Bitcoin Pizza Day: The $600 Million Snack That Changed Everything

Apr 30

Let me set the scene:
It’s May 22, 2010. You’re sitting in front of your computer, mining Bitcoin with a setup that looks more like a glorified space heater than anything profitable. Bitcoin’s barely worth anything, but it’s interesting. Experimental. A little nerdy.

You’re curious.

And then, a guy named Laszlo Hanyecz logs onto a forum and says:

“I’ll give 10,000 BTC for two large pizzas.”

Someone takes him up on it. He gets two Papa John’s pies delivered. The trade is complete. And just like that, Bitcoin Pizza Day is born.

At the time, it was worth about $41.
Today? That same 10,000 Bitcoin would be worth around $600 million (give or take, depending on the daily drama).

So… what does it all mean?

Let’s talk about the weird, wild history of Bitcoin Pizza Day, where Bitcoin stands now, and why this greasy transaction still matters 14 years later.

Who Is Laszlo Hanyecz (and What Was He Thinking?)

Laszlo wasn’t some clueless noob throwing crypto around. He was a developer and one of the early contributors to Bitcoin’s source code. At the time, Bitcoin was still just a concept. There were no exchanges, no wallets as we know them today, and definitely no mainstream adoption.

So Laszlo made a bold move:
He decided to prove that Bitcoin could be used in real life. Not just mined. Not just hoarded. But spent.

And pizza? Well, it was:

Tangible
Delicious
Universally understood
And probably what he was craving after hours of coding in his garage

It was the first documented instance of Bitcoin being used as currency. That transaction turned theory into action, and Bitcoin from idea into reality.

Was It a Mistake? Or the Most Important Pizza Ever Bought?

Everyone loves to say, “He could’ve been a billionaire!”

But Laszlo doesn’t regret it. In interviews, he’s said:

“It wasn’t like bitcoins had any value back then.”

Which is kind of true, and also kind of why this moment is so fascinating. It’s the most expensive pizza order in human history, sure. But it’s also the transaction that proved a peer-to-peer, decentralized currency could actually work.

It’s become a symbol. A meme. A lesson. And maybe a little warning label too!

Because let’s be honest: who among us hasn’t sold or spent something way too soon?

Why Bitcoin Pizza Day Still Matters

Bitcoin Pizza Day isn’t just a nerd holiday, it’s a milestone in the evolution of digital money. It showed:

Crypto could be used in the real world
Value is subjective (at the time, 10,000 BTC = dinner)
Technology adoption starts with small, almost ridiculous steps

It also speaks to a deeper truth about innovation:
Sometimes the moment that looks like a joke turns out to be history in the making.

And it makes us ask, what are we laughing at now that we’ll be kicking ourselves over later?

Where Bitcoin Stands Today

Fast forward to 2024 and Bitcoin’s no longer pizza money. It’s:

The largest cryptocurrency by market cap
Legally recognized in countries like El Salvador
Used in everything from real estate purchases to cross-border payroll
Traded globally across thousands of platforms
The subject of every financial think piece, from “It’s the future!” to “It’s doomed!”

As of now, one Bitcoin floats somewhere between $60,000–$70,000 depending on the month. And it’s gone as high as $100,000 and as low as $3,000 in the last five years alone.

Volatile? Yes.
Dead? Not even close.

You Can Still Buy Pizza With Bitcoin (Sort Of)

In case you’re wondering, yes, there are still ways to spend your Bitcoin on pizza today. And unlike 2010, you don’t need to post on a forum and hope someone says yes.

Services like Bitrefill let you buy gift cards with crypto, including for major chains like Domino’s and Papa John’s. It's instant, secure, and doesn’t cost 10,000 BTC anymore. Thank goodness.

So if you want to celebrate Bitcoin Pizza Day properly, now you can, with actual Bitcoin, without the six-figure regret.

What This Day Says About Value

Here’s what I love about Bitcoin Pizza Day:
It reminds us that value is contextual.

In 2010, Bitcoin was barely a blip. You could mine hundreds of them in an afternoon. It didn’t seem like real money yet.

But that changed the moment someone exchanged it for food.

That’s the thing with revolutionary ideas: they feel ridiculous right up until they don’t. And then they feel inevitable.

This pizza moment marked the beginning of Bitcoin’s shift from experiment → economy.

Where Are We Now in the Crypto Timeline?

If 2010 was the “pizza for proof” phase, we’re now deep into:

Institutional investment (hello, ETFs and billion-dollar hedge funds)
Layer 2 adoption (like the Lightning Network)
Global regulation debates
Web3 ecosystems
AI + blockchain integrations
Governments racing to create their own CBDCs (central bank digital currencies)

And through all of it, Bitcoin has remained the anchor of the crypto world.

So yeah, the pizza days are behind us. But the revolution is still baking.

The Culture of Pizza Day

What started as a throwaway trade has become something bigger. Each year on May 22:

Bitcoin fans tweet tributes and memes
Crypto influencers order pizza and pay with BTC
Some companies run crypto-themed deals
And we all get a reminder that even the most groundbreaking tech starts small, often with a snack

There’s something delightfully human about it. It’s history, but it’s also pizza. I mean, what’s not to love?

What Would You Have Done?

I think about this a lot. If you had 10,000 Bitcoin back then… would you have spent it on pizza?

Maybe not. But that’s hindsight talking. At the time, it was probably the least weird way to test Bitcoin.

And in a way, that pizza order was a kind of generosity. A gift to the future. Laszlo put action to belief, and that’s something most people never do.

So before you laugh too hard, ask yourself:

What are you holding onto that might be worth a lot more, not in dollars, but in legacy?

What We Can Learn From a $600M Pizza

Don’t underestimate small moves.
The future starts with experiments.
Take your ideas seriously, even if no one else does yet.
Laszlo was ridiculed. Now he’s a legend.
Remember that value is fluid.
Money changes. So do mindsets. So does pizza.
Celebrate the weird stuff.
Because sometimes, the weird stuff becomes the thing that changes everything.

Happy Bitcoin Pizza Day

Whether you’re holding Bitcoin, trading altcoins, or still figuring out what blockchain even is, this day belongs to all of us who believe in new systems.

And maybe (just maybe) the next financial revolution will also start with a slice.

Michele Gargiulo http://michelegargiulo.com