It's an SOS flare.

What Happens When Fiat Itself Fails to Measure Bitcoin?

We’re often caught up in the headlines of Bitcoin price predictions, like Michael Saylor’s bold claim that Bitcoin will one day hit $5 million per coin. But there’s a deeper truth that most fail to even consider: what if that number never materializes—not because Bitcoin fails, but because fiat does?

The $5 million price tag rests on one fragile assumption—that fiat remains the measure of value. That as the world shifts to Bitcoin, we’ll still be tethered to the old paradigm, counting wealth in dollars, euros, yen. But what if the world decides, all at once, to opt out of fiat entirely? What if governments, corporations, and individuals reject the system simultaneously, erasing fiat's role as the lens through which Bitcoin is viewed?

In that scenario, Bitcoin wouldn’t "reach" $5 million. It wouldn’t need to. Fiat wouldn’t exist to measure it anymore. Instead, Bitcoin would become the universal measure of value—the unit in which goods, services, and time are priced. You wouldn’t think of Bitcoin in terms of dollars; you’d think of dollars as a relic of a system that failed.

This possibility isn’t as far-fetched as it sounds. History tells us that trust in a monetary system can vanish almost overnight. Hyperinflations, sovereign defaults, and political collapses have reduced currencies to paper and numbers on a screen with no meaning. Fiat is no different—it’s propped up by faith, and when that faith erodes, it collapses.

But here’s the twist. What happens to those who’ve built their empire on fiat’s back when the world opts out?

Michael Saylor and others have borrowed billions in fiat, leveraging a collapsing system to stack Bitcoin. It’s a brilliant move—as long as fiat remains a viable construct. But in a world where fiat becomes irrelevant, where debts can no longer be repaid in worthless currency, what happens then? Will those debts be recalibrated in Bitcoin? Will the holders of fiat debt demand repayment in real, unforgeable value? And what happens when the debtors can’t meet those terms?

The irony is that the system they thought they were escaping—fiat’s endless cycles of leverage and collapse—might come back to haunt them. In a world where Bitcoin rules, the chains of fiat debt still weigh heavy unless they are broken entirely.

The scenario where fiat collapses entirely is one many don’t dare imagine, yet it’s the logical endpoint of a system built on promises it can’t keep. In that world, Bitcoin isn’t a speculative asset to be priced in fiat; it’s the lifeboat. It’s not $5 million per coin—it’s "this land costs 0.1 BTC." It’s "that car is 0.02 BTC." It’s Bitcoin as the unit of account.

For those still thinking in fiat terms, this isn’t just an abstract idea. It’s a wake-up call. What happens when the measuring stick disappears? Are you prepared for a world where Bitcoin doesn’t just replace fiat as a store of value but as the language of value itself?

And for the Saylor's of the old system, burdened with billions of fiat debt, the question looms: will you sail smoothly into this new world, or will the weight of the old one pull you under? The answer depends on whether you’ve truly opted out—or if you’re still tethered to the sinking ship.

How does the world transition from a fake, fiat-based, non-productive, and never-profitable system into a Bitcoin standard that is more productive and profitable?

We are literally witnessing this transition in real-time. But the big question is: will it be a smooth ride? So far, it's been relatively smooth, but that doesn't mean we’re out of the woods yet.

Will there be a point of inflection, where the change accelerates dramatically? Or will the shift remain gradual, with no abrupt jumps?

I've heard Bitcoiners discuss "HyperBitcoinization," and I've read about it, and to be honest, it sounds a bit intimidating.

As much as I want Bitcoin to take over the world and replace the current system, I hope the transition doesn't happen too quickly, but at the same time, I hope it doesn’t drag on too slowly either. A balanced pace is key.