"Elon Musk to step up bitcoin bets this year"

Samson Mow, founder of Jan3, predicted that Elon Musk will increase his bets on bitcoin (BTC) this year.

According to Cointelegraph on the 11th (local time), Mow recently posted on X that "Elon Musk will go big on bitcoin in 2026." This is one of Mow’s five major bitcoin-related predictions for 2026.

Musk has consistently made crypto-friendly remarks more broadly, but has kept his distance from bitcoin, citing environmental concerns. Tesla in fact halted bitcoin payments in May 2021 and disclosed in 2022 that it had sold 75% of its bitcoin holdings. Even so, Mow suggested that Musk’s stance could shift materially starting in 2026.

Mow also maintained strong optimism on price. He projected that "bitcoin could reach $1.33 million in 2026." That would be more than 13 times the current price. He has particularly stressed that if adoption at the national level accelerates in earnest, the price could shift from a "gradual rise" to a phase of "sharp leaps."

Still, broader industry views are more cautious. Matt Hougan, chief investment officer (CIO) at Bitwise, said he expects a gradual but solid uptrend over the next decade, pushing back on the prospect of an ultra-rapid surge. The market’s wariness has also been heightened by the miss in earlier calls by figures such as Arthur Hayes and Tom Lee for bitcoin to hit $250,000 in 2025.

Even so, Mow appears largely unfazed by whether his past forecasts have hit the mark. When a user asked, "How accurate were your 2025 predictions?" he replied, "I don’t look back. I only look forward." He also added forecasts that "bitcoin will outperform traditional commodities such as gold and silver over the long term" and that "at least one country will issue bitcoin bonds."