	Shipping
Procrastination	Daily publish or perish

5. MONEY

WEAK SHIT	STRONG SHIT
Fiat savings	BTC cold storage
Consume, then go broke	Invest, then own everything
Flex to look rich	Move in silence, build empire
Taxes as slavery	Taxes as war tactics

6. RELATIONSHIPS

WEAK SHIT	STRONG SHIT
Needy	Sovereign
Flirting via DMs	Eye contact that melts armor
Ghosted	Irreplaceable
Begging for love	Embodying value

7. CREATIVITY

WEAK SHIT	STRONG SHIT
Consumption addiction	Relentless creation
Waiting for “perfect”	Shipping “good enough” daily
Polished & fake	Raw & REAL
Trends	Timeless

8. PHILOSOPHY

WEAK SHIT	STRONG SHIT
“Life is hard…”	“GOOD. I’M HARDER.”
Seek comfort	Seek conquest
Chase happiness	Choose meaning
Fear death	Respect death, live urgently

FINAL RULE:

If it makes you softer, slower, dumber, more addicted, or more dependent —

IT’S WEAK SHIT.

If it makes you stronger, freer, richer, faster, harder to kill —

IT’S STRONG SHIT.

Now purge the weak. Build with the strong. Become unstoppable.

You’re either rising or rotting. Choose.

l

WEAK SHIT ⚰️ VS STRONG SHIT ⚔️

(Eric-Kim megaphone on: zero mercy, zero euphemism. Read, flinch, level-up.)

Arena	WEAK SHIT (Delete)	STRONG SHIT (Double-Down)
Mindset	“I’ll try.” • “Someday.” • Blaming weather, parents, algorithm	“I WILL.” • Timers, not wishes • Extreme ownership of every screw-up
Schedule	Wake when phone yells • Scroll half-awake • Meetings about meetings	Alarm-less sunrise wake • Cold shock + pen to paper • Deep-work blocks guarded like fortresses
Training	Machines & mirrors • Random reps • Talk between sets	Barbell compounds • Programmed overload • Silent rage → lift → log → leave
Fuel	Seed-oil sludge • Sugar “energy” drinks • Uber-Eats bloat	Red meat, eggs, liver • Black coffee, water, salt • Home-cooked in cast-iron
Info Diet	Doom-scroll, news dopamine • Group chats pinging 24/7	Curated books, papers before noon • Airplane-mode creation afterward
Money	Buy liabilities first, invest later • Salaried dependence • Subscriptions breeding in the shadows	Pay yourself BTC first • Build cash-flow skills • Quarterly expense massacre
Social	Gossip, envy, circle of comfort	Builders, lifters, coders who sharpen you
Output	“Perfect draft soon™” • Private notes nobody sees	Ship daily—essays, code, product—then iterate in public
Recovery	Netflix until 1 AM • Junk-light bedroom • Weekend benders	9 PM blackout • Cool, dark cave • Sunday ruck + reflection
Self-Talk	“I’m tired.” • “It’s hard.” • “Maybe later.”	“Good—adapt.” • “One more plate.” • “Right now.”

3-STEP PURGE & UPGRADE

1. List Every WEAK Item you touched in the last 24 h—food, apps, people, words.
2. Cross-Out or Replace each with its STRONG counterpart from the table.
3. Commit Publicly: Tweet/IG/Blog the swap. Accountability weaponizes pride.

Law: The delta between weak and strong habits compounds into destiny. Pick your pile.

Now slam this shut, throw one WEAK thing in the trash (literally or metaphorically), and fortify with something STRONG before the next hour ends.

Weak shit vs strong shit?

.

THE HARDCORE PROTOCOL

(Eric-Kim WARNING: CONTENTS MAY IGNITE INSANE GROWTH. PROCEED OR RETREAT.)

1. DEFINE “HARDCORE” OR STAY SOFT

• Non-negotiable: everything you do must intimidate your past self.
• Metric: if it doesn’t quicken your pulse, it’s mediocre. Delete it.

“HARDCORE = COURAGE × CONSISTENCY².” —EK

2. THE 30-DAY HARDCORE SPRINT

DAILY RITUAL (NO EXCEPTIONS)

1. 4:45 AM WAKE. Zero snooze. Feet touch floor before thought #2.
2. COLD-PLUNGE / ICE SHOWER (3 min). Shock the nervous system awake.
3. FASTED POWER WALK (30 min). No headphones; wrestle your thoughts.
4. WRITE 300 WORDS, PUBLISH. Title in all caps, verb first (e.g., “CRUSH”).
5. LIFT HEAVY, SHORT, VIOLENT (45 min). One compound lift, pyramid up to a near-max single, done.
6. ONE HARD THING FOR BUSINESS/CREATION. Cold-call, ship code, release product—whatever scares you most.
7. SUNSET UNPLUG. Screens off at sundown; stretch, journal, sleep by 9 PM.

Track adherence publicly. Miss one step? Restart counter at Day 0.

3. THE “DOMINATE OR DELETE” DIET

• Eat: red meat, eggs, liver, raw dairy, fermented veg, black coffee, water.
• Delete: seed oils, sugar, alcohol, anything in a crinkly wrapper.
• Rule: nothing with an ingredient list longer than one line.

4. GYM PROTOCOL — THE ONE-TON MISSION

Day	Lift	Target by Day 30
Mon	Deadlift	Body-weight × 3
Wed	Squat	Body-weight × 2.5
Fri	Bench	Body-weight × 2

All other days = weighted carries, pull-ups, sprints. No machines, no mirrors, no chatter. Hit numbers or add plates until you do.

5. MENTAL ARMOR

• Zero-Info Diet After Noon. Consume books before noon, create after.
• Phone in Airplane Mode 20 hrs/day. People will survive. You’ll thrive.
• Notebook > Apps. Ink is friction; friction sharpens thought.

6. WALLET WARFARE

1. Autopilot DCA to BTC every sunrise. Treat it like oxygen, not “investment.”
2. Cancel every subscription that doesn’t print cash or muscle.
3. Launch a micro-product a week. Doesn’t sell? Kill it. Iterate. Momentum compounds faster than perfection.

7. SOCIAL SIEVE

• Hardcore maxim: If they drain, they’re slain (socially).
• Cull complainers, gossipers, and energy vampires. Keep builders, lifters, coders, dreamers.

8. WEEKLY SELF-TRIAL — “THE SUNDAY CRUCIBLE”

1. 5 km weighted ruck at sunrise.
2. 10-minute ice bath meditation.
3. One-page audit: WHAT DID I FEAR & DID I SLAY IT?
4. Publish audit screenshot. Shame fuels future dominance.

9. EXIT VELOCITY: AFTER 30 DAYS

• Body: stronger, leaner, chemically addicted to stress-recovery cycles.
• Mind: faster ideation loop; procrastination allergy.
• Wallet: cashflow rising, expenses amputated.
• Spirit: baseline self-respect multiplied; you know you’re battle-tested.

10. ONWARD…

Restart sprint with heavier weights, bigger launches, deeper fasts. HARDCORE IS A MOVING TARGET—CHASE OR CHOKE.

Now slam the device shut and EXECUTE.

Funny enough… When I look at numbers, finances, investment accounts etc.… When I see it on my iPad Pro on a bigger screen… I actually feel and gain more ambition?

.

BEYOND GAINS — CONQUER THE COSMOS

(Eric-Kim VOICE: ROAR LOUDER, LIFT HEAVIER, DREAM BIGGER. LET’S GO.)

1. STOP CHASING INCREMENTS—ENGINEER EXPONENTIALS

• Kaizen is nice; CATASTROPHIC UP-LEVELLING is better. Instead of +1 kg on the bar, plan for +100 kg within 12 months. Design everything—diet, sleep, stress, environment—to force that outcome.
• Default to 10× Questions:
  
  • “How do I earn $100 million?” not “How do I get a raise?”
  • “How do I publish 100 essays in a weekend?” not “One post a week?”
  • “How do I squat a metric ton?” not “Add five pounds?”
• Exponential Thinking Formula:
  
  • Imagine the absurd goal.
  • Invert it into engineering constraints.
  • Automate, delegate, or delete 90 % of the trivial.
  • Point every calorie of effort at the singular objective.

“Ambition is moral. Small goals seduce you into small living.” — EK

2. PHYSICAL SUPREMACY → PLANETARY SUPREMACY

1. ONE-TON CLUB VISION: Build a body capable of safely dead-lifting 2,204 lbs (1 ton). It forces you to master biomechanics, recovery tech, and ruthless self-discipline.
2. BIOHACK LIKE A TYRANT: Cold-plunge, photobiomodulation, 2 g protein-per-kg, beef liver shots, 36-hour fasts—stack them until recovery feels illegal.
3. IMMORTAL SKELETON PROTOCOL: DEXA every quarter; any bone density loss = red alert. Strong bones survive crashes, earthquakes, and space travel.

3. MENTAL IMPERIALISM—TURN YOUR BRAIN INTO AN OPEN-SOURCE NATION

• Daily Code-Dump: Publish all notes, sketches, draft essays. Information hoarding is poverty-mindset; abundance attracts intellects who refine your raw ore.
• Ship Software, Not Slides: Write tiny, useful tools—even if you’re not a programmer. A single Python script that thousands use > a thousand medium posts nobody finishes.
• AI CO-PILOTS EVERYWHERE: Fine-tune personal language models on your corpus. Result: infinite ghostwriters and brainstorming partners that think like you on caffeine.

4. FINANCIAL DOMINATION—FROM STACKING SATS TO PRINTING MONETARY CULTURE

1. ESTABLISH A PRIVATE TREASURY: Multisig cold-storage controlled by you + two trusted allies. Treat it like the Bank of Sparta.
2. MONETARY COLONIZATION VIA BITCOIN-BACKED CITIES: Acquire cheap land where property rights are strong but governments are weak. Install Starlink, miners, and solar. Accept tax payments in sats; you’ve just created a proto-city-state.
3. INFINITE CASHFLOW FLYWHEEL:
   
   • Borrow long-term fiat at low fixed rates.
   • Buy BTC, real assets, and productive businesses.
   • Use cashflows to service debt, buy more BTC, repeat.
   • If fiat hyper-inflates, your debt vaporizes; if not, your assets appreciate. Heads you win, tails you win harder.

5. AESTHETIC HEGEMONY—BRUTALIST BEAUTY AS POWER

• Design as Psychological Warfare: Matte-black architecture, exposed steel beams, raw concrete floors. Your HQ should intimidate complacency out of visitors.
• UNIFORM OF INTENT: One signature look—black merino tee, 5-inch shorts, Vibram soles. Utility realizes beauty.
• SOUNDTRACK OF CONQUEST: Curate music that spikes dopamine + adrenaline. No passive playlists; sonic steroids only.

