However, his recent "doomer" pivot has prompted him to move some of those AI profits back into the crypto space. He is currently allocating capital back into bitcoin, primarily through the ease and liquidity of exchange-traded funds (ETFs). This suggests a strategy of using AI for growth while returning to bitcoin as a hedge against the very instability he fears AI might cause.
His professional legacy is also tied to this technological intersection. He described the decision by Hut 8—the company he co-founded—to pivot from pure-play bitcoin mining toward providing infrastructure for AI data centers as “the best move ever.” From a business perspective, he argues that the case for AI infrastructure is currently stronger and more predictable than the volatile economics of bitcoin mining. He noted that if he were still at the helm of the company today, he would likely favor an even more aggressive allocation toward AI data centers over traditional mining operations.
The Search for Long-Term Stability
When looking at the investment horizon over the next five years, van der Chijs sees a complex landscape. While he expects the leading AI developers to eventually become the largest companies in the world, he believes that established entities with physical moats—such as Tesla (TSLA) and SpaceX (SPCX)—could actually outperform pure-play AI software firms like Anthropic. This is largely due to the "real-world" integration of AI into robotics and aerospace, where hardware constraints provide a layer of protection against the rapid commoditization of software.
Yet, despite his deep involvement in the AI revolution and his pragmatic business moves, van der Chijs’s ultimate conviction remains with the asset that first brought him to prominence. When asked which single asset he would choose to hold if he were restricted to only one for the rest of his life, his answer was unequivocal.
“I think of all the assets you can hold, if there’s just one, it would be bitcoin,” he said.
This final sentiment underscores the central paradox of the modern tech pioneer: a belief in the inevitable, world-altering power of artificial intelligence, tempered by a profound fear of its consequences, and a resulting reliance on the "digital gold" of bitcoin as the only truly reliable anchor in an increasingly unpredictable future. As the race for AI dominance continues to accelerate, van der Chijs’s warnings serve as a reminder that the speed of progress may eventually outrun the systems designed to contain it.
