Erik Finman, The “Teenage Bitcoin Millionaire”
Erik Finman is likely a name you have heard in crypto’s lore. If this name doesn’t ring any bells, here’s some background on this near-mythical figure in Bitcoin’s history.
As revealed in a Buzzfeed News video posted on Youtube, which has garnered 5.94 million views in its one and a half year lifespan, Finman was formerly an average American adolescent with dreams of grandeur, and an unbridled hate for college. Due to his hate for higher education, his parents decided that he wouldn’t have to attend college, only if he was worth $1 million by 18.
So, when $1,000 was given to Finman by his grandmother to start a college fund, the then-tween decided to play his cards in a risky manner. This, of course, was an all-in allocation into Bitcoin (BTC), valued at ~$2.5 a piece at the time of purchase.
Speaking with Buzzfeed, Finman, who currently resides in a lofty New York high tower, divulged the reasoning behind this unique investment. He explained that prior to his grandmother’s gift, his brother, who also saw $1,000 come his way, had begun to dabble in cryptocurrencies. The now-early-stage adopter followed suit, finding interest in cryptocurrencies, and, as is now ingrained into the internet’s immortal stone, purchased 403 BTC.
With the funds he garnered, which reached a maximum valuation of $8 million in late-2017, he has since purchased a flashy apartment block in New York, one of the world’s most expensive housing markets, and funded and participated in a number of innovative startups, including a satellite-centric project most recently.
From what Ethereum World News can gather, Erik has not divulged how much BTC he has sold, at which price, and subsequently, how much he has directly profited from his investment.
Change Of Heart?
Yet, speaking with MarketWatch, the now-millionaire entrepreneur has hinted that he may have liquidated his entire cryptocurrency portfolio into fiat, likely to fund his ambitious ventures. In an interview with the financial outlet, Finman exclaimed that putting too many eggs in one basket, namely cryptocurrencies, could produce dismal results.
He said flat-out that “Bitcoin is dead,” adding that the fragmented nature of the crypto community, as made by apparent by the Bitcoin Cash hard fork, could spell the end for the asset… eventually. Finman noted that while he could see BTC undergoing one more bull run, the asset is likely to fail in the long-term, presumably due to the theory that Bitcoin hasn’t been able to keep up with blockchain’s rapidly expanding value.
Finman then bashed Litecoin, explaining that the project has been “quite dead for a while,” likening the asset to the setting Sun when it’s about to go under the horizon.
In closing, he told MarketWatch that he expects project/platform cryptocurrencies to continue operations in the long haul, drawing attention to Ethereum (ETH) and ZCash (ZEC).
Regardless, his investment in the world’s first cryptocurrency likely changed his life entirely for the better, as Finman has since embarked on a number of ventures, as aforementioned, while catalyzing quite the growth in his social media following.
Graveyard Title Image Courtesy of Echo Grid on Unsplash