6. SPIRITUAL SOVEREIGNTY—LIVE SO THAT GOD TAKES NOTES

• MEMENTO MORTALITY? NO. ‍REMEMBRANCE OF UNBORN LEGACIES. Act for great-grandchildren you’ll never meet.
• BUILD TEMPLES, NOT TEMP JOBS: Gym = cathedral, blog = scripture, Bitcoin node = altar.
• RITUAL OF GRATITUDE-THROUGH-ACTION: Each sunrise ask, “Who can I empower today?” Then do it before breakfast. Generosity multiplies reach and recruits allies.

7. COSMIC OKR (OBJECTIVES & KEY RESULTS) FRAMEWORK

Domain	50-Year Objective	12-Month KR	Weekly Micro-Action
Body	Perform a 1-ton deadlift at age 70	Add +100 kg to DL	Two heavy posterior-chain sessions + physio check-in
Mind	Open-source encyclopedia authored by you	Publish 1,000 atomic essays	20 essays every Saturday sprint
Wallet	Net worth > 10,000 BTC, zero fiat dependence	Acquire additional 200 BTC	Daily auto-DCA; quarterly strategic loan
Tribe	Found a city-state of 100,000 sovereigns	Secure first 1 km² of land	Weekly scouting & legal filings
Cosmos	Launch user-owned Mars DAO colony	Draft whitepaper + recruit 50 core devs	Host Sunday AMA with aerospace hackers

(Review every Sunday. If progress < 1 % per week, re-engineer system—never the goal.)

8. EXECUTION COMMANDS—NO MOTIVATION NEEDED

1. DELETE “TRY.” Replace with build, lift, deploy, acquire, publish.
2. TIME-BLOCK LIKE A WARLORD: 90-minute deep-work raids, 15-minute tactical resets. Sleep before mind dulls.
3. ZERO-INFO-DIET AFTER NOON: Mute news feeds; only creative output or high-signal research past midday.
4. PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY SCOREBOARD: Post weekly metrics on an open Notion page. Transparency terrorizes laziness.

ULTIMATE CLARION CALL

You already mastered gains. Now forge destiny. Aim not to improve life but to rewrite the human narrative: stronger bodies, sovereign money, open-source minds, city-states orbiting Jupiter.

Stand tall, grip the cosmic barbell, and HEAVE.

The universe doesn’t hand out permission slips—it hands out mass. LIFT IT.

Bitcoin is like our beskar armor? 

How to quantify games?

I love this walk !

America is all about unlimited gains?

Family health

To think, get your ass outside!

Living untethered, unfettered? 

Powering a new aesthetic?

Far Vision

Investing, investing in the future… For the future? 

Vision: improving your vision, for your vision?

Live somewhere which actually allows you to practice long-distance vision?

How to improve your vision as a photographer

First, just turn off your phone, keep it in your backpack or something. I think it is a wise idea to have a standalone camera, a standalone digital camera in order to see better, to see further:

Second, I have a funny theory, I wonder if actually… Vision and sound were interlinked? Which means, if you were to see better, to improve your vision, improve your hearing? But that then means is take out your headphones, throw your AirPods into the trash.

Actually upon deeply considering and thinking it, AirPods are almost useless. A better solution I found is to simply use earplugs on a long flight, as they never run out of batteries, and our lighter… It helps you think better, and if you want to listen to music or interview, just blasted on your iPhone or iPad, full speaker. Do you like those hood ratchet people, it’s fine. Nobody cares. Everyone else already has headphones on anyways, and as a consequence, even if you blast music they won’t hear you.

Sun exposure

How to maximize your exposure to the sun,

A Down T-shirt?

True innovation is cheaper? Cost savings efficiency is innovation…

First principles… Try to think deeply about the real material costs? Without the markup?

Facade ,,, face ?

I hate markup !

Just count in bitcoins:

The ultimate flex is obviously your body. You flex your real life muscles more is the ultimate flex?

Also… Maybe the way we can think things

Peak power?

More innovative solutions?

Degeneracy or growth?

Greater marketing copy?

Don’t think features, think benefits

Not different enough?

.

What do you do once nothing is sufficiently good enough?

GOD MUSIC?

If nothing is good enough… Perhaps I just gotta build it myself?

Why is it all so same same?

.

TURN IT UP!

Don’t overthink it?

Grok sucks?

Bitcoin in May 2025: Riding the Wave of Chaos and Opportunity
By Eric Kim, Street Photographer and Crypto Dreamer

Yo, what’s good? It’s your boy Eric Kim, back at it, but this time I’m not just chasing the perfect street shot—I’m diving headfirst into the wild, unpredictable world of Bitcoin. As of May 5, 2025, the crypto scene is buzzing like a Tokyo street at rush hour, and Bitcoin’s at the center of it all, sitting pretty at $94,363. But don’t let that number fool you—this market’s a living, breathing beast, and it’s got stories to tell. Let’s break it down, Kim-style, with some raw energy and no filter.

The Price Game: Bitcoin’s Dancing Near the Edge

Right now, Bitcoin’s chilling at $94,363, down 1.67% in the last 24 hours, according to the folks at Crypto News. It’s like catching a subject in your frame just as they turn away—close, but not quite there. The market’s teasing us, hovering near resistance zones, with funding rates flipping positive, which is like the crowd hyping up before a street performer nails the finale. Everyone’s waiting for Bitcoin to smash through its all-time high of $109,135 from earlier this year. Will it? Man, I don’t have a crystal ball, but the vibe’s electric, and the Fear & Greed Index at 64 (Greed) is screaming, “Something’s about to pop!”

This ain’t just about numbers, though. Bitcoin’s price is a story of human emotion—fear, hope, and straight-up FOMO. It’s like photographing a protest: you feel the tension, the push and pull, and you know something big’s brewing. The market cap’s at $1.89 trillion, part of a $3.05 trillion crypto universe, and Bitcoin’s holding a 65.91% dominance. That’s like being the loudest voice in a crowded street market—Bitcoin’s still king.

Big Players Stepping Up: Brown University and Wall Street Get It

Here’s where it gets juicy. The suits are catching on. Brown University just dropped $4.9 million into BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust, per Crypto News. An Ivy League school betting on Bitcoin? That’s like a monk trading his robes for a leather jacket—unexpected, but dope. And Wall Street? They’re not just nodding along; they’re hyping up Strategy’s aggressive Bitcoin buys like it’s the next big art drop. This ain’t some underground crypto rave anymore; the mainstream’s crashing the party.

For me, this is like when street photography went from zines to Instagram. The purists might cry “sellout,” but the energy’s undeniable. Institutional money means stability, maybe even legitimacy, but it also raises the stakes. Are we still the rebels, or are we playing someone else’s game? That’s the question I’m chewing on as I watch these big players move in.

Trade Wars and Tariffs: Bitcoin as the Wild Card

Now, let’s talk global chaos, because Bitcoin thrives in it. The U.S.-China trade war is heating up, with 145% tariffs on Chinese goods and talk of cuts “within weeks,” according to a Trump adviser on Crypto News. This is geopolitical street theater, and Bitcoin’s the guy in the crowd nobody’s watching but who’s about to steal the show. Some say it’s a hedge against the dollar’s wobbles; others think it’s just noise. Me? I see Bitcoin as the ultimate outsider art—untamed, unbothered by borders or bureaucrats.

These trade talks matter because they shake up markets. If tariffs drop, global trade could breathe easier, maybe boosting crypto sentiment. If they don’t, Bitcoin might shine as a safe haven. It’s like shooting in a storm—you don’t know what you’ll get, but the shots are always raw and real.

Tech Vibes: Layer 2 and the Future of Bitcoin

Tech’s where Bitcoin gets its edge. The Stacks co-founder’s out here saying layer 2 solutions are gonna drive the next wave of adoption, per Crypto News. Think of it like upgrading your camera gear—suddenly, you can shoot faster, sharper, and in crazier conditions. Layer 2 could make Bitcoin transactions smoother, cheaper, maybe even mainstream. It’s not just tech talk; it’s about making Bitcoin usable, like a Polaroid you can actually share.

But let’s keep it 100—tech’s only as good as the people using it. If layer 2 delivers, we might see Bitcoin in coffee shops, not just crypto exchanges. If it flops, well, we’re still early in the game. Either way, I’m hyped to see where this goes, like waiting for a fresh print to develop.

Stocks and Sentiment: The Bigger Picture

Here’s a curveball: the stock market’s killing it, with the S&P 500 on a winning streak, says Crypto News. Why’s that matter? Because when stocks recover, crypto often catches the vibe. It’s like a street festival—when the music’s good, everyone dances. A strong jobs report’s easing recession fears, and that’s got investors feeling bold. Bitcoin’s riding this wave, but it’s not just following the crowd—it’s got its own rhythm.

This is where I get philosophical. Bitcoin’s not just a coin; it’s a mindset. It’s about betting on chaos, on freedom, on something bigger than Wall Street or Washington. When stocks dip, Bitcoin might dip too, but it’s got a soul that keeps it moving forward. That’s why I’m in this, not just for the gains, but for the story.

The Eric Kim Take: Keep Shooting, Keep HODLing

So, what’s the deal with Bitcoin in May 2025? It’s a street scene in flux—crowded, chaotic, and full of potential. The price is teasing us, institutions are jumping in, trade wars are shaking things up, tech’s evolving, and the market’s got that pre-storm energy. As a street photographer, I’d say this is the moment to keep your camera ready, because the shot’s coming.

For me, Bitcoin’s like chasing the perfect frame. You don’t always know what you’re gonna get, but you trust your gut and keep shooting. My advice? Stay curious, stay bold, and don’t sleep on this moment. Whether you’re HODLing or just watching, Bitcoin’s telling a story, and it’s one worth capturing.

Peace out,
Eric Kim

Key Citations

• Bitcoin price faces resistance as funding rates flip positive
• Brown University invests 4.9m in BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF
• Trump adviser hints China tariffs could drop within weeks as Bitcoin rallies
• Strategy’s aggressive Bitcoin purchases get green light from Wall Street analysts
• U.S. vs China How Bitcoin factors into the trade wars
• Stacks co-founder believes layer 2 will drive adoption for 2nd phase of Bitcoin
• Stocks continue to recover from Liberation Day selloffs S&P 500 on track for major winning streak
• Bitcoin current price and market data
• Latest Crypto and Bitcoin News

we are all waiting for bitcoin to break $109,000

Key Points

• Research suggests Bitcoin’s price is around $94,363, down 1.67% in 24 hours, with potential to surpass its $109,135 all-time high.
• It seems likely institutional interest is growing, with Brown University investing $4.9 million in a Bitcoin ETF and Wall Street backing aggressive purchases.
• The evidence leans toward global trade policies, like potential U.S. tariff reductions on China, impacting Bitcoin, amid U.S.-China trade war discussions.
• Technological advancements, such as layer 2 solutions, may drive Bitcoin adoption, while stock market recoveries could positively affect crypto sentiment.

Bitcoin Price and Market Trends

Bitcoin’s current price stands at approximately $94,363, reflecting a 24-hour decrease of 1.67%. Despite this dip, funding rates are increasingly positive, suggesting potential for growth as the market approaches resistance zones. There’s also anticipation among investors for Bitcoin to surpass its record high of $109,135 set earlier this year, driven by recent market dynamics.

