Tesla Sold a Large Portion of Bitcoin in 2022, But How Much Would the Profit Be If It Hadn't Sold?

Tesla is disappointing as it did not meet both revenue and profit expectations in the second quarter of 2025. But there is another standout detail in the company's presentation to investors: Tesla's digital assets. The company's digital asset portfolio is currently valued at $1.24 billion. Although this figure represents a significant increase from $722 million during the same period last year, considering Bitcoin's 80% price increase over the past year, this increase actually means that Tesla is missing out on billions of dollars in potential profits. The electric vehicle giant expressed confidence in the long-term potential of cryptocurrency by investing $1.5 billion in Bitcoin at the beginning of 2021. At that time, the wave of support for Bitcoin from CEO Elon Musk on social media significantly impacted the cryptocurrency market. However, by mid-2022, Tesla sold 75% of its Bitcoin holdings. At that time, Bitcoin was trading at a much lower price than its current value. Today, Bitcoin is nearing the level of $119,000. If Tesla held Bitcoin assets at that time, this investment would be worth approximately $5 billion today. The $936 million worth of Bitcoin that the company liquidated in 2022 would be valued at around $3.5 billion today. Tesla has announced its decision to strengthen its cash position amid the volatile market in which the company sells cryptocurrencies. The company lost two-thirds of its market capitalization in 2022, while Bitcoin dropped by 60%. However, the market conditions have changed. Bitcoin has quickly recovered over the past two years. The plan to ease regulations and establish a strategic Bitcoin reserve fund by U.S. President Donald Trump is one of the factors supporting this growth. Tesla reported a profit of $284 million thanks to Bitcoin in the second quarter of 2025. However, this profit only accounted for a small portion of the potential profit. The company's net profit for the period was $1.17 billion, while car sales revenue declined for the second consecutive quarter. Musk has limited his posts on social media about cryptocurrencies in recent years. In March 2022, just before Tesla sold Bitcoin, he said: "I still hold Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin, and I will not sell them."