Changpeng Zhao (CZ), the erstwhile Binance CEO, is nether scrutiny pursuing the emergence of aggregate memecoins named aft his dog, Broccoli.
On Feb. 13, Zhao revealed his Belgian Malinois dog’s sanction and photograph aft aggregate requests from assemblage members.
While Zhao assured that helium would not motorboat a Broccoli-themed token himself, helium hinted astatine trading palmy ones. He besides suggested that the BNB Foundation could enactment promising Broccoli tokens.
Zhao stated:
“I americium conscionable posting my dog’s representation and name. I americium NOT issuing a meme coin myself. It’s up to the assemblage to bash that (or not). I volition apt interact with a fewer of the much fashionable meme coins connected BNB Chain (BSC).”
Within hours, aggregate Broccoli-branded tokens appeared connected BNB Chain’s Four.Meme launchpad and Solana-based Pump.Fun. Many of these tokens were scams, with creators executing rug pulls, leaving investors astatine a loss.
Critics reason that Zhao should person anticipated this outcome. Given his influence, disclosing his dog’s details made it casual for opportunists to exploit the hype. Several salient figures successful crypto person seen their names oregon affiliations linked to memecoins but seldom prosecute with oregon endorse them.
Some, similar crypto trader Crypto Chanshi, accused Zhao of utilizing the memecoin frenzy to boost enactment connected the BNB Smart Chain.
Despite this, Zhao defended his position, stating helium had nary nonstop engagement and hoped the champion community-driven memecoin would thrive.
The Binance laminitis besides admitted that portion helium wanted to boost on-chain engagement, helium had nary volition of launching oregon managing a memecoin. Zhao aboriginal acknowledged that helium could person handled the concern differently.
He wrote:
“Yes, I wanted to spot much enactment connected BSC. And I did not privation to get progressive successful issuing/running a meme coin, arsenic I person zero experience. And I thought memes were community-driven.”
Broccoli frenzy creates overnight millionaires
While galore investors suffered losses, a fistful of traders made important profits from the Broccoli memecoin craze.
According to blockchain analytics steadfast Lookonchain, 1 trader leveraged the hype to amass astir $28 million. The trader swiftly bought aggregate Broccoli-themed memecoins, dispersed them crossed antithetic wallets, and sold them astatine highest prices for a monolithic windfall.
Lookonchain besides identified different opportunistic trader operating from wallet 0x392eb who made a $7 cardinal nett from the memecoin. The steadfast pointed retired that this trader spent little than $1,000 to make a token called “CZ’s Dog (Broccoli)” moments aft Zhao’s tweet.
Meanwhile, manufacture seasoned Andre Cronje criticized the alleged winners, labeling their actions arsenic outright theft alternatively than strategical trading. He argued that launching a memecoin lone to dump it connected unsuspecting buyers should not beryllium considered morganatic profit.
According to him, this behaviour exemplifies the darker broadside of crypto speculation, wherever traders knowingly prosecute successful high-risk gambles, often astatine the disbursal of others.
The station Changpeng Zhao’s canine sparks Broccoli memecoin roar and controversies appeared archetypal connected CryptoSlate.