“I type d that tyitle twice because I knew it was wrong the first time. Still wrong. w/e.”
Eight years ago today[1], in a now infamous, whiskey-soaked Bitcointalk post, a meme was born.
“so i’ve had some whisky
actually on the bottle it’s spelled whisky
w/e
sue me
(but only if it’s payable in BTC)”
Starting 2013 at around $15, the bitcoin price had just risen[2] to an all-time high over $1,100 when the message was posted, and little did its author, GameKyuubi[3], know that while his then-current condition would prevent him from spelling correctly, the energy and passion behind his mindset would inspire millions of people across the planet to treat their satoshis like the precious assets they are.
The “HODL” meme is both as innocuous as it is powerful, and the sentiment behind the post is as true in 2013 as it is today in 2021. No, it is not an acronym for “hold on (for) dear life,” but indirectly it has taught us the most practical and overall most successful method for how to handle your bitcoin exposure. Presidents, senators, CEOs, congressional members and plebs alike all have signaled their ideal money financial strategy with these four little letters.
But what does it mean to “HODL” (or “hodl”), and why has it captured such a huge network of public figures praising and utilizing its name? In a surprisingly flawless use of spelling, capitalization and the English language, GameKyuubi finished the meat of his post by writing, “In a zero-sum game such as this, traders can only take your money if you sell.”
Within 10 minutes of the post going live, multiple responses to this newfound camaraderie appeared, culminating in a “I AM HODLING!” meme[4]
