Holiday homework in encyclopedia format. Michael Saylorexecutive president of Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy), published on July 25 on X a reading program called “Upgrade the World”: 38 works divided into eight themes, for a volume estimated between 755 and 953 hours. That is 13 to 31 months of work depending on the daily rhythm, intended for leaders faced with decisions with serious consequences in business, politics, finance or technology. The journey begins with the history of civilizations and ends with Satoshi Nakamoto’s whitepaper. Bitcoin only comes at the very end, as a reward after a thousand hours of effort.
Key Points
Michael Saylor published a reading program on X called “Upgrade the World”: 38 works divided into eight themes, from the history of civilizations to Bitcoin. The complete course requires between 755 and 953 hours of reading, or 13 to 31 months depending on the daily schedule. Bitcoin only takes up 10 to 13 hours of the program, with The Bitcoin Standard by Saifedean Ammous then Satoshi Nakamoto’s whitepaper at the conclusion. Saylor requires a critical reading of each work, including his own book The Mobile Wave and The Bitcoin Standard, to compare with the code and monetary history.
From the Roman Empire to Satoshi Nakamoto: eight themes, 38 works
The course, unveiled on Followed by capital, with the biographies of John D. Rockefeller and the Morgan banking dynasty by Ron Chernow, energy with the history of oil by Daniel Yergin, and technology with the work of David Deutsch on scientific progress. A nod: Saylor slips his own 2012 book, The Mobile Wave, into the list, inviting readers to see if his predictions about mobile computing have held up.
“Read to remember. Read to reason. Read to build. Improve the world. »
Michael Saylor, executive chairman of Strategy, on
Ten hours of Bitcoin on 953: the tip of the pyramid
The details of the hourly budget hold a surprise. The history of civilizations absorbs the largest part, between 294 and 359 hours. Human action, freedom and political power require 189 to 239. Bitcoin brings up the rear with only 10 to 13 hours: The Bitcoin Standard by Saifedean Ammous, then the original whitepaper. A desired imbalance. In Saylor’s mind, the asset is not a starting point but the culmination of several millennia of monetary, military and institutional experience.
“To fully understand Bitcoin, you must understand what it protects, what it replaces, what it consumes. »
Another requirement, unexpected from a maximalist: critical reading. Saylor calls for confronting Keegan with Clausewitz, doubting Taleb’s skepticism, studying Chernow’s capitalists without idolizing them, and even scrutinizing The Bitcoin Standard for code, the real network, and monetary history. The final ambition: to acquire “several thousand years of accumulated experience” before making decisions that involve millions of people.
A professor at the head of 843,775 BTC
The teacher remains above all the largest holder of bitcoins in business. Strategy retains 843,775 BTC, backed by a reserve of $3.225 billion in cash. After a first symbolic sale of 32 BTC at the end of May, the company sold 3,588 BTC at the beginning of July for approximately $216 million, in order to finance the dividends of its “Digital Credit” securities. A measured departure from the house doctrine: these sales weigh less than 0.5% of the total treasure, and the reconstitution of reserves carried out in mid-July was done by issuing shares, without touching the BTC stock this time. The day after the publication of his reading list, Saylor restarted the speculation machine by sharing Strategy’s accumulation graph, accompanied by a mischievous comment: «We’re going to need another color.» With $23.53 billion of shares still available in its issuance programs, the company still has the means to add a few lines to the table. Between two chapters by Rothbard.