Most people are all too aware of how WikiLeaks was “forced” to accept Bitcoin donations many years ago. Although this decision was somewhat controversial at the time, it turned out to have been one of the more solid decisions the group has made so far. In fact, the donations raised using Bitcoin since 2010 have yielded a 50,000% return to date. It’s been a rather fruitful endeavor, to say the very least.
WikiLeaks Doesn’t Regret Accepting Bitcoin
It has always been pretty interesting to take note of the Wikileaks venture. Not only is the site sharing a lot of confidential information with the public, but it is also a proponent of Bitcoin, the world’s leading cryptocurrency. WikiLeaks and Bitcoin were forced into a marriage of sorts back in 2010. During that time, the US government forced third-party payment processors to stop supporting WikiLeaks altogether.
It was this monumental decision which had a positive influence on both BTC and WikiLeaks accordingly. A lot has happened since 2010, as it was the year in which most people finally started paying attention to Bitcoin. Coincidentally, it is also the year during which 10,000 BTC were spent on two pizzas, which went down in the history books as the first “official” transfer of value related to Bitcoin.
For WikiLeaks, things have turned out pretty well as far as BTC is concerned. Because Bitcoin was its only way of accepting donations, the team eventually started investing in it as well. After all, Bitcoin is censorship-resistant, global, and can’t be controlled by banks, governments, or anyone else who feels entitled to try exactly that. It made for a perfect fit with the WikiLeaks team.
My deepest thanks to the US government, Senator McCain and Senator Lieberman for pushing Visa, MasterCard, Payal, AmEx, Mooneybookers, et al, into erecting an illegal banking blockade against @WikiLeaks starting in 2010. It caused us to invest in Bitcoin — with > 50000% return. pic.twitter.com/9i8D69yxLC
— Julian Assange ? (@JulianAssange) October 14, 2017
As the above tweet by Julian Assange shows, the decision couldn’t have been made at a better time. An ROI of over 50,000% in seven years is absolutely spectacular. It is far more than any other traditional asset could ever have yielded over the same period unless some massive price manipulation had taken place. Bitcoin isn’t free from manipulation, mind you, but it mainly serves to drive the price down rather than make it go up.
While there are still some people who claim Bitcoin is in a bubble, it is evident such comments are less and less impactful every single time. Indeed, the most recent remarks by Jamie Dixon have become more of a meme than something people actually take seriously. A lot of naysayers have been proven wrong over the past few years, and this trend is far from over, by the looks of things. It is unfortunate to see so many people genuinely compare Bitcoin to a pyramid scheme or a tulip bubble.
In the end, there is never a bad time to invest in Bitcoin. Some experts claim the biggest ROI potential is already behind us, whereas others see the situation as just the beginning of what is yet to come. It will be interesting to see who is right in the long run. Rest assured a lot of people will wish they had paid more attention to Bitcoin back in 2010. Buying in now will still yield some positive results, although it may take a while before major gains materialize, depending on how greedy one is.
