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CompaniesCryptocurrency

Sam Bankman-Fried’s cryptic Twitter posts appear to be slowly spelling out ‘What happened’

Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez
By
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez
Reporter
Down Arrow Button Icon
November 14, 2022, 2:59 PM ET
Sam Bankman-Fried
FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried stepped down as CEO of the bankrupt crypto exchange last week.Lam Yik/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Sam Bankman-Fried may no longer be a CEO, but that doesn’t mean investors aren’t hanging on his every word…or…letter.

The 30-year-old founder of FTX published two mysterious tweets over the weekend: The first was just the word “What,” and the second the letter “H.” 

On Monday, he added four tweets over the span of a couple of hours: “A,” “P,” “P,” and “E,” apparently beginning to spell out, “What happened.”

The tweets have some investors scratching their heads and making jokes, while others want him to be taken into custody.

pic.twitter.com/5bW5c08elb

— Cole (@cole0x) November 14, 2022

Crypto investors and influencers are often quick to make light of bad news in the sector, and Bankman-Fried’s fall from grace certainly is no exception. The past year has seen notable people and organizations, including big-name investors and media personalities, elevate Bankman-Fried as a luminary and business icon.

https://twitter.com/DanDarkPill/status/1592224165234606081

But as the company faces bankruptcy, FTX customers and crypto enthusiasts, who may be affected indirectly, have turned to memes as a coping method.

What? pic.twitter.com/nqNw1BRrje

— HowYouCan.Crypto (@HowYouCanCrypto) November 14, 2022

SBF had sparsely tweeted or commented publicly since FTX filed for bankruptcy on Friday. Some on Crypