When you had put simply $100 into bitcoin (BTC) in 2009, would you be a billionaire at this time? I requested ChatGPT to run the numbers and break them down like I used to be again in center college. The reply was much more jaw-dropping than I anticipated.

Additionally right here’s ChatGPT’s easy rationalization of what bitcoin is.

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Fifteen years in the past, bitcoin was model new. Satoshi Nakamoto’s invention was principally an experiment amongst tech lovers and cryptography followers. There have been no large exchanges, no meme cash and no Tremendous Bowl adverts for crypto wallets. Most Individuals had by no means even heard of bitcoin, not to mention thought of investing in it.

However let’s say you probably did. Possibly you stumbled throughout a discussion board publish, received curious and determined to place $100 into bitcoin in October 2009. How a lot would you have got at this time? ChatGPT’s reply was as clear because it was mind-blowing.

How A lot Was Bitcoin Price in 2009?

In response to ChatGPT, bitcoin first had a measurable value in October 2009, when it was listed on the NewLibertyStandard. At the moment, 1 BTC was valued at roughly $0.0009. That’s lower than a tenth of a penny. To place it in perspective, you couldn’t even purchase a single stick of gum for that value. 

When you invested $100 at that value, you’ll have gotten roughly 111,111 bitcoins. That’s proper, over 100 thousand cash for the value of a pleasant dinner out. On the time, most individuals mining or shopping for bitcoin had no thought what it might grow to be. Many early wallets have been misplaced, forgotten or by no means even backed up.

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What’s Bitcoin Price As we speak?

Quick ahead to July 2025 and bitcoin is buying and selling at round $106,000 per coin, based on current market knowledge from CoinMarketCap. Some sources even put the value barely increased, however $106,000 is a strong, conservative estimate for this calculation.

Let’s Do the Math

So, what would your $100 funding be value at this time? Right here’s how ChatGPT broke it down: 

• 111,111 bitcoins x $106,000 per bitcoin = $11,777,766,000

“At the current market price of $106,000 per BTC, that original $100 investment would now be worth nearly $11.8 billion,” ChatGPT wrote. Sure, a billion with a “B.” All from an preliminary funding of simply $100. It’s the sort of return that sounds made up, however the numbers try. 

“That projection assumes no coins were sold, lost or taxed over the 15 years, an unlikely but technically possible scenario,” ChatGPT wrote.

May Anybody Actually Have Held On?

Whereas the theoretical return is gigantic, ChatGPT identified that only a few individuals purchased or mined bitcoin in 2009. Even fewer managed to carry onto their cash for 15 years. Many early buyers misplaced their wallets, forgot their passwords or bought their cash throughout certainly one of bitcoin’s many crashes. 

“Estimates suggest that about 20% of early bitcoins are permanently lost due to forgotten passwords, lost wallets or hardware damage,” ChatGPT wrote. For instance, the notorious case of James Howells, who unintentionally threw away a tough drive containing 8,000 BTC, stays certainly one of crypto’s most painful cautionary tales, based on the BBC.

Different components, resembling early sell-offs, tax liabilities and panic throughout market crashes, additionally restrict actual income. Many buyers bought when bitcoin hit $100 or $1,000, lengthy earlier than its six-figure potential grew to become actuality. Promoting an enormous quantity of bitcoin at this time would additionally have an effect on the market value, since shifting that many cash without delay might trigger a pointy drop.

Would It Occur Once more?

ChatGPT emphasised that the identical sort of explosive development is unlikely to repeat. “Bitcoin’s early price gains were fueled by novelty, scarcity and low entry points. That exponential curve is flattening as the asset matures,” the AI bot wrote.

Nevertheless, it additionally acknowledged that digital belongings stay risky and supply long-term worth potential, particularly with rising institutional adoption and regulation.

Market analysts agree. Companies resembling Constancy and BlackRock now supply cryptocurrency funding merchandise and a number of other nations have begun integrating blockchain expertise into their monetary infrastructure.

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I Requested ChatGPT How A lot Cash I’d Have If I Invested in Bitcoin 15 Years In the past — Right here’s What It Mentioned

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