Jimmy Wales, the co-founder of Wikipedia, has issued a starkly bearish long-term forecast for Bitcoin, predicting its price will fall below $10,000 by the year 2050. In a series of statements made on social media platform X on February 25, 2026, Wales acknowledged the technical robustness of the Bitcoin network, stating it is "robust enough that it will continue to exist in perpetuity" barring a catastrophic failure in cryptography or a 51% attack.
However, Wales was highly critical of Bitcoin's economic utility, calling it a "complete failure" both as a currency and as a store of value. He argued that its volatility, difficulty of use, and lack of widespread adoption by economic agents or AI systems will relegate it to a "niche for enthusiasts" or a "collector's item." Wales dismissed the recent wave of institutional interest as a "ruthless investment" lacking a solid ideological foundation, asserting that assets like gold and real estate will maintain their dominance.
His prediction comes at a time when Bitcoin's price was attempting to recover and consolidate above $70,000, defying such bearish warnings from prominent tech figures. The market's immediate reaction appeared to ignore these criticisms, focusing instead on short-term price action.
