"Money Is Useless" Theory? Why Musk's 2036 Prediction Might Completely Rewrite Bitcoin's Fate

Written by: Billy Bambrough, Forbes

Compiled by: AididiaoJP, Foresight News

Since the beginning of this year, the Bitcoin and cryptocurrency market has mostly been trading sideways. Traders are on edge, constantly alert to sudden violent shocks that may arrive.

In February, the Bitcoin price once fell below $65,000 per coin, after which it fell into a downward channel and struggled to escape the predicament. Even though the CEO of Goldman Sachs recently made a sudden statement saying he began to support Bitcoin's "ultimate catalyst," market sentiment failed to warm up quickly.

Currently, Bitcoin is accelerating towards a major turning point that could be worth $27.9 trillion. At this critical juncture, Elon Musk, the billionaire at the helm of SpaceX and Tesla, offered a game-changing prediction: within just ten years, money will "no longer matter." This statement could have a profound impact on the Bitcoin price.

"By 2036, money will no longer matter," Musk said during an exclusive interview with Zanny Minton Beddoes, Editor-in-Chief of The Economist. The interview covered a wide range of content, and he clearly predicted that the world will transition to a state of "incredible abundance" over the next decade.

"What do you need money for?" Musk asked rhetorically. The tech giant, who became the world's first trillionaire after SpaceX went public on June 12 and still has a net worth of about $700 billion, pointed out that robots will become widespread, people's needs will be easily met, and at that time, all money will actually become worthless.

"You want money just to buy goods and services, right? Food, housing, transportation, entertainment, all these require money," Musk explained. "But if robots and artificial intelligence provide goods and services exceeding the limit of what any human can consume, what use is money?"

This prediction is not baseless. Musk has previously emphasized multiple times that "energy is the real currency," sparking intense speculation among Bitcoin supporters—that he may be quietly endorsing this cryptocurrency. In fact, his two core companies already hold considerable Bitcoin reserves: SpaceX holds 18,712 coins, and Tesla holds 11,509 coins.

"Energy is the real currency." Musk responded this way on the X platform to an account with the pseudonym beffjezos. The other party posted: "If you understand money as a proxy for expected free energy, then artificial intelligence is simply an infinite money printing machine."

Based on the current Bitcoin price of approximately $65,000, the Bitcoin held collectively by SpaceX and Tesla is worth nearly $2 billion.

Last October, Musk posted on X to further clarify his stance: "Bitcoin is based on energy. You can issue fake fiat currency, every government in history has done this, but energy cannot be forged." He also agreed that the "global arms race" towards artificial intelligence is an important reason for the simultaneous rise in the prices of gold, silver, and Bitcoin in recent years.

However, since then, the Bitcoin price has seen a significant decline. Nevertheless, some still believe the bottom has been confirmed and a rebound could start at any time.

Bitcoin's security mechanism relies on a miner network—these miners use powerful computing power to verify transactions in exchange for newly issued Bitcoin. The entire network consumes electricity annually equivalent to the power consumption of some small countries, and as prices rise and more miners join, energy demand continues to climb. This precisely resonates with Musk's "energy is currency" logic.

Musk's enthusiasm for supporting cryptocurrency has cooled compared to the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, but he has not completely withdrawn. He continues to express support for Bitcoin and has repeatedly mentioned his "favorite" cryptocurrency—Dogecoin.

After stepping away from White House-related affairs, Musk stated outright that his "American Party" would favor Bitcoin over the US dollar. In his view, the US dollar and other government-issued, debt-based fiat currencies are all "hopeless."

At a time when the Bitcoin price is still hovering at low levels and market sentiment is cautious, Musk's prediction of "money becoming obsolete" in 2036 is like a stone thrown into calm water, stirring up ripples. Regardless of whether this vision can ultimately be realized, it has once again pushed Bitcoin into the spotlight—in an abundant era potentially dominated by robots and AI, what truly anchors value may no longer be traditional fiat currency, but digital assets deeply bound to energy.