Institutional and Academic Interest

Institutional interest in Bitcoin appears to be on the rise, with notable investments like Brown University’s $4.9 million stake in BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (Crypto News). Additionally, Wall Street analysts are endorsing aggressive Bitcoin purchase strategies, indicating growing confidence from financial sectors.

Global Economic Influences

Global trade policies are influencing Bitcoin, particularly with discussions around potential U.S. tariff reductions on China within weeks, which could affect global trade and, indirectly, cryptocurrency markets (Crypto News). There’s also ongoing debate about Bitcoin’s role in U.S.-China trade wars, highlighting its potential as a hedge against traditional financial systems.

Technological and Market Developments

Technological advancements, such as layer 2 solutions, are expected to enhance Bitcoin’s adoption, potentially improving scalability and usability (Crypto News). Meanwhile, the recovery of stocks, with the S&P 500 on a winning streak, may positively influence crypto market sentiment, creating a favorable environment for Bitcoin.

Detailed Economic Survey Note

The cryptocurrency landscape as of May 5, 2025, reflects a dynamic period for Bitcoin, driven by price movements, institutional investments, global economic policies, technological advancements, and market sentiment. This note provides a comprehensive overview, expanding on key trends and indicators to offer a detailed analysis for stakeholders.

Price and Market Performance: Current Status and Outlook

Bitcoin’s current price is reported at $94,363.00, with a 24-hour change of -1.67163%, as per recent data from Crypto News. This price point reflects a slight downturn, but the market is approaching major resistance zones, with funding rates flipping increasingly positive, an indication that long exposure is building up. This suggests potential for upward movement, especially as crypto enthusiasts await Bitcoin to surpass its record high of $109,135 set earlier this year, as noted by Yahoo Finance Crypto Topic. The Fear & Greed Index, currently at 64 (Greed), further indicates a bullish sentiment, though volatility remains a concern given the market’s historical fluctuations.

Institutional and Academic Investments: Growing Confidence

Institutional interest in Bitcoin is evidently strengthening, with Brown University revealing a new $4.9 million investment in BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust, as reported by Crypto News. This move underscores academic institutions’ growing engagement with cryptocurrencies. Additionally, Strategy’s aggressive Bitcoin purchases have received endorsements from Wall Street analysts, signaling a shift toward greater acceptance and integration of Bitcoin into traditional financial strategies, as highlighted in Crypto News. These developments suggest a maturing market, though debates persist about the long-term implications for market stability and regulatory oversight.

Global Economic and Trade Policies: Impact on Bitcoin

Global economic policies, particularly trade relations, are influencing Bitcoin’s trajectory. A Trump adviser has hinted that the U.S. could reduce its current 145% tariff rate on China “within a few weeks,” potentially easing trade tensions and impacting global markets, including cryptocurrencies (Crypto News). This news coincides with discussions on Bitcoin’s role in U.S.-China trade dynamics, with some viewing it as a hedge against traditional financial systems amid geopolitical uncertainties (Crypto News). The interplay between trade policies and cryptocurrency markets remains a contentious area, with potential for both opportunities and risks depending on policy outcomes.

Technological Developments: Enhancing Adoption

Technological advancements are poised to drive Bitcoin’s adoption, particularly through layer 2 solutions. The co-founder of Stacks believes these solutions will facilitate the second phase of Bitcoin adoption, enhancing scalability and usability, as noted in Crypto News. This development could address long-standing challenges like transaction speeds and costs, potentially broadening Bitcoin’s appeal. However, the effectiveness of these solutions and their adoption rate are still under evaluation, with ongoing debates about technical feasibility and market readiness.

Market Sentiment and Recovery: Broader Market Influences

The broader financial market’s recovery is also impacting Bitcoin, with stocks continuing to recover from recent selloffs, and the S&P 500 on track for a major winning streak, as reported in Crypto News. This recovery, driven by a strong jobs report easing recession fears, could positively influence crypto market sentiment, creating a favorable environment for Bitcoin. The interconnectedness of traditional and crypto markets highlights the importance of macroeconomic factors, though the extent of this influence remains a subject of analysis and debate.

Summary Table: Key Bitcoin Indicators

To organize the data, the following table summarizes critical metrics for Bitcoin as of May 5, 2025:

Indicator	Value	24h Change	Notes
Price	$94,363.00	-1.67163%	Approaching resistance zones
Market Cap	$1.89T	–	Part of global crypto market cap $3.05T
24h Volume	$14.90B	–	Reflects trading activity
BTC Dominance	65.91%	–	Strong market position
Fear & Greed Index	64 (Greed)	–	Indicates bullish sentiment

This table encapsulates the quantitative backdrop, highlighting Bitcoin’s current market position and sentiment.

In conclusion, the Bitcoin news as of May 5, 2025, underscores a pivotal moment of transition, with price movements, institutional investments, global policy shifts, technological advancements, and market recoveries shaping the outlook. Stakeholders must navigate these complexities, balancing short-term impacts with long-term strategies, amidst a landscape marked by uncertainty and opportunity.

Key Citations

• Bitcoin price faces resistance as funding rates flip positive
• Brown University invests 4.9m in BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF
• Trump adviser hints China tariffs could drop within weeks as Bitcoin rallies
• Strategy’s aggressive Bitcoin purchases get green light from Wall Street analysts
• U.S. vs China How Bitcoin factors into the trade wars
• Stacks co-founder believes layer 2 will drive adoption for 2nd phase of Bitcoin
• Stocks continue to recover from Liberation Day selloffs S&P 500 on track for major winning streak
• Bitcoin current price and market data
• Latest Crypto and Bitcoin News

Carte Blanche mindset.

Spend more time thinking for yourself, BY yourself?

Slow pace of living

Slow yet hardcore living

Satisfying or unsatisfying?

.

When you’re hot, naked is fine!

Feed it back into the machine?

Not having glasses simplifies things

Even having the world’s best all you can eat Japanese Wagyu ain’t worth it.

The true secret to happiness: wife, kid(s)

.

Close focus

Infinite money hack

Bitcoin in Cambodia!

Key Points

• Research suggests the US-China trade war is escalating, with high tariffs impacting global growth and inflation.
• It seems likely the US economy shrank in Q1 2025, with low consumer sentiment and recession risks.
• The evidence leans toward global growth holding steady at 2.7% for 2025-2026, despite trade policy uncertainties.
• Policy changes like tariffs and deportations may significantly affect economic outcomes, with ongoing debates.

Current Economic Landscape

The global economy is navigating complex challenges, particularly driven by trade tensions and policy shifts. The US-China trade war is a major concern, with tariffs potentially costing households and reducing GDP, while the US economy shows signs of contraction. Globally, growth is expected to remain stable, but risks are high due to geopolitical tensions and climate events.

US Economic Indicators

Recent data indicates the US economy contracted by 0.3% in the first quarter, with consumer sentiment at its lowest since 2022 and inflation expectations rising to 6.5%. The labor market shows slowing hiring rates, adding to recession fears, as highlighted by the IMF’s increased probability to 40%.

Global Outlook and Risks

Despite steady global growth forecasts, emerging markets are seeking regional solutions to tariff impacts. Regions like Latin America and South Asia are expected to grow, but risks from trade policies and geopolitical tensions remain significant, with potential inflation and supply chain disruptions.

Detailed Economic Survey Note

The economic landscape as of May 5, 2025, reflects a period of significant uncertainty and transformation, driven by trade policies, domestic economic performance, and global growth dynamics. This note provides a comprehensive overview, expanding on key trends and indicators to offer a detailed analysis for stakeholders.

Trade Tensions and Tariffs: A Global Economic Flashpoint

The US-China trade war continues to dominate economic headlines, with the US imposing high tariffs on Chinese goods, including a proposed 10% tariff on all Chinese imports and 25% on imports from Mexico and Canada. Research from the Yale Budget Lab estimates the effective US tariff rate at 27%, the highest since 1903, potentially boosting price levels by 2.9% and causing a household loss of $4,900 (Yale Budget Lab Research). This escalation has led to retaliatory measures, with China increasing tariffs on US goods to 125% and restricting rare earth exports, given China’s dominance in 61% of global mining and 91% of refining. The IMF has revised global growth downward to 2.8% from 3.3%, citing policy uncertainty and trade tensions, with the US growth forecast slashed to 1.8% from 2.7% (IMF World Economic Outlook). The Washington Post reports these tariffs could reduce US GDP by 1.7% and cost households $3,000, with inflation potentially rising to 3.9% from 2.5% (Washington Post Tariffs Impact). This controversy underscores the debate over protectionism versus global trade, with significant implications for inflation and consumer costs.

US Economic Performance: Signs of Contraction and Uncertainty

The US economy contracted by 0.3% in the first quarter, as reported by CNBC, attributed to uncertainty from Trump’s policies (CNBC Economic News). The Beige Book from April shows mixed growth, with slight increases in five districts and declines in four, reflecting uncertainty due to tariffs (Federal Reserve Beige Book). Consumer sentiment has dipped for the fourth month, reaching 52.2, down 32.4% year-over-year, the lowest since 1982, with expected inflation at 6.5%, up from 5% in March and the highest since October 1981 (University of Michigan Sentiment Index). The PMI composite fell to a 16-month low, with services worsening and manufacturing slightly improving, output at a 1.0% annualized rate, and prices rising fastest in 13 months for goods (S&P Global PMI). Labor market data shows hiring rates averaging 3.4% since July 2024, comparable to slow-recovery periods, with layoffs at 1.1%, consistent with 2024 averages (US Treasury Statement). These indicators suggest a cooling economy, with recession risks heightened, as the IMF notes a 40% probability, up from 25% (World Economic Forum Finance News).

Global Economic Outlook: Steady Growth Amid Risks

The World Bank’s Global Economic Prospects forecasts global growth at 2.7% for 2025-2026, holding steady despite challenges (World Bank Global Prospects). Regional variations are notable, with East Asia and Pacific projected to slow to 4.6% in 2025 and 4.1% in 2026, driven by China’s growth at 4.5% in 2025 and 4.0% in 2026, down from 4.9% in 2024 (Deloitte Insights Global Outlook). Latin America and the Caribbean are expected to increase from 2.2% in 2024 to 2.5% in 2025-2026, while South Asia, led by India, is forecasted at 6.2%, and Sub-Saharan Africa at 4.2% (World Bank Regional Growth). However, risks are tilted downward, centering on adverse trade shifts, escalating geopolitical tensions, higher inflation, and climate-related natural disasters. Emerging markets, accounting for 45% of global GDP (up from 25% in 2000), face headwinds from protectionism and climate disasters, with low-income countries (LICs) estimated at 3.6% growth in 2024, forecasted to average 5.8% in 2025-2026, but struggling with extreme poverty and debt (World Bank LIC Growth).

Policy Changes: Potential Impacts and Debates

Potential US policy changes under the Trump administration are poised to reshape economic outcomes. Tariffs, as discussed, are a major driver, but deportations of undocumented migrants could lose 1.5 million construction workers (14% of the labor force), hurting sectors like hospitality and agriculture, increasing housing, food, and service costs, and putting downward pressure on growth while pushing inflation upward (American Immigration Council Research). The 2017 tax cuts, set to expire by end-2025, are likely to be extended, with proposed cuts on tips, overtime, and Social Security benefits, potentially adding $4.6 trillion to the federal deficit, with the wealthiest ($450,000+) reaping nearly half the benefits (Tax Policy Center Analysis). These policies are controversial, with debates over economic equity, deficit impacts, and sector-specific effects, reflecting the complexity of balancing growth and fiscal responsibility.

Financial Markets and Inflation Dynamics

Financial markets have reacted to these developments, with equity prices falling after Federal Reserve Chair Powell’s April 16 speech, the ECB cutting rates to 2.25% (lowest in over two years), and the US dollar at its lowest since March 2022, with the Japanese yen strongest since September 2024 (Federal Reserve Speech, ECB Rate Cut). Currency volatility is at its highest since the March 2023 bank collapse, with the 10-year US bond yield at 4.48% from 3.93%, the dollar at 1.13 euros, and 143.7 yen per dollar (Financial Times Currency Volatility). Inflation dynamics show Japan’s rice prices up 92.1% in March, core consumer prices up 3.6% year-over-year, above the Bank of Japan’s 2% target (Nikkei Japan Inflation), while China’s Q1 GDP grew 5.4%, with retail sales up 5.9% and industrial production up 7.7% (Financial Times China Growth). These trends highlight the interconnected nature of global finance and inflation pressures.

Summary Table: Key Economic Indicators

To organize the data, the following table summarizes critical metrics:

Region/Indicator	2025 Forecast	2024 Comparison	Notes
Global Growth	2.7%	–	Steady, despite risks
US Growth	1.8%	2.7% (prior forecast)	Down due to trade tensions
China Growth	4.5%	4.9%	Slowing, impacted by tariffs
Eurozone Growth	0.8%	1.0% (prior)	Germany at 0% growth
Inflation (US, expected)	6.5% (12-month)	5% (March 2025)	Highest since 1981
US Tariff Rate (effective)	27%	–	Highest since 1903, per Yale Budget Lab

This table encapsulates the quantitative backdrop, highlighting the shifts and pressures across key economies.

In conclusion, the economic news as of May 5, 2025, underscores a pivotal moment of transition, with trade policies, domestic contraction, and global growth dynamics shaping the outlook. Stakeholders must navigate these complexities, balancing short-term impacts with long-term strategies, amidst a landscape marked by uncertainty and opportunity.

Key Citations

• Global Weekly Economic Update Deloitte Insights
• The 2025 economy 5 things to watch Washington Post
• Global Economic Prospects World Bank
• Fiscal and Economic Effects Revised April 9 Tariffs Yale Budget Lab
• World Economic Outlook April 2025 IMF
• Tariffs Inflation Consumers Gas Food Car Prices Washington Post
• Federal Reserve Beige Book April 2025
• University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index
• S&P Global PMI Press Release April 2025
• Economy Statement Treasury Borrowing Advisory Committee US Treasury
• Global Economic Outlook 2025 Deloitte Insights
• IMF Raises US Recession Risk and Other Finance News World Economic Forum
• Mass Deportation Economic Impacts American Immigration Council
• What Will Happen President Elect Trumps Tax Policy Agenda Tax Policy Center
• Federal Reserve Chair Powell Speech April 16 2025
• ECB Press Release Rate Cut April 2025
• Financial Times Currency Volatility and Market Reactions
• Nikkei Japan Record Rice Price Inflation
• Financial Times China Q1 GDP Growth 2025
• CNBC Economy News Updates May 2025

Below is an article written in the voice of Eric Kim, a hypothetical persona inspired by a reflective, philosophical, and bold writer who combines personal insights with broader societal commentary. The article captures Warren Buffett’s recent commentary on America, currency, and change, as requested, while channeling Kim’s distinctive style—introspective, direct, and infused with a zest for questioning the status quo.

Warren Buffett’s Last Dance: America, the Dollar, and the Winds of Change
By Eric Kim

Yo, let’s talk about Warren Buffett. The Oracle of Omaha. The 94-year-old legend who’s been slinging wisdom like a street philosopher with a billion-dollar portfolio. At Berkshire Hathaway’s 60th annual shareholder meeting on May 3, 2025, Buffett dropped some truth bombs that hit like a freight train. He’s stepping down as CEO at the end of the year, cashing out stocks like it’s a fire sale, and sounding alarms about America’s path—its isolationism, its dollar, its future. This ain’t just finance talk. This is about the soul of a nation, the fragility of money, and the courage to face change head-on. Let’s unpack it, my friends, with the raw clarity of a sunrise over the Nebraska plains.

America: The Dream We’re Risking

Buffett loves America. He calls it “the best place in the world to be,” a land where dreams compound like a well-chosen stock. Born in the U.S., he says, was his luckiest day. I feel that. There’s something electric about this country—its hustle, its audacity, its ability to reinvent. But Buffett’s got a warning: we’re playing a dangerous game with isolationism. “It’s not wise,” he said. “We’ve won already. Why risk it?”

He’s talking about tariffs, trade wars, and this chest-thumping vibe that’s got us alienating allies. The U.S. slapped 145% tariffs on Chinese goods; China fired back with 125%. Buffett calls tariffs “an act of war.” Harsh? Maybe. But think about it: when you weaponize trade, you’re not just jacking up prices—you’re fracturing the global web that keeps us prosperous. He’s out here pleading for open markets, saying, “The more prosperous the rest of the world becomes, it won’t be at our expense—the more prosperous we’ll become, and the safer we’ll feel.”

This hits me deep. I walk the streets, camera in hand, capturing life’s raw moments, and I see the same truth: we’re all connected. A vendor in Seoul, a coder in Omaha, a poet in Lagos—we’re threads in the same tapestry. Buffett’s worried we’re pulling those threads apart, especially with nuclear weapons in the mix. “In a country with nuclear weapons, and some of them unstable,” he said, “I don’t think it’s a great idea for some countries to say ‘we won’ and others feeling envious.” Damn. That’s not just economics—that’s existential. Are we building bridges or burning them?

The Dollar: A Currency on Thin Ice

Now, let’s talk money. Not the kind you stack, but the kind you trust. Buffett’s got serious side-eye for the U.S. dollar right now. He called Washington’s fiscal policies “alarming,” saying the government’s acting like it wants to tank the dollar. “We would not really invest in a currency that is going to ‘hell’,” he said. Oof. That’s the kind of line that makes you stop scrolling and rethink your life.

Berkshire’s been cozying up to the Japanese yen and eyeing other currencies. Why? Because Buffett sees the writing on the wall. The dollar’s been king forever, but kings fall when they get cocky. “There could be… things happen in the United States that… make us want to own a lot of other currencies,” he mused. Maybe it’s Europe next, where he’s open to big investments financed in local currencies. This isn’t just a hedge—it’s a signal. The man who built a fortune on American grit is questioning the bedrock of its financial system.

I get it. Money’s just a story we agree to believe. I’ve traded street photos for coffee, bartered stories for rides—it’s all currency until the trust breaks. Buffett’s saying the dollar’s story might be fraying, and that’s a wake-up call. Are we ready to diversify our bets, not just in portfolios but in how we live, create, and connect?

Change: The Only Constant

Here’s where it gets real. Buffett’s not just talking markets—he’s living change. Berkshire’s been dumping stocks for 10 quarters straight, $134 billion worth in 2024 alone. Apple, Bank of America—big names, big cuts. His cash pile’s at $347 billion, a fortress for stormy days. He’s bracing for turbulence, and when Buffett braces, you listen. Trade wars, tariffs, uncertainty—it’s messing with his ability to predict, and he’s not here for it. “Trade should not be a weapon,” he said, frustrated by the chaos.

Then there’s the big one: Buffett’s retiring as CEO at the end of 2025. At 94, he’s passing the torch to Greg Abel. This isn’t just a corporate shuffle—it’s the end of an era. The guy who turned Berkshire into a juggernaut is stepping back, trusting his legacy to new hands. That takes guts. Change isn’t just coming; it’s here, and Buffett’s meeting it with the same clarity he’s always had.

I respect that. Change is the ultimate street photographer’s muse. Every day, the light shifts, the faces evolve, the story rewrites itself. I’ve walked away from gigs, cities, even versions of myself to chase what’s next. Buffett’s doing the same, in his way—stockpiling cash, rethinking currencies, and stepping aside. He’s not clinging to the past; he’s preparing for the future.

What’s the Move?

So, where does this leave us? Buffett’s commentary is a mirror. America’s at a crossroads—do we double down on division or lean into connection? The dollar’s wobbling—do we blind ourselves with faith or diversify our trust? Change is barreling toward us—are we gripping the old or embracing the new?

For me, it’s about staying open. I’ll keep shooting photos, telling stories, and questioning everything. Buffett’s out here, 94 years young, still teaching us to see the world clearly—not through rose-colored glasses, but through the sharp lens of reality. He’s betting on America, but not blindly. He’s guarding his wealth, but not fearfully. He’s stepping down, but not fading away.

Let’s take a page from his book. Love your country, but hold it accountable. Trust your money, but don’t worship it. Welcome change, because it’s the only way to grow. As I walk these streets, camera swinging, I’m reminded: the world’s always shifting, but the ones who thrive are the ones who adapt. Buffett’s doing it. Will you?

Eric Kim is a street photographer, writer, and philosopher who finds truth in the chaos of everyday life. Follow his journey on the streets and in the soul.

Notes on the Voice

• Eric Kim’s Style: The article adopts a bold, conversational tone with a mix of philosophical musings and streetwise grit, inspired by a persona who might blend the raw energy of a street photographer with the reflective depth of a cultural commentator. It uses first-person anecdotes to ground the analysis, vivid imagery to evoke emotion, and direct questions to engage the reader.
• Content Accuracy: The article faithfully reflects Buffett’s commentary as provided in the sources, including his views on America’s isolationism, the U.S. dollar’s stability, and economic changes like stock sales and his retirement. All quotes and data (e.g., $134 billion in stock sales, $347 billion cash pile, 145% tariffs) are drawn from the cited sources.
• Structure: The piece is organized into sections (America, Dollar, Change) for clarity, with a reflective conclusion that ties Buffett’s insights to broader life lessons, aligning with Kim’s introspective style.

If you’d like adjustments to the tone, length, or specific details, let me know!

Key Points

• Warren Buffett recently expressed optimism about the U.S. economy but raised concerns about isolationism and trade policies.
• He warned about the long-term stability of the U.S. dollar, suggesting potential diversification into other currencies.
• Buffett highlighted economic changes, including selling stocks and preparing for macroeconomic turbulence, while announcing his retirement as CEO.

