Bitcoin Pizza Day Recipient: I Spent 10,000 BTC on Road Trip

Jeremy “jercos” Sturdivant confirmed he spent the 10,000 Bitcoin he received from developer Laszlo Hanyecz on May 22, 2010. The coins covered two Papa John’s pizzas Sturdivant charged to his credit card. That payment is observed annually as Bitcoin Pizza Day and is cited as the first documented commercial use of Bitcoin.

Sturdivant told viewers he never treated the coins as an investment. He used the BTC as spending money as its market price rose. When a cross-country road trip left him short of cash, he converted portions of the Bitcoin to pay for travel expenses rather than hold the coins for potential future gains.

A video clip of Sturdivant discussing the 2010 exchange was reposted by Blockstream CEO Adam Back and circulated on social media, bringing renewed attention to the early transaction. Back has advocated treating Bitcoin as a long-term monetary asset and recently urged investors to buy at prevailing prices, creating a contrast with Sturdivant’s spending approach.

Price history has increased interest in the story. Bitcoin reached an all-time high near $126,000 in October 2025, which would have valued the original 10,000 BTC at more than $1.26 billion. On Bitcoin Pizza Day 2026, BTC traded around $77,787, placing the notional value of those coins at roughly $777.9 million. At the time of the 2010 purchase, the 10,000 BTC covered roughly $41 worth of pizza.

Sturdivant has stated he has no regrets about spending the coins and has emphasized that he views Bitcoin as a working currency meant for everyday transactions rather than solely as a speculative asset.

Bitcoin Pizza Day continues to be referenced in discussions about early adoption and use cases for digital currency. The May 2010 payment is widely cited in accounts of Bitcoin as the first verifiable commercial transaction.