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Strategy's Shift from "Never Sell" and Market Impact

May 2026 sale: On June 1, Strategy filed an 8-K disclosing its first Bitcoin sale in four years — 32 BTC sold between May 26–31 for about $2.5 million at ~$77,135 per BTC, with proceeds earmarked for preferred stock dividends . Although a tiny amount, the symbolic breach of the "never sell" mantra rattled markets: Bitcoin slid roughly 4.5% in 24 hours to ~$69,800 .

July 2026 sale (largest ever): Strategy sold 3,588 BTC for $216 million between June 29 and July 5, 2026 — its largest Bitcoin disposal ever — at an average price of ~$60,200, to fund preferred share dividends . The Wall Street Journal noted this marked a "departure from co-founder Michael Saylor's principle of 'never sell your Bitcoin'" . After the sale, Strategy's holdings fell to 843,775 BTC .

Market narrative shift: JPMorgan warned that Strategy's new Bitcoin sales policy (a "BTC Monetization Program" authorizing up to $1.25 billion in potential sales) adds unnecessary risk to the crypto market . Bloomberg reported that fears of Saylor's "buying machine seizing up" fueled a leg of Bitcoin's selloff . The sales signaled that Strategy's dividend obligations now shape its treasury policy — a direct contradiction to its original "never sell" ethos .

Retail Investor Attention Shifting to SpaceX, OpenAI, Anthropic

Multiple independent sources confirm a rotation of speculative capital away from Bitcoin toward AI and tech names:

• Reuters (June 5, 2026): Reported Bitcoin was heading for its worst performance at this point in the year in at least a decade, as booming AI stocks and upcoming listings like SpaceX lure away capital .
• Bloomberg (April 28, 2026): Reported retail investors "desperate for exposure" to SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic were "manically snapping up shares" in closed-end funds, with one fund surging to ~3,000% of its underlying asset value .
• Bloomberg (Feb 17, 2026): Powerlaw Corp. filed to sell shares in New York giving retail investors access to SpaceX, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Anduril .
• Boring Money survey (June 2026): Nearly half of retail respondents planned to buy Anthropic when it lists; appetite was roughly double that for OpenAI .
• CoinMarketCap (July 8, 2026): Noted Bitcoin is "fighting for speculative capital" with mega-IPOs led by SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic .

Michael Saylor's Response

On July 17, 2026, Saylor responded by posting data from River Research tracking over 60 government currencies since 1700, showing the average fiat currency lasts just 27 years . He argued: "Fiat currency is the problem, while strengthening Bitcoin through companies, institutions, securities, and technology represents part of the solution" . He added that people should "discuss viewpoints without mistaking allies for adversaries" — a direct call for the crypto community to stop attacking Strategy and its methods, even amid criticism.