He doesn't need to sell, nor should any Bitcoiner. No #1 principle - Never, ever, let go of your BTC. Hodl, stack, and by all means borrow against it for declining fiat if you need some cash. But never sell it. Same principle those who have built successful property empires - you borrow, build, hold the underlying assets and leverage to get more. But you never sell the crown jewel's.
Saylor can borrow because he has business income which he can use to pay off the interest accumulated by his loans, along with the actual loan itself.
What if someone is retired or does not want to work again ever, and they have 100 Bitcoin?
Here are some examples:
1. Bitcoin Price Appreciation
The core assumption is that Bitcoin's value will increase over time.
If the borrowed amount is small relative to the collateral (low loan-to-value ratio), the borrower can refinance the loan as Bitcoin appreciates, effectively rolling over the debt.
Example:
Borrow $50,000 against $250,000 worth of Bitcoin (20% LTV).
If Bitcoin doubles in value, the same collateral is worth $500,000, allowing for refinancing or easier repayment.
Risk: This hinges on consistent Bitcoin price growth, which is volatile and uncertain.
2. Partial Bitcoin Liquidation
If appreciation occurs, a portion of the Bitcoin can be sold to repay the loan.
While this violates the "never sell" principle, it minimizes the amount of Bitcoin sold compared to selling upfront for cash.
Example:
Borrow $50,000 against $250,000 worth of Bitcoin.
If Bitcoin appreciates by 50%, sell $25,000 worth of Bitcoin to repay half the loan, retaining most of the asset.
So a BTC holder who does not want to work and does not own a business or have business income will have to sell BTC to pay for living expense, food, entertainment, etc. They can take out loans, but still have to pay back the loans. So their BTC holdings will decrease over time.
Suppose someone has 10,000 ETH. If they stake it all they might earn around 3.5-4% APY. Not with Coinbase though because their rates have fallen.
They would earn 351.308 ETH per year, which, at $3,000, would give them a million-dollar income without touching the ETH principle. They can't do that with Bitcoin. It works for Saylor because he has business income.