Philippe Laffont—the billionaire behind Coatue Management—went and dropped Bitcoin into his “Fantastic 40,” his own shortlist of what he thinks will shine as top investments over the next five years. Laffont ranked Bitcoin alongside Amazon, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Meta, while leaving out Apple and Google. He says waking up at 3 a.m. wondering why he missed out drove him to rethink his stance. Based on reports from CNBC, he hasn’t bought any yet but thinks its market cap could jump past $5 trillion by 2030. That would put it in the same league as the biggest tech names. Billionaire Upbeat About Bitcoin According to his own research, the Coatue Management big boss sees Microsoft climbing to a $5.7 trillion valuation and Nvidia reaching $5.6 trillion in the next five years. He paints Bitcoin as a rival asset, forecasting it will more than double from roughly $2.1 trillion today. He says the world’s net worth of $450–500 trillion gives room for new winners. Equities sit near $120 trillion and gold above and under ground at about $20 trillion. His case rests on bigger acceptance and smoother swings in price. Bold Market Cap Forecasts Based on his figures, Bitcoin must average around 10–15% annual growth to hit $5 trillion by 2030. He sees volatility shrinking from daily moves of 5–7% to roughly half of that. That, he says, makes the crypto feel more like the Nasdaq. The tycoon points to de-dollarization as another tailwind. If global players shift away from the US dollar, Bitcoin could pick up more steam. Shaky Views From Others Not everyone is convinced. Eric Semler of Semler Scientific notes lots of hedge funds still doubt Bitcoin’s staying power. They worry momentum will vanish once the US President Donald Trump factor fades. Meanwhile, Bybit’s Shunyet Jan forecasts Bitcoin at $125,000 by the end of Q2 if current trends hold. Crypto analyst Scott Melker goes even further, predicting a surge to $250,000 by end-2025 thanks to more big investors jumping in. Semler’s Own Bet Semler Scientific already holds 4,450 BTC. The firm plans to build that to 10,000 by year-end. Its chairman says many peers aren’t ready to follow suit. They see Bitcoin as too tied to politics. That caution keeps some big wallets on the sidelines. What Could Go Wrong Regulatory moves remain the biggest wild card. Harsh rules could stall growth and scare off new buyers. Competition is rising too. Ether staking, Layer 2 networks and central bank digital currencies might chip away at Bitcoin’s crown. And a strong rebound in the US dollar or a broad stock sell-off could pull crypto down with it. Featured image from MrWallpaper, chart from TradingView
