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Diary of a CEO · 2024-11-07 · 2h 13m

The Investing & Crypto Expert: "We Only Have 6 Years Until Everything Changes!" - Raoul Pal

Macro investor Raoul Pal argues currency debasement is quietly impoverishing everyone, and that technology and crypto are the only real escape routes.

The Investing & Crypto Expert: "We Only Have 6 Years Until Everything Changes!" - Raoul Pal
The guest

Raoul Pal — Former Goldman Sachs and GLG hedge fund manager turned macro strategist. Founder of Global Macro Investor, Real Vision, Web3 firm Thirdweb, and crypto fund Exponential Age Asset Management; one of finance's most-followed voices on crypto and macroeconomics.

The gist

Raoul Pal explains why a 30-year-old today is far worse off than one in 1983, blaming wages that haven't kept pace and an 8-11% annual 'debasement' of currency that erodes savings. He argues houses are a 'lifestyle bank' rather than a wealth builder, and that the only assets outrunning debasement are technology stocks and crypto. He walks Steven Bartlett through how blockchain solves the centuries-old 'Byzantine generals problem' of trust, demonstrating banks vs. blockchains with a physical suitcase and chain. He lays out a practical crypto playbook: allocate to Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana, dollar-cost average, self-custody on a hardware wallet, avoid leverage and meme-coin gambling, and hold for roughly ten years toward a thesis of crypto growing from $2 trillion to $100 trillion. He closes on AI as the biggest innovation in human history that will make knowledge worthless, and on quality-of-life experiences as the ultimate 'trade.'

Big reveals

  • Claims 'about 6 years before everything changes' and that money in the bank and your house aren't truly safe.
  • Predicts crypto goes from ~$2 trillion to $100 trillion by 2032-2034, twice the value the S&P 500 built in 100 years.
  • States the NASDAQ is down 99.97% versus Bitcoin since 2012.
  • Reveals 100% of his liquid net worth has been in crypto for 5 years.
  • Refuses to give price predictions anymore because people build false comfort around his numbers.
  • Admits that despite getting Bitcoin right, he 'f***ed it up' by trading in and out and would have made 25x more by just holding.
  • Tells young people to abandon work-life balance in their 20s and 'work day and night.'
  • Says Bartlett's passive, hold-one-coin Ethereum strategy will beat his own most crypto-obsessed friend who made the least money.

Things worth remembering

  • Home ownership for 30-year-olds fell from 50% in 1983 to 32% today; marriage from 80% to 47%.
  • Estimates currency debasement (~8%) plus inflation (~3%) means your money loses ~11% of purchasing power yearly.
  • Bitcoin has averaged ~145% per year since 2011 despite falling 80% three times.
  • The entire world is now around 400% of GDP in debt; the US around 380%.
  • Only 21 million Bitcoin will ever exist, creating engineered digital scarcity.
  • The ledger accounting system dates to the Renaissance (1400s-1500s) and Bitcoin solved its unsolvable 'Byzantine generals problem.'
  • Roughly 95-98% of gambling addicts are men, which Pal ties to crypto's male-dominated, breadwinner-driven culture.
  • US obesity ticked down for the first time in 50 years, which Pal attributes to the Ozempic effect.
  • Soft-commodity trading houses quietly moved shipping contracts and letters of credit onto Ethereum back in 2020.
  • Pal's 'don't f*** it up' rule: keep 80-90% in Bitcoin/ETH/Solana, no leverage, and gamble at most 10%.

Recommended in this episode

Books, products and media the guest or host genuinely endorsed here — with the buy link.

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RecommendedProduct

Bitcoin

Satoshi Nakamoto (inferred)

“Buy Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana. One of those three, preferably all three. And that will stop you going to zero.” — Raoul Pal 01:40:01
Find it on Amazon
RecommendedProduct

Ethereum

Ethereum Foundation (inferred)

“Buy Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana. One of those three, preferably all three. And that will stop you going to zero.” — Raoul Pal 01:40:01
Find it on Amazon
RecommendedProduct

Solana

Solana Labs (inferred)

“Buy Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana. One of those three, preferably all three. And that will stop you going to zero.” — Raoul Pal 01:40:01
Find it on Amazon