Strategy CEO Says Bitcoin Made a $12 Burrito “Four Times Cheaper” Compared With Dollars
Strategy CEO Phong Le has used a simple everyday purchase, a Chipotle burrito, to explain why he believes Bitcoin can offer stronger protection against inflation than holding U.S. dollars.
In a September 8 interview with Wolf Financial, Le pointed to the rising cost of food as an example of how inflation quietly erodes purchasing power. He noted that a Chipotle burrito now costs around $12, a price that has risen sharply over the past several years. At the same time, he said many workers have not seen their wages increase at the same speed.
“Now it’s $12 for a Chipotle burrito. And I’m almost sure for most of the people listening, your compensation has not doubled in the last five years,” Le said.
He then explained the issue using a simple comparison. If someone’s income rose by 10% while the cost of a burrito climbed by 100%, that person is effectively worse off in terms of what their money can buy.
“Let’s say you got lucky and your compensation has gone up 10%. Well, essentially, a burrito going up 100%, your compensation going up 10%, means that you lost 90% on that trade,” he said.
Le argued that this loss of purchasing power is tied in part to monetary inflation and the expansion of the U.S. dollar supply. In his view, when more dollars are created, each dollar can become less valuable over time.
“That inflation matters because the U.S. prints money and your U.S. dollar goes down,” he said.
The comparison becomes even more notable when the burrito is measured in Bitcoin instead of dollars. Le said Bitcoin rose from roughly $10,000 to about $80,000 during the period he was discussing. Based on that increase, he argued that someone holding Bitcoin would need fewer units of Bitcoin to buy the same burrito today than they did several years ago.
“Denominated in Bitcoin, if you put your money in Bitcoin versus U.S. dollars, that burrito is actually four times cheaper. Denominated in U.S. dollars, that burrito is 2x more expensive,” Le said.
His point reflects a key part of Strategy’s long-running Bitcoin treasury approach: wealth measured only in fiat currency can give an incomplete picture. Even if a person has more dollars than before, those dollars may buy less if prices rise faster than income. By contrast, an asset that appreciates faster than consumer prices can increase purchasing power over time, at least in theory.
Strategy remains one of the most prominent corporate holders of Bitcoin. As of September 7, the company reportedly held 845,050 BTC, along with $6.5 billion in U.S. dollar assets.
The company has also been adjusting its capital strategy. Strategy increased its authorization for repurchasing STRC preferred securities from $1 billion to $2 billion after completing $176 million in repurchases.
While that repurchase program is focused on preferred securities rather than direct Bitcoin purchases, it gives the company more flexibility in managing its balance sheet and broader financial structure.
Le’s burrito example highlights a broader debate around Bitcoin, inflation, and the future of money. Supporters of Bitcoin often argue that its limited supply makes it a potential hedge against currency debasement, while critics point to volatility as a major risk. Still, for Le, the message is straightforward: when prices rise and wages fail to keep up, the real question is not just how many dollars someone has, but how much those dollars can actually buy.
