The story of a crypto influencer’s attempt to bend reality

In 1 of the weirder moments of my penning career, Carl “The Moon” Runefelt contacted maine retired of the bluish seeking an “update to aged information” successful a May 2022 article. The nonfiction had touched connected his engagement with the crypto outgo level Kasta, but Runefelt felt a pressing request a twelvemonth aboriginal to get the transcript changed to item the information helium was “not the co-founder of Kasta, lone [an] investor.”

An antithetic petition aft truthful agelong — particularly considering helium had already made extended comments aft speechmaking a prepublication draught of the archetypal article. He’d argued astatine 1 constituent that a notation successful that nonfiction of “haters” who accused him of editing YouTube video titles successful bid to marque past predictions look close was “clearly unprofessional.” He suggested it was analogous to an nonfiction astir SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s rockets including comments from flat-earthers.

“I gotta absorption connected what’s real, what’s correct,” Runefelt said.

Runefelt is simply a crypto influencer known for showing disconnected a manner of backstage jets, supercars and million-dollar watches portion making faces successful YouTube videos purporting to connection crypto insights and marketplace analysis. A high-school dropout who worked arsenic a cashier successful Sweden conscionable a fewer years ago, Runefelt preaches “the instrumentality of attraction,” which fundamentally posits that 1 tin crook world by believing hard capable successful one’s desired mentation of it.

Kasta, present called Ka.app, is the crypto app that Runefelt is seemingly trying to region himself from. As it turns retired — contempt his mentation of world — Runefelt was so a co-founder.

First, let’s get backmost to Runefelt’s reality. He explained that the co-founder label  a effect of disorder owed to an online rumor. “People accidental galore antithetic things — radical accidental I’m the billionaire, bla bla bla — thing takes off, and past everyone conscionable goes with it,” helium remarked with annoyance.

“Even though I ne'er told radical my nett worth, the aforesaid with maine being co-founder [of Kasta] — I’m conscionable trying to cleanable this stuff.”

The terms of KASTA fell astir 98% betwixt its January 2022 motorboat and September 2023. Source: CoinMarketCap

“There’s 3 co-founders, and you’ve ne'er been 1 of them, right?” I asked, referring to the 3 names — CEO Carl Roegind, main exertion serviceman Sebastian Appelberg and main merchandise serviceman Hans-Herko Lusmägi — listed connected the firm’s site. “Exactly,” Carl Runefelt replied, explaining that determination was apt a mix-up of individuality with the CEO, whose sanction is similar.

After I informed Runefelt that articles “aren’t edited aft the information unless determination were mistakes astatine that time,” Runefelt made it wide helium believed a journalistic mistake was made — and that it needed to beryllium rectified.

I asked Runefelt to elaborate: “The mentation is that I wrote ‘co-founder’ due to the fact that possibly I work immoderate 3rd person’s relationship — that I didn’t person immoderate first-person account, and I made an assumption. So, I made a mistake successful doing that, is that what you figure?”

“Well yeah, but nary worries, nary worries,” Runefelt replied with what I understood to beryllium a hint of sheepish hesitation.

But determination was nary mistake.

Reviewing our interrogation notes from erstwhile I visited his Dubai bureau successful May 2022, it turned retired Runefelt had intelligibly recounted however helium co-founded Kasta.

“Me and my champion friend, 2 years agone we came up with the idea,” Runefelt said, “[that crypto payments should beryllium easy], that’s wherefore we founded Kasta.” He explained that “we” had received media attraction from some Yahoo Finance and Fox Business.

I confronted Runefelt by noting that the statement of “co-founder” came not from online rumors but from his ain statements. He admitted, “I did assistance retired with immoderate brainstorming, but I whitethorn person over-exaggerated my engagement astatine that stage… but co-founding it, it’s not accurate. I don’t person equity successful it.”

“‘Early advisor’ and ‘early investor’ — I would accidental that’s the astir close happening I would accidental — I can’t travel up with thing much existent than that.”

Runefelt is simply a instrumentality of utilizing exclamation marks and words similar EMERGENCY, ALERT, and WARNING connected his YouTube channel. Source: Screenshot

“What you accidental is you’ve ne'er really referred to yourself arsenic co-founder oregon led radical to judge that, which is conscionable what I’m making sure,” I asked. “Exactly,” Runefelt replied.

Exactly?

He had done conscionable that connected some Yahoo Finance and Fox Business — the precise media references helium mentioned successful our May 2022 bureau sit-down. Appearing connected a Dec. 23, 2021 Yahoo Finance video clip titled “Crypto app Kasta aims to little outgo of tiny transactions,” Runefelt delivered this opening enactment aft being introduced arsenic Kasta’s co-founder: 

“Kasta is my company. I americium a co-founder.”

In the aforesaid video, helium confirmed, “We’re 4 co-founders, successful fact.” The connection received corroboration from an article by Flaunt that referred to Runefelt arsenic a co-founder “alongside Carl Roegind, Hans Lusmagi and Sebastian Appelberg.”

There was nary mistaken identity, nor a one-off. Four co-founders, not three.

Somebody cheque connected The Moon Carl, bro hasn’t shilled a scam successful a portion and is present losing his spell damn mind. pic.twitter.com/xjnDtnAxAN

— (@RomeoTrades) March 3, 2023

“In a Fox Business exclusive, we person the Kasta co-founder and YouTube prima Carl ‘The Moon’ Runefelt,’” Fox Business big Liz Claman said successful an instauration for Runefelt 3 weeks later. The prima again crowned himself with the rubric helium present claims was a specified net rumor:

“That’s wherefore I am, similar you said, a co-founder and CMO of Kasta, wherever we’re going to marque crypto easier to spend.”

I amazed Runefelt with this video revelation. He attempted to instrumentality it successful stride, saying “it was conscionable disorder and marketing” due to the fact that helium was “not operational” wrong the institution — contempt his precise operational relation of appearing successful the media. “I’m not really a co-founder,” Runefelt said. “Nope. And they cognize it and they’re OK with it,” helium said successful notation to the 3 “real” co-founders.

“But you went connected Yahoo Finance and Fox Business and said that you were a co-founder?” I asked incredulously, to which Runefelt replied, “Exactly. I conjecture I’m conscionable changing the narrative.”

He said this matter-of-factly and without a hint of irony — arsenic if Cointelegraph were his idiosyncratic nationalist relations bureau and narratives are thing changed by declaration. Not “trying” to alteration it — changing it.

Runefelt said that calling himself a laminitis of Kasta was a "mistake I did." Source: Telegram screenshot by Elias Ahonen

“As I don’t ain equity, I can’t accidental I’m a co-founder. Which is simply a mistake I did,” helium said. “If you don’t person equity, however tin you perchance beryllium a co-founder?”

That presumption does not look to person overmuch to backmost it up.

Runefelt intelligibly said successful the past that helium participated successful the early-stage brainstorming of the ideas connected which Kasta was based and that helium co-founded it with a friend. We’re blessed to enactment this for the record, contempt his attempts to visualize oregon mindset-shift inconvenient facts away.

This nonfiction is for wide accusation purposes and is not intended to beryllium and should not beryllium taken arsenic ineligible oregon concern advice. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed present are the author’s unsocial and bash not needfully bespeak oregon correspond the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.