Michael Saylor: Willing to advise Trump on cryptocurrency issues, company's software business is highly profitable and has no intention of divesting

MicroStrategy co-founder and executive chairman Michael Saylor said on Wednesday that he is willing to provide advisory support to President-elect Trump on crypto issues if he needs it. He said: "I am always willing to offer ideas on constructive digital asset policies privately or publicly. If someone invites me to join some kind of digital asset advisory committee, I may do so." Although Saylor confirmed that he met with many people in the incoming Trump administration, he declined to provide further details. Speaking about MicroStrategy's reclassification concerns, Saylor insisted that the company is not entirely dependent on Bitcoin investments and that the software division has significant operating income, estimated to be about $75 million per year. He noted that there are no plans to spin it off from MicroStrategy, "The business is highly profitable and is a core part of the company's identity. We now also primarily view ourselves as a Bitcoin finance company. Therefore, the main way to create shareholder value is through our financial operations." He added: "There are three ways to create value for shareholders: one is operating income, and our software business generates about $75 million in operating income each year. Another is investment income, which is difficult to track. But we currently have $18.6 billion in unrealized investment income." He said the company is "undergoing" strategic acquisitions similar to other technology companies such as Apple.