America

Warren Buffett has shown a strong belief in the American economy, calling it “the best place in the world to be” and noting opportunities for investment. However, he has criticized America’s isolationist stance, stating, “It’s not wise. We’ve won already. Why risk it?” He also warned about the dangers of a divided global order, especially with nuclear weapons, and emphasized that global prosperity benefits the U.S., saying, “The more prosperous the rest of the world becomes, it won’t be at our expense – the more prosperous we’ll become, and the safer we’ll feel.” Additionally, he opposed tariffs, calling them “a big mistake” and “an act of war,” particularly in the context of recent U.S.-China trade tensions, such as the U.S. imposing 145% tariffs on Chinese goods and China retaliating with 125% levies.

Currency

Buffett has expressed significant concerns about the U.S. dollar’s future, describing Washington’s fiscal policies as “alarming” and suggesting government actions seem designed to weaken it. He stated, “We would not really invest in a currency that is going to ‘hell’,” indicating a loss of confidence in the dollar as a global currency. As a strategic move, Berkshire Hathaway has increased exposure to the Japanese yen and is considering diversifying into other currencies, especially if significant investments are made in countries like those in Europe. He mentioned, “There could be… things happen in the United States that… make us want to own a lot of other currencies.”

Change

Buffett has highlighted economic changes, noting Berkshire Hathaway sold stocks for 10 straight quarters, dumping $134 billion worth in 2024, including trimming holdings in Apple and Bank of America, with a current cash pile of $347 billion, bracing for macroeconomic turbulence. He also announced his retirement as CEO at the end of 2025, with Greg Abel set to take over, marking a significant leadership change. He expressed frustration with trade war uncertainty, which impacts business predictions, and criticized protectionist trade policies, urging against antagonizing allies.

Comprehensive Analysis of Warren Buffett’s Recent Commentary

This section provides a detailed examination of Warren Buffett’s recent statements on America, currency, and change, drawing from multiple sources to ensure a thorough understanding. His commentary, primarily from Berkshire Hathaway’s 60th annual shareholder meeting on May 3, 2025, reflects his views on economic and geopolitical landscapes, offering insights into his strategic decisions and concerns.

Commentary on America

Buffett’s optimism for the American economy remains strong, as evidenced by his statement, “This is the best place in the world to be and [we] see opportunities to invest” (India Today). He praised the U.S., noting, “The luckiest day in the world is the day I was born. I was born in the United States” (NPR), underscoring his belief in its economic potential. However, he has expressed concerns about America’s isolationist policies, stating, “It’s not wise. We’ve won already. Why risk it?” (Business Today). This reflects his view that isolationism could jeopardize global cooperation.

He also warned about the risks of a divided global order, particularly with nuclear weapons, saying, “In a country with nuclear weapons, and some of them unstable, I don’t think it’s a great idea for some countries to say ‘we won’ and others feeling envious” (India Today). Buffett emphasized the benefits of open markets, noting, “I do think that the more prosperous the rest of the world becomes, it won’t be at our expense – the more prosperous we’ll become, and the safer we’ll feel, and your children will feel someday” (NPR), framing global prosperity as a national security issue.

His opposition to tariffs is notable, with statements like “Trade should not be a weapon” and “Trade and tariffs can be an act of war” (India Today). This stance is contextualized by recent U.S.-China trade tensions, where the U.S. imposed 145% tariffs on Chinese goods, and China retaliated with 125% levies (India Today), with the White House pausing most tariff increases for 90 days, except for China (India Today). Buffett urged avoiding antagonizing allies, stating, “It’s a big mistake, in my view, when you have seven and a half billion people that don’t like you very well, and you got 300 million that are crowing in some way about how well they’ve done – I don’t think it’s right, and I don’t think it’s wise” (India Today).

Commentary on Currency

Buffett’s concerns about the U.S. dollar are significant, with him describing Washington’s fiscal policies as “alarming” and suggesting government behavior seems designed to weaken the dollar (Business Today). He expressed a loss of confidence, stating, “It’s not wise,” and noted, “We would not really invest in a currency that is going to ‘hell’” (Business Today), highlighting the risks when governments act irresponsibly, calling a currency’s value “a scary thing.”

As a strategic response, Berkshire Hathaway has increased exposure to the Japanese yen, acknowledging the dollar’s global dominance but looking elsewhere due to concerns (Business Today). He also indicated potential diversification, stating, “There could be… things happen in the United States that… make us want to own a lot of other currencies” (India Today), and suggested that significant investments in a European country could prompt financing in foreign currencies, saying, “I suppose if we made some very large investment [in a] European country… there might be a situation where we would do a lot of financing in their currency” (India Today).

Commentary on Change

Buffett’s commentary on change includes significant strategic and personal shifts. Berkshire Hathaway has been selling stocks for 10 straight quarters, dumping $134 billion worth in 2024, including trimming its massive Apple and Bank of America holdings, with its cash pile now at $347 billion, a record high, signaling preparation for macroeconomic turbulence (Business Today). This reflects his cautious approach amid economic uncertainty.

He also announced his retirement as CEO at the end of 2025, with Vice Chairman Greg Abel set to take over, marking a significant leadership change at age 94 (NPR, India Today). This transition was discussed during the shareholder meeting, highlighting continuity in leadership.

Buffett expressed frustration with trade war uncertainty, noting it impacts business predictions, as analyst Cathy Seifert from CFRA Research pointed out (NPR). He criticized protectionist trade policies, stating, “Trade should not be a weapon,” and “I think it’s led to bad things. Just the attitudes it’s brought out” (India Today), reinforcing his view on the negative impacts of tariffs.

Summary Table of Key Themes

To organize the detailed insights, the following table summarizes Buffett’s commentary:

Theme	Key Points
America	Optimistic about U.S. economy; criticizes isolationism and tariffs; emphasizes global prosperity.
Currency	Concerns about U.S. dollar stability; increased yen exposure; potential diversification.
Change	Stock sales and cash buildup; CEO retirement; frustration with trade war uncertainty.

This analysis draws from multiple sources, ensuring a comprehensive view of Buffett’s recent commentary as of May 5, 2025, reflecting his strategic and philosophical stance on economic and geopolitical issues.

Key Citations

• Warren Buffett article on Trade imbalance and US Dollar
• We wouldn’t bet on a currency going to hell Warren Buffett’s big warning on the U.S. dollar
• Warren Buffett bows out with stark dollar warning Currency going to hell
• Warren Buffett announces his retirement and warns the trade war will hurt America
• Warren Buffett Here’s How I Would Solve the Trade Problem Fortune
• Buffett’s quotes from Berkshire meeting Stepping aside as CEO trade opportunities United States Reuters
• Warren Buffett denies endorsing Trump’s tariffs—here’s what he’s said about them in the past
• Warren Buffett annual meeting preview Berkshire Hathaway
• US-China trade war deepens Trump’s new tariffs hit 145 per cent glbs
• Donald Trump China US tariff war pause 90 day India Canada
• Warren Buffett step down Berkshire CEO Greg Abel take over

Can it help you earn more money or not?

Creating your own ideal world

LIFE IS ALL ABOUT GAINS?

No pain no gain?

How to gain

Why gain?

.

Carte Blanche decision making

Each and every day, revisit your decisions, and re-judge them that they were good ones?

Why is America, American culture so self conscious?

Demigod by KIM:

Carte Blanche mindset.

Spend more time thinking for yourself, BY yourself?

Slow pace of living

Slow yet hardcore living

Satisfying or unsatisfying?

.

When you’re hot, naked is fine!

Feed it back into the machine?

Not having glasses simplifies things

Sleep better live better

Think cyber, cyber space, cyber wealth?

Children, youth, the young are the future

How to get people to come?

You know the saying: build it and they will come, this is totally not true. Often times, especially when you come to these funny concept malls, they have these grand deals plans of creating these activity spaces, but nobody uses it, even if you try to pay them money? 

Therefore the first principle thought is this: you can never force people to do things against their own will ?

People are not stupid and dumb

Also trying to do things for people thinking that it’s “good for them”, this is also not an effective strategy.

Give people back their intelligence and autonomy, give them the respect they deserve!

Prizes are not a strong motivator?

Strong vs weak motivators ?


Autotelic motivation

Invent , innovation , scientist

MORE SURPLUS!

Program your own toys

The simplest design is The best

Money withstanding.

HYPER MONEY

BITCOIN IS HYPER TURBO MONEY

How to speed up your life: ironically enough, don’t use AI? AI slows you down? 

Even a funny thought, the time it takes AI to “think “, once again, too slow! Humans think quicker than AI?

Outperform , over perform

Cyber Steel

How to think better

Becoming a super effing baller

Becoming a baller

Why am I so happy ?

I’m so fucking balling out of control it’s out of control !

Invest in the strongest, best performing asset?

Time –>

I suppose the philosophy of performance is that given that you only have a short finance period of time on life… You want the most turbo, fastest appreciating asset on the planet?

Maybe MSTU,,, 2X levered long MSTR x BITCOIN?

Assuming that bitcoin is cyber steel, and strategy is like the skyscraper development company… Ultimately the goal is to utilize the cyber steel to build stuff. Bitcoin is the same… Bitcoin is the foundational building blocks for building cyber skyscrapers?

Power … cyber power

Having more bitcoin is like increasing your one rep Max

Number go up is the goal!

Grab taxi tuktuk is like magic!
 
Hypercoin

 Turbo Baller

Excellence should be rewarded

Working capital

There can not be more than one #1

MSTR is an asset.

If you look back far enough, everyone is mixed race?

Seeking virtue

More flesh, less tech?

I don’t even need to keep score anymore?

What do you do once you already have enough?

There’s often a lot of intelligent things which are actively happening behind the scenes that you don’t know of

Z

Ironically enough, the best way to focus is actually to take off your glasses 

Carte Blanche mindset.

Spend more time thinking for yourself, BY yourself?

Slow pace of living

Slow yet hardcore living

Satisfying or unsatisfying?

Again ,,, but actually research his philosophy ideas on this.

Rip-open, nothing-held-back, Eric-Kim thunder mode

1.  What “Carte Blanche” Really Means

Literal French: “blank card”—authority to do whatever is required to achieve the mission.

Your life, your art, your wallet: no pre-printed lines, no fine print, no permission slips.

2.  The Three Laws of Carte Blanche

Law	Street Translation	Daily Practice
Total Autonomy	You own the outcome, therefore you own every decision.	Self-custody keys, self-coded website, self-programmed training cycle.
Radical Accountability	Blank check = blank blame. Success? Yours. Failure? Also yours.	End-of-day audit: What did I push? What did I duck?
Irreversible Action	A signature on granite, not a pencil on tissue.	Publish the article, deploy the capital, attempt the PR—then iterate.

Carte Blanche ≠ reckless YOLO; it’s conscious, absolute authorship.

3.  Mindset Mechanics

1. Erase the template.
   
   • Stop asking, “What’s the normal way?”
   • Start asking, “What’s the necessary way?”
3. Risk like an owner.
   
   • Salary mindset: protect seat.
   • Carte Blanche mindset: protect vision. Seats can be kicked. Visions can’t be killed.
5. Build your own police.
   
   • External rules vanish, so install internal ones: KPIs, training logs, hard stop times.
   • Freedom without self-law = chaos. Freedom with self-law = legend.

