Saylor Ties AI Growth to a 10 Million Company Goal
Entrepreneurs may be able to build products faster with artificial intelligence, but Michael Saylor argues that raising money must become easier too. In a Sept. 26 essay on financing new companies, the executive chairman of Strategy Inc. (Nasdaq: MSTR), a company known for its bitcoin treasury, called for rules that could help 10 million new businesses obtain capital. The figure is his policy ambition, not a forecast of companies already seeking funding.
Saylor expects AI to automate work and make established products obsolete, increasing the need for new businesses and jobs. He argues that a person who can build a product with AI should also have a practical way to finance the company that sells it. Faster product development, in his view, will have less economic value if fundraising remains slow and expensive.
His proposal centers on digital tokens, which a company could issue to raise money under rules tailored to the offering. Saylor calls for clear issuance requirements, disclosures proportionate to the risks, and ways for entrepreneurs to reach prospective investors. His stated goal is to reduce legal costs without abandoning ownership protections or accountability for fraud.
The Rights Saylor Wants Entrepreneurs to Have
Saylor places fundraising within a broader set of rights for individuals and companies: creating, issuing, holding, transferring, and using digital assets. The first two are central to his company formation argument. Entrepreneurs would need room both to develop an asset or financial instrument and to bring it to market to finance productive activity.
The Strategy executive chairman says digital tokens, digital currency, digital capital, and digital securities perform different economic functions, and that policy should recognize those differences. Clear disclosures and enforceable ownership, he argues, would help buyers assess an offering while leaving room for business models that have yet to emerge. A tokenized stock issuance framework illustrates how companies are already exploring digital infrastructure for raising capital, though it is distinct from Saylor’s broader proposal.
The cost of accessing investors is also part of his argument. Saylor contends that financing a small business should be possible without extensive legal resources. Lower issuance costs could allow more founders to seek funding, but his 10 million company goal would still depend on investor demand, workable products, and rules that protect participants.
Where the SEC Proposal Fits
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has separately proposed crypto offering exemptions. One would permit eligible offerings of up to $5 million over four years; another would permit up to $75 million in each 12-month period. Both remain proposals, and issuers would face disclosure conditions and antifraud rules. Saylor did not present those figures as part of his own 10 million company target.
The SEC’s capital formation debate provides a regulatory setting for Saylor’s request. He wants the agency to make issuance more accessible while Congress extends digital asset rights where legislation is necessary. For founders, the practical issue is whether a lawful offering can reach investors at a cost that makes sense for a young company.
The Strategy executive chairman also argues that technological capability should be a national priority, including giving entrepreneurs tools to build with AI. His fundraising proposal links that capability to capital: new products need businesses, and those businesses need a way to finance their launch.