Michael Saylor, the founder of MicroStrategy, has recently explained why he stepped down as the CEO, who will now be replaced by Phong Le, the President and former CFO of the company. He also spoke about how Bitcoin (BTC) impacted the company’s balance sheet.
As expected, his decision to step down as the CEO of the company raised lots of concerns within the crypto ecosystem as some think his decision has to do with the loss suffered from the company’s whopping investment in Bitcoin (BTC).
To justify his decision, he made himself available for interviews on major media outlets over the week. He had another opportunity to explain the reason for his decision in a recent interview with Yahoo Finance.
In the course of the interview, Saylor said the primary responsibility of a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is to run a software business. He said it became a necessity to make Phong Le the CEO as the company now boasts of relatively 2,200 employees and thousands of clients.
He said, “We’ve been working on a succession plan with him for about four years, making him first the Chief Operating Officer and then President about two years ago.”
MicroStrategy’s Balance Sheet Swell by Billions of Dollars after Adding Bitcoin (BTC)
Saylor explained that during Phong Le’s time as President and CFO, MicroStrategy decided to add Bitcoin (BTC) to its balance sheet, bringing billions of dollars in return. This made the company appoint a full-time CFO in May 2022.
He said after MicroStrategy “entered into a Bitcoin strategy, our balance sheet swelled by billions and billions of dollars and we decided that the best thing for the business is to bring in a full-time CFO.”
Read Also: MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor: “I Will Be Buying Bitcoin (BTC) At the Top Forever”
Saylor said this is the motivation behind his decision. He pointed out that his decision allowed the company to consider making Phong the President and CEO.
“And I have been wanting to assume the role of Executive Chairman – so this is my decision many years in the making,” he added.
“This is my decision,” @MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor says on stepping down as CEO. It’s been “many, many years in the making. … I’ll remain the chair of the investments committee…” pic.twitter.com/cqY8OfaP8c
— Yahoo Finance (@YahooFinance) August 3, 2022
Speaking about his upcoming role as the Executive Chairman, he said:
“Many people don’t realize I’m the controlling shareholder of the company so I’m the Chair of the Board. I’ll remain the Chair of the Investments Committee that oversees our Bitcoin acquisition strategy and my primary role will be advocacy education and innovation, working on technology leadership opportunities.”
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