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Christopher.Parker


MicroStrategy Unveils Lightning Network Innovation and Bitcoin Strategy

2023-07-30

MicroStrategy, a leading business intelligence company, held its earning call meeting to discuss various topics, including the implementation of a new rule on fair value and transparency for Bitcoin strategy. During the meeting, the company expressed its support for the proposed rule and shared its enthusiasm for its enterprise software and Bitcoin strategies.

One of the most important topics discussed in the meeting was the implementation of a new rule related to fair value accounting for Bitcoin. This rule aims to bring more transparency and clarity to the valuation of Bitcoin assets, which is crucial for companies like MicroStrategy that have invested heavily in the cryptocurrency.

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However, the most intriguing outcome of the meeting was the innovation and development of MicroStrategy Lightning. This new product being developed by the company is an enterprise platform that utilizes the Lightning network, built on top of the Bitcoin network. The platform aims to enable new e-commerce use cases and address modern cybersecurity challenges.

One specific use case mentioned for MicroStrategy Lightning is Lightning Rewards, which allows enterprises to reward their employees, customers, partners, and prospects for their engagement. This feature provides a direct way for companies to incentivize customer engagement without relying on marketing or financial intermediaries. Additionally, it is suggested that this platform could be used to monetize online content or mitigate threats from bots and other malicious factors.

The development of MicroStrategy Lightning showcases the company's commitment to leveraging emerging technologies like blockchain and artificial intelligence. By integrating the Lightning network with their existing semantic graph and analytics platform, MicroStrategy aims to enhance productivity and drive actionable insights for their customers. This demonstrates the company's forward-thinking approach and their focus on staying at the forefront of technological advancements in the industry.

During the meeting, the company also discussed the key drivers of its business. These include cloud growth, the adoption of Bitcoin by institutions, awareness of Bitcoin's value proposition, and regulatory advances and struggles in the banking sector. The company plans to expand its network by seeking support from technology venture capitalists, Big Tech and technology companies, mainstream financial companies, and mainstream energy companies. They also believe that Bitcoin will be recognized as a superior commodity due to its scarcity and decentralized nature.

Despite the positive outlook for the quarter and year, the company acknowledges that difficult macroeconomic conditions may impact their revenue in the coming quarters. However, they had a successful quarter with their Bitcoin strategy, acquiring 7,500 Bitcoin in Q1.

MicroStrategy is making progress on its strategic initiatives, particularly in the area of cloud services. They have experienced significant growth in cloud revenue and have successfully launched their cloud product on AWS, Azure, and FedRAMP. They also have plans to offer Google Cloud Platform in the future. Additionally, the company is focusing on automation, microservices, and a container-based strategy for continued innovation. Their multi-cloud strategy is attracting large enterprises, and they are expanding their cloud product offerings to attract more customers.

The meeting participants included Shirish Jajodia, Phong Le (President and Chief Executive Officer), Andrew Kang (Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer), and Michael Saylor (Executive Chairman). The participants expressed their support for the draft rule proposed by the FASB and hoped for its finalization before the end of the year. MicroStrategy thanked the participants for their support and looked forward to the next quarter.

Overall, the meeting highlighted MicroStrategy's enthusiasm towards their enterprise software strategy and Bitcoin strategy. The company's commitment to innovation and emerging technologies, such as blockchain and artificial intelligence, positions them as a leader in the industry. With their focus on cloud services and strategic initiatives, MicroStrategy is well-positioned for growth in the coming quarters.