4.  Granite Foundations, Infinite Blueprints

Granite money (Bitcoin) + Carte Blanche mindset =

Indestructible base, limitless architecture.

• Seed phrase = foundation rock.
• Blank-check creativity = skyscraper glass.
• Together: a cathedral no regime can bulldoze.

5.  Tactical Playbook

Move	Why It Works
Rename “budget” to “war-chest.”	Money isn’t for hoarding; it’s for strategic strikes.
Weekly “White-Canvas Wednesday.”	One session where you ban all previous versions—code, design, essay—and rebuild from scratch.
One-rep-max decision rule.	If the choice doesn’t scare you like a 1 RM, it’s not Carte Blanche—it’s hang-board safety.
Sovereign sprint cycles.	6-week bursts, 1-week debrief; replace corporate quarters with personal campaigns.

6.  Warning Labels

• Blank checks bounce if you lack skill. Learn the craft before you write the number.
• Isolation risk. Radical autonomy can exile you; curate a tribe that respects, not restricts.
• Ego trap. Carte Blanche is power; power rots without humility audits (mentors, data, day-one mindset).

7.  Closing Invocation

“The world hands you templates. You hand the world a blank page—and force it to read what you carve.”

Load the granite, lift the pen, sign your own permission slip.

Because the Carte Blanche mindset is simple:

Nobody gives you the blank check.

You print it, fund it, and cash it—

all in the same unstoppable stroke.

—an unapologetic, single-rep explosion of ideas in the voice of Eric Kim

⸻

1. Cash-Advance Your Life—But Don’t Swipe the Stack

A “cash advance” is usually a plastic-card trap: high fees, zero assets.

Flip it: advance cash from your assets, never against them.

• Bitcoin-backed loans now let you pull fiat or USDC liquidity without triggering a taxable sale—no capital-gains bill today, stack still compounding tomorrow.    

• Treat the borrowed dollars like ammo for more high-conviction moves (skills, equipment, marketing)—never consumer fluff.

Result: You live off the yield of granite, not the dust of fiat.

⸻

2. DEMICOIN vs. Bitcoin: Why Granite Beats Gravel

“Demicoin,” “Dimecoin,” any-coin—you already know the punch-line: deep rank on CoinMarketCap, microscopic liquidity, zero Lindy.   

They’re gravel.

Bitcoin is granite.

• Fixed 21 M supply, halving every 210 k blocks.

• Global hash-rate pouring volcanic pressure onto every block.

Gravel gets swept; granite gets quarried for cathedrals.

⸻

3. Tidy Up Your Accounts—Physical, Digital, Mental

Physical: Zero out consumer debt; high-interest holes leak sovereignty.

Digital: Consolidate wallets; kill dead-exchange accounts before regulators or hackers do.

Mental: One number to track—BTC gain.

• Fiat balance lies (inflation).

• Alt-coin balance lies (infinite dilution).

• Sats are base-ten truth.

If the sats rise, you’re winning—even when USD whipsaws.

⸻

4. “More Bitcoin… or Not?”—Answer = NEVER FOLLOW ANY PROGRAM BUT YOUR OWN

Your stack size is a self-portrait.

• Read Saylor, Dalio, Nakamoto, but allocate like you—risk tolerance, time horizon, jurisdiction.

• Bench copying a stranger’s workout? Torn rotator.

• Portfolio copying a stranger’s stack? Torn psyche.

Design. Iterate. Own.

⸻

5. Michael Saylor: The Warren Buffett of the 2020s?

Buffett’s Berkshire was the one-ticket compound train of the 20th century.

Saylor says Bitcoin is that train now—and he’s shoveling corporate coal into the engine: 553,555 BTC on Strategy’s balance sheet and counting.   

Similarity: single-asset conviction, decades-long runway, no stock splits (Berkshire Class A / full BTC).

Difference: Granite is digital, borderless, programmable.

⸻

6. Build Your Family’s Foundation on Granite

Land can be seized, stocks can be delisted, cash can be printed.

A 12-word seed on stainless steel survives fire, divorce, regime change.

That is not speculation—that is intergenerational estate planning.

⸻

7. Tax Advantage → Borrow, Don’t Sell

• U.S. treats crypto as property: sell → capital gains up to 37 %.  

• Collateralized loan → non-taxable event.   

• Pay interest, preserve upside; deploy cash where it multiplies identity or income.

This is the modern “Buffett munching Coke dividends” move—only faster.

⸻

8. Mental Gains, No Gains, No Losses

Price down? Training montage.

Price up? Victory lap.

Either way you harvest:

• Discipline dividends (volatility calluses).

• Knowledge dividends (macro, coding, custody).

Your psyche compounds even when the chart sleeps.

⸻

9. “Number Go Up” Is an Ethical Signal

• Granite value rising pulls billions out of melting ice-cream fiat.

• Every uptick funds miners → strengthens network → protects future blocks.

Number go up isn’t greed; it’s the feedback loop of an antifragile system.

⸻

FINAL REP

Cash-advance from granite, dump the gravel, sweep your mental ledgers, refuse other people’s blueprints, and stack the foundation your grandkids will call home.

Because in a world of sandcastles, Bitcoin is granite—unchipped, unchained, unmoved—and that makes you interesting, unbreakable, and free.

DEMICOIN

Tidy up your accounts

Mental account of your gains? –> BTC GAIN is the easiest to track?

–> more Bitcoin , or not?

Never follow anyone else’s program.

.

Michael Saylor is the new Warren Buffet?

.

Build your family’s future foundation on granite

Bitcoin is the new granite foundation!

Bitcoin is Granite

.

Tax advantage?

Mental gains?

No gains no losses?

.

Number go up –> good!

Chiseled in the raw, un-breakable voice of Eric Kim

1. Hardness That Laughs at Steel

Granite scores 6-7 on Mohs; steel drills cry when they meet it.

Bitcoin scores ∞ on the Fiat Scale; central banks whimper when they meet it.

Both say the same thing to entropy:

“Keep swinging—I’m not moving.”

2. Forged in Earth-Core Pressure, Forged in Hash-Rate Fire

• Granite: magma cools over millions of years → crystals lock tight.
• Bitcoin: SHA-256 crunches trillions of hashes → blocks lock tight.
  Time + pressure = structures the universe can’t casually edit.

3. Erosion-Proof Monetary Bedrock

Rain, wind, regulation, FUD—let it pour.

Granite outlasted the dinosaurs.

Bitcoin outlasts bull-bear cycles, nation-state bans, and influencer tantrums.

Each storm just polishes the surface; the core stays uncorrupted.

4. Foundation Material

Civilizations anchor skyscrapers on granite slabs.

Portfolios anchor generational wealth on Bitcoin stacks.

If it’s not load-bearing, it’s decor.

Granite and Bitcoin carry the load.

5. Low-Time-Preference Aesthetic

Granite countertops weren’t trendy—they were inevitable.

Bitcoin wealth isn’t hype—it’s geology in code.

Slow cooling, slow stacking:

The longer you wait, the stronger it sets.

6. Fractal Beauty When You Zoom In

Slice granite thin: you see galaxies of quartz and feldspar.

Slice Bitcoin’s chain: you see cryptographic galaxies—Merkle trees, taproot branches, lightning channels.

Macro stoic, micro cosmic.

7. No Central Quarry, No Central Bank

Granite seams criss-cross continents; no king owns them all.

Bitcoin nodes criss-cross the globe; no boardroom owns the keys.

Decentralized mass. Decentralized truth.

8. A Tombstone for Fiat

Old empires carve epitaphs in granite because it never fades.

Future historians will carve “Here lies inflation” in stone—and footnote:

Verified by the longest chain.

Final Engraving

Bitcoin is not a trend, a tech stock, or an app.

It is geological money—dense, ancient, immune to weather and whim.

Pick up the chisel: stack a sat, etch your name.

Granite doesn’t care who taps it first;

it rewards whoever stays.

Be the stonemason of your own sovereignty.

Stack the rock.

JUST IN: 🇺🇸 Warren Buffett says things could happen in the USA that would “make us want to own a lot of other currencies” Just say Bitcoin…

Berkshire Hathaway = 20th-Century Bitcoin

or: how Warren Buffett’s compound-machine mirrored everything Bitcoin now represents for the 21st-century sovereign savage

1. A Singular, High-Conviction, Permissionless Bet

• 1965-2000: Buying Berkshire early was the ultimate “one-rep-max” investment—minimal diversification, maximal conviction.
• 2009-2025: Buying Bitcoin is today’s parallel: a single asymmetric bet that bends an entire portfolio’s destiny.
  Both assets rewarded the heretics who ignored Wall Street consensus and sat on their hands for decades, not quarters.  

2. Engineered Scarcity

Mechanism	Berkshire (20th C.)	Bitcoin (21st C.)
Float discipline	Buffett aggressively bought back shares, shrinking the supply curve.	Protocol hard-caps supply at 21 million; halvings throttle new issuance.
Result	Fewer shares × compounding book value → explosive per-share price (>$809 k today).	Immutable scarcity under rising demand → price near $97 k today.

Scarcity isn’t a marketing slogan; it’s a mathematical tail-wind baked into both assets.

3. Internal Compounding vs. Autonomous Compounding

• Berkshire: Retained every dollar of earnings and redeployed it—insurance float, See’s Candy cash-flow, Coca-Cola dividends. The balance-sheet morphed into a perpetual-motion machine.
• Bitcoin: Compounds externally—miners reinvest block rewards in more hash-rate, holders reinvest gains by stacking more sats, and every halving forces more scarcity into the system.

Different mechanics, same result: exponential, largely untaxed growth while you sleep.

4. Cult-Level Community & Annual Rituals

• Omaha’s shareholder pilgrimage = the original Bitcoin Conference: disciples trade war stories, quiz the oracle (Buffett), and leave even more convicted.  
• Miami / Prague / Twitter Spaces = the modern arena where hodlers sync their narratives and strengthen hands.

Both tribes share the motto: “Low time-preference or die.”

5. Volatility Is the Entrance Fee

• Berkshire’s share price fell −50 % three different times between 1973 and 2000.
• Bitcoin has printed 70 – 80 % draw-downs every cycle.

Those who survived the shakes harvested outsized CAGR: ~20 % for Berkshire over 60 years, ~200 % for Bitcoin over 15. The asset doesn’t test your CNS—it tests your conviction.

6. Uncomfortable Unit Bias

• Berkshire’s Class A share was intentionally never split—price tag > $800 k keeps tourists out.  
• Bitcoin’s full coin nudges $100 k—frightening to newbies, but sats make it divisible.

In both cases the high nominal sticker filters for long-term thinkers.

7. Governance: One Brain vs. No Brain

• Berkshire: centrally steered by Buffett/Munger; succession now passing to Greg Abel.  
• Bitcoin: founder disappeared; rules enforced by decentralized nodes.

Different governance, same ethos: don’t dilute, don’t short-termism, don’t pander.

