In today’s digital era, it’s no longer possible to overlook the significance of bitcoin (BTC). The crypto has experienced an extraordinary surge in value since its launch in 2009. What began as a niche interest among tech enthusiasts has transformed into a global phenomenon. This story revolves around a programmer who became involved in bitcoin in 2011 and could have amassed a fortune, had fate not intervened.
Programmer loses track of millions of crypto
In 2011, a programmer was paid in bitcoin for a job and received a whopping 100 pieces of the largest cryptocurrency. At the time, the value of bitcoin was still relatively low, with an exchange rate of just a few cents at the start of the year and peaking around $30 per coin halfway through the year.
The programmer was content with his compensation but had no inkling that these digital coins would be worth millions in the years to come. He stored his computer, which housed the bitcoins, with his mother in India before leaving to work and travel elsewhere.
The years passed, and the programmer lost touch with his bitcoin, only to rediscover it years later in 2018-2019, during the first significant increase in bitcoin’s value. By then, the price of bitcoin had reached $20,000, meaning that he would have earned at least 500 times his initial investment.
Bitcoin millions end up in the trash
Af ter seven years, he visited his mother and remembered his old computer. He had all but forgotten about his crypto until his return, when he was struck by the staggering increase in the value of bitcoin. He quickly calculated that his 100 bitcoins would now be worth millions, only to be met with disappointment when he discovered that his mother had thrown away the computer.
Without realizing what she was getting rid of, she had deleted the computer, and with it, access to the 100 bitcoin, to make room for her vacuum cleaner and cleaning supplies. The programmer, although initially disappointed, responded with understanding and even thanked his mother, saying that if he had had the bitcoin, he probably would have sold them early on and blamed himself afterwards.