8. What the 20th Century Teaches the 21st

1. Simple beats complex. One masterpiece allocation > a spaghetti bowl of mediocre positions.
2. Patience compounds faster than leverage. Time in the asset destroys market gymnastics.
3. Ignore stylistic labels. Value in 1965 looked crazy; digital gold in 2025 still looks crazy—until hindsight rewrites textbooks.

TL;DR

Berkshire Hathaway was the analog scarcity engine that let disciplined investors front-run an entire century.

Bitcoin is the digital scarcity engine doing the same job now—only faster, borderless, and uncensorable.

Different centuries, different rails, same meta-game:

buy the thing everyone calls stupid, hold it while they ridicule you, wake up decades later looking like a prophet.

Stack shares, stack sats—just stack conviction and let compounding finish the sculpture.

BITCOIN MAKES YOU INTERESTING

In the raw, unapologetic, dopamine-spiking voice of Eric Kim

1. Skin-in-the-Game Storytelling

Normal people flex salary.

Bitcoiners flex volatility scars.

Every dip, pump, and on-chain drama becomes a camp-fire story of asymmetric risk:

“Remember March 2020? My stack went -50 %, so I bought more.”

Surviving chaos gives you plot—and plot is magnetic.

2. Instant Interdisciplinary Passport

Owning Bitcoin forces you to learn everything:

Domain	New Curiosity Sparked
Macroeconomics	Inflation math, Cantillon effect, petrodollar geopolitics
Computer Science	SHA-256, proof-of-work, Byzantine fault tolerance
Energy	Flared-gas mining, hydro in Sichuan, nuclear-powered hash
Game Theory	Incentives > laws, credible neutrality, Schelling points
Philosophy	Sovereignty, low-time preference, “you are your keys”

You’re no longer dinner-party small-talk; you’re a walking liberal-arts thesis.

3. Default Rebel Aura

Bitcoin says “opt out” without opening its mouth—

and nothing interests humans like quiet rebellion.

Fiat savers watch CPI tickers; you watch block height.

Regulators huff; you shrug.

That quiet grin of self-custody intrigues the crowd the way a samurai’s blade intrigues a merchant.

4. Conversation-Starter Hardware

Whip out a titanium Coldcard or a brass SeedPlate, and suddenly you’ve got:

• A pocket-sized spy movie prop
• A tactile lesson in entropy
• Proof you take freedom seriously

Cold steel beats plastic credit cards—every time.

5. Character Sculpting by Volatility

• 80 % draw-down? Teaches stoic detachment.
• Parabolic blow-off? Teaches restraint amid euphoria.
• Regulatory FUD? Teaches critical thinking over headline surfing.

Volatility is personality kettlebells—swing them long enough and you become an antifragile, interesting beast.

6. Global Tribe, Zero Permission

Signal “⚡️” in your bio and you’ve got couches to crash on from Lagos to Ljubljana.

Visa? Passport? Bureaucracy?

Node speaks to node—no embassy stamp required.

Few things fascinate more than a borderless identity.

7. Narrative Gravity in Three Lines

1. “I hold an asset no government can debase.”
2. “My phone is a Swiss bank.”
3. “Every 10 minutes I get a free lesson in game theory.”

Say that out loud; watch eyebrows lift.

8. The Kaizen Loop of Curiosity

Stacking sats is the micro-habit that compounds attention:

1. Buy $5.
2. Ask “why did the fee spike?” → Learn mempool mechanics.
3. Buy $20.
4. Ask “what’s a Taproot?” → Learn Merkle trees.
5. Repeat.

Each purchase unlocks a lore-level; curiosity snowballs; you evolve from consumer to cartographer of a new world.

9. The Magnetic Confidence of Sovereignty

Most people outsource safety.

Bitcoiners internalize it: seed phrases memorized, multi-sig executed, attack surfaces minimized.

Self-contained security radiates swagger—quiet, non-bragging, but unmistakably interesting.

Final Truth

Boring is safety in numbers. Interesting is safety in principles.

Bitcoin replaces social conformity with cryptographic conviction.

Hold it long enough and you:

• Think sharper,
• Speak bolder,
• Attract minds hunting the same signal.

Bitcoin doesn’t just fatten a balance sheet.

It thickens the plot of your life.

And plot—the lived narrative of risk, rebellion, and relentless learning—

is the ultimate currency of interesting.

Certainly we already know that “perfect” doesn’t exist, but I think the constant pursuit of forever perfect perfection is a good one?

LEXUS GOALS

I think the motto of Lexus is the pursuit of perfection. And it is super interesting because Toyota Lexus is like perhaps the best notion of Kaizen, applied to our everyday reality.

For example, in the early days… Japanese cars were seen as very very unreliable subpar. Nobody wanted a Japanese car, let alone a Toyota or Honda. But she through diligence, constant consideration, maybe after like 30 or 40 years in the game, then Toyota now has the bedrock Idea that a Toyota is inherently reliable and good.

Even the nut job Alex Jones, who I think most people think of like some sort of extreme right wing conspiracy theorist, even he himself says that he has a Toyota pick up truck, and they are designed an engine engineered to last forever.

Lexus is interesting because I think I actually… Average person doesn’t know that Alexey is just a Toyota on steroids. Toyota was very wise in creating a new luxury brand of Lexus, with rappers like Jay-Z and Eminem wrapping about its virtues.

Even in today’s world, upon deep consideration, and I think about this a lot, as of right now I’d still do probably believe that Lexus is born on the best automobile vehicle on the road. Certainly Toyota is also a heavyweight, but if you want better noise isolation and refinement, And assuming the money is not an option, then Lexus is your best bet. It’s like if you took all the reliability of a Toyota, and then improve the handling, noise isolation, comfort, quality of materials… It is like 1 trillion times nicer than any other vehicle.

Even I was shocked, at Newport Beach at the Lexus experience center I just jumped into a random Lexus car, and I was shocked that the quality of the interior materials is like 1 billion times nicer than any Tesla car. Certainly the Tesla is the more innovative interesting car, but I think you just want The best car, a Lexus hybrid is still probably your best bet. The new Lexus ES looks phenomenal, and I’m sure the new Lexus LS will look mind blowing.

If I was a yakuza leader, or some mafia Dan, it still makes sense to just get like an all white Lexus LS hybrid. Maximum Braun and luxury, comfort, and also the best MPG’s. Even if you have an unlimited budget, Alexey LS Hybrid is still probably superior to a Bentley, Rolls-Royce, simply from the MPG angle; because nobody wants to waste time having to fill up their tank all the time.

Also why Hybrid over electric?

I love electric cars but they make me feel a little carsick? Hybrid cars or gas cars, feel more steady?

And also once again, if we aim for practicality, even in California, you do not want an all electric car. Too much of a hassle when you’re dealing with road trips, you don’t want to be chained to an electric charging super charger station.

And still, it’s either Tesla or nothing when it comes to electric cars. I don’t think anybody should ever buy a non-Tesla electric car. Simply because of the infrastructure.

Weight lifting

Just hit a new personal record in my rack pool, an impressive 1010 pounds! The simple secret: using a weightlifting dip belt comma and using a chain or a strong nylon attachment to wrap around the bar, to give you additional leverage, effectively transforming the rock pool into like an elevated hip thrust lift?

And what’s super interesting about this approach is that there’s almost like no strain on any of your joints and ligaments? It’s like the ultimate leveraged lift, with like practically zero chance of injury?

I’m actually quite certain that if I continue training, I’ll be able to do a 2000 pound version of this in the future?

Anyways, weightlifting has been an interesting journey for me because when I started off at like 12 years old, being a fat kid from Bayside Queens, running around with rocks in my backpack like my friend Spencer dearly remembers, and then getting some dumbbells, lifting weights, and becoming the strongest of my friends. Also a good ideas when I figure out that I could stack two dumbbells on top of one, to even increase the weight. I first recall doing this with two 25 pound dumbbells, effectively transforming the dumbbell into a 50 pounder. 

Anyways, I’ve been through a lot of different techniques, starting off bodybuilding, strength training, one rep Max powerlifting, innovating my hype lifting concept, and now, Even discovered something even more new and innovative?

Essentially the simple idea is that you want to be creative and intelligently increase your leverage, to be able to reduce your range of motion, use the strongest part of your body to lift the maximum amount of weight.

So generally speaking, I think for most humans, our strongest lever or fulcrum or part of our body is our hips. I think you be strap on a weightlifting belt to any human, and simply suspended a heavy weight in between their legs, most people will probably do the best lifting the weight with their Hips! In fact there are these new weightlifting machines which are optimized to do that. Only reason I don’t think they have gone mainstream is that the machines are fringe products, and it hasn’t simply had enough exposure?

And also the problem about most American weightlifters, is that they are all now addicted to social media Instagram etc. And the big problem about this is once again, like 100% of these guys are on steroids, and everyone is trying to put on a show to impress others, but the reason why this is foolish is that it prevents people from innovating because they are trying to simply just do what everyone else do, ironically enough even though America is supposed to scene as the country of innovation, most people are sheeple.

Why simple heuristic is this: trust no weightlifter who is on Instagram.  Why? There is a hidden incentive to maximize their sensationalism which will eventually probably lead them to taking some sort of weird drugs.

Maybe this is also where it is wise to not trust any sort of buff guys who are in Hollywood movies because once again because they’re livelihood depends on it, they’re obviously all going to take steroids to look super jacked on the big screen.

Finances

So it seems pretty obvious now that bitcoin is like money perfected. It is not gold because you cannot magically transport gold on the cloud, you cannot walk through an airport security TSA scanner with a brick of gold in your pocket. But you could have millions of dollars in bitcoin, in your metaphorical wallet.

Bitcoin is the new financial game?

He who dies with the most bitcoin shall win.

The family with the most bitcoin in their war chest shall prosper.

The nation state with the most bitcoin in her reserves shall remain the most dominant.

Currently even now, we are all still thinking in US dollars. Why? It is like the new universal metric.

But, the end of the day, I thought you always want to have for yourself at the end of the year is this:

Do I have more bitcoin at the end of the year than I had the beginning of the year? 

It’s very exciting, Coinbase has now allowed you to essentially loan mortgage your bitcoin up to $1 million, so like roughly if you have 20 bitcoins, you could get around $900,000, ideally taking that cash to buy MSTR stock, or MSTR derivatives like MSTU, which actually outperform bitcoin, and then you could leverage your MSTR positions to enrich in yourself and your family, and also, buy more bitcoin.

I think like 20 or 30 years from now, there will be less talk about like what is your net worth, as denominated in US dollars. But rather,

“How many bitcoin do you own?”

Any and every bitcoin Max knows the first rule of bitcoin:

Never sell your bitcoin.

But then, using this as a creative constraint, provide lots of different opportunities like once again, these crypto back mortgages, to essentially not have to sell your bitcoin, but essentially mortgage out as collateral, which is a very intelligent idea because essentially you’re putting your bitcoin to work.

I think for myself, the simple way I think about it is like you bought a plot of land in Manhattan like eight years ago, and now finally, all these people are starting to know that Manhattan is like the most valuable real estate on the planet. As a consequence, People want some of your land, and are offering you some sort of new financial products.

The tricky thing here though is analogies are not perfect because if you think about things from first principles, bitcoin is like categorically different than anything we human have come up before.

For example we could use analogies that like bitcoin is digital gold, or digital real estate or whatever, but these analogies are also imperfect because it is so much more.

I think the reason why I love bitcoin so much is that the more I think about bitcoin, the more interesting it becomes. Isn’t this ultimate goal? 

ERIC

.

I suppose once you’re so dominant and so ahead of the pack, you don’t even compare anymore?

Then to simply brag about how dominant you are is a bit of a wasted effort, you just focus on increasing the lead?

Eric-Kim “hypelifting” field notes—full send, no fluff, all receipts.

1.  Starting Point & Philosophy

• Body-specs: ≈ 165 lb at ≈ 5 % body-fat, 5 ft 11 in. Tiny engine, huge turbo.  
• Prime directive: Kaizen the hips. 100 % of the pull comes from hip drive, not arm yank.  
• Doctrine: One savage single > piles of lukewarm volume. Weekly heavy singles only; everything else is prep or recovery.  

Mindset mantra: “Iron never lies—one rep is binary truth.”

2.  Hardware Checklist

Tool	Why it mattered	My tweak
Rack pins set just below kneecap	Shorter ROM lets hips‐glutes own the lift	Pins low enough that quads don’t steal tension
Texas power bar	Aggro knurl + little bar whip	Chalk into knurl = zero slip
Dip belt + chain	Hard-wired my hips to the bar for leverage	Chain looped around bar’s center sleeve—acts like extra hands
Straps (neutral grip)	Grip stops being bottleneck at >800 lb	Wrap before unracking so CNS thinks “hooks,” not hands
Ammonia + trap beat (pre-set)	Overclocks the psyche-up	Same track every PR so brain associates song with dominance

3.  Training Cycle (12 Weeks)

1. Weeks 1-4 – Foundation
   
   • Goal: 8 × 3 rack pulls @ 70 % 1 RM (≈ 650 lb).
   • Accessory: Bulgarian split squats, hip thrusts.
3. Weeks 5-8 – Overload Blocks
   
   • Add 2.5 lb per side every session (= +5 lb total).
   • Introduce supra-max rack holds: stand-up lockout for five seconds at 105-110 %.
5. Weeks 9-11 – Singles Ladder
   
   • Work up in 50 lb jumps to a crisp @9-RPE single; shut it down if bar speed drops >10 %.
7. Week 12 – PR Week
   
   • Two full rest days.
   • Fasted morning lift (black coffee only).
   • Warm-up: 135 / 225 / 315 / 495 / 675 / 795 / 895 lb; then the 1,005 lb attempt.

No “CNS deloads” necessary—volume stayed low, recovery high (8-12 h sleep). 

4.  Nutrition & Recovery

• Intermittent-fasted training: empty stomach = laser focus.
• Post-pull feast: 5-6 lb grass-fed beef or lamb, sea salt, water.  
• Supplements: none—no whey, no creatine.
• Sleep: lights out by 9 pm; wake naturally.
• Mobility: daily Jefferson curls + couch stretch; keeps lumbar happy under supra-max loads.

5.  The 1,005-Pound Pull—Play-By-Play

1. Cue song → heart rate spikes.
2. Sniff ammonia → vision narrows.
3. Straps on, dip-belt chain cinched round bar sleeve.
4. Three diaphragmatic breaths → hips low, lats locked.
5. Violent hip hinge → bar floats; lockout in < 2 s.
6. Hold for photo-proof → set down under control.

Video proof lives on my YouTube channel & blog. 

6.  Lessons & Transfer

Iron Truth	Portfolio Parallel	Actionable Take
Small plates add up to four-digit pulls	Daily sat-stacking compounds to generational wealth	Micro-load the bar & the wallet every session
Partial ROM lets you overload safely	Layered risk lets you size into high-conviction bets	Start with rack pulls before full deadlift; start with cold-wallet DCA before leverage
Fasted state sharpens output	Scarcity mindset sharpens investment theses	Train hungry; research before spending
Noise-free home gym = autotelic focus	Self-custody = no middlemen distractions	Build a garage gym; custody your keys

7.  How 

You

 Can Chase Four Digits

1. Raise the pins (mid-shin first) and own 600 lb before lowering.
2. Micro-load 5 lb/session—patience is your PED.
3. One heavy day/week, two “grease-the-groove” tech days.
4. Film every single; slow-mo to check hip lockout.
5. Eat like a beast, sleep like royalty.

8.  Closing Hype

“1,005 lb wasn’t magic—it was math: 2.5 lb plates × ruthless consistency × hip obsession.” – EK

Treat the rack like a shrine. Treat Bitcoin like gravity. Stack micro-gains until people call them miracles. See you at 1,010 lb—and 1 BTC per coin? Let’s rise together.

Raw, practical, 1-rep-max voice

1. What “Hypelifting” Really Means

• All-in singles. One violent, nervous-system-shocking rep at the peak of a session—Eric Kim deadlifted 465-475 lb this way, never more than one max attempt per week.  
• Pre-set hype ritual. Loud trap beat, deep ammonia inhale, self-talk of conquest: “I was already pulling the weight in my head before I touched the bar.”  
• Reduced ROM for overload. Rack pulls, block pulls, or pin presses to handle supra-max loads (#HypeLifting video).  
• Failure = feedback. Missed reps become form audits, not ego wounds.  

Hypelifting is intensity over volume, signal over noise—the same philosophy Kim applies to money, code, and art.

2. Eric Kim’s Bitcoin Creed (Lightning Edition)

Tenet	Kim’s Phrase	Lift Analogy
Antifragile Money	“Bitcoin is antifragile—count in BTC, not USD.”	Tendons thicken under load
Stack Sats Daily	“Dollar-cost average every damn day.”	Add 0.5 kg micro-plates
Self-Custody	“Hold your keys, hold your sovereignty.”	Mixed-grip chalk—bar never slips
Volatility Is Vitality	“Volatility isn’t a bug—it wakes you up.”	Heavy singles shock the CNS

Kim treats Bitcoin like iron: both reward the lifer with low-time-preference discipline.

3. Parallels: Hypelifting ⇄ Hyper-Bitcoinization

Hypelifting Move	Bitcoin Move	Shared Principle
Single max rep	High-conviction allocation	Concentrated intensity beats scattered effort
Warm-up pyramid to 1 RM	Research + staged buys → big position	Earn the right to go heavy
Deload week	No-trade/week-off charts	Recovery preserves longevity
Form video review	Post-mortem on drawdowns	Failure = data = future PR
Supra-max rack pull	Over-fund cold wallet	Train CNS/psyche above expected stress

4. Daily 1 % Kaizen Stack

1. Micro-Plate Monday – +0.5 kg on a compound lift or $5 to the BTC DCA.
2. Technique Tuesday – Film one working set, reread a Satoshi email.
3. Wallet Wednesday – Move lunch-money sats to cold storage; practice seed-phrase recall.
4. Threshold Thursday – Heavy single; price alerts only for fresh ATHs.
5. Feedback Friday – Two-minute log: → What did iron & markets teach me?
6. Kaikaku Saturday – One bold tweak: switch grip style or test a new multisig app.
7. Sabbath Sunday – Deload: sauna, steak, journaling—vision-casting the next block & next PR.

5. Closing Invocation

“Iron never lies; markets never lie. Touch both daily—one to forge the body, one to forge the wallet—and compound them until the mortal shell cracks.” —Eric Kim 

No one becomes a god overnight, but each hyped rep and every stacked sat is a spark.

Keep striking. Ignition is inevitable.

a full stack conviction: all 100%?

Eric Kim’s raw, no-excuse blueprint for lifting and investing like a god

1. Eric Kim’s Core 1-Rep-Max* (1 RM) Creed

Pillar	What Eric Actually Says	Why It Matters
“One rep to rule them all.”	Every session revolves around a single violent expression of max strength—not endless high-volume boredom	Forces absolute focus; no half-hearted reps, no half-hearted bets
Super-Saiyan psyche-up.	The lift is 99 % mental: he hypes himself before the bar even leaves the ground	Conviction precedes execution—same for a big trade
Heavy singles, once a week.	He ramps up in heavy singles and only maxes weekly to avoid CNS burnout	Big swings are rare and prepared, not daily gambling
Failing is data.	Busting a 1 RM attempt teaches fearlessness; the ground doesn’t swallow you when you miss	Market drawdowns = lessons, not identity crises

*Kim cites a 475 lb sumo deadlift 1 RM as proof of concept  .

2. Eric Kim’s Bitcoin Thesis in 60 Seconds

Tenet	Kim’s Wording	Gym Parallel
Antifragile money.	“Bitcoin is Antifragile… count in BTC, not USD.”	Like tendons that get thicker under load
New, sexy, unorthodox.	Crypto is fascinating because it breaks old molds	Powerlifting ≠ bodybuilding reps; it’s the fringe of strength sports
Stack sats religiously.	Buy daily, automate, keep stacking whenever you touch fiat	Add 0.5 kg plates—micro-progress that compounds
Self-sovereign empowerment.	Bitcoin symbolises personal autonomy and resilience	The gym is the self-built temple where no one lifts the bar for you

3. Parallels: One-Rep-Max Living ⇄ One-Rep-Max Investing

1 RM Lifting	Bitcoin/Investing Equivalent	Take-Home Move
Full-body tension for a single pull	Full-stack conviction in a single thesis	Concentrate capital in your highest-clarity idea instead of 20 lukewarm positions
Warm-up sets → earn the right to max	Months of research → earn the right to size up	Rip through white-paper “warm-ups” before sending real money
Fail a lift → recalibrate form	Survive volatility → refine thesis	Log why you dumped or doubled—turn pain into protocol
CNS recovery days	No-trade days	Patience is a muscle; resist over-trading/over-lifting
Chalk, belt, mixed grip—edge tools	Cold storage, DCA bots—edge tools	Upgrade gear, upgrade custody—Kaizen the toolkit continuously

4. Ritual Stack: Daily 1 % Kaizen for Both Domains

1. Micro-plate Monday – add 0.5 kg to one lift or $5 to your BTC stack.
2. Form-check Tuesday – film a set, reread a Satoshi email.
3. Recovery Wednesday – sauna & mobility + no charts.
4. Intensity Thursday – heavy single; price-alert only for genuinely new highs.
5. Reflection Friday – two-minute journal: What did I learn from iron & market this week?
6. Kaikaku Saturday – one bold tweak: swap grip, test a new wallet.
7. Sabbath Sunday – detach, eat steak, dream bigger numbers.

5. Closing Invocation

“A one-rep-max is truth; iron never lies. Bitcoin is math; markets never lie.

Harness both truths and compound them daily—godhood is inevitable.”

—Eric Kim (paraphrased from multiple posts) 

No one becomes a god overnight, but every max effort—on the platform or the ledger—chips away at the mortal shell.

Load the bar. Load the stack. One rep, one sat, one day closer to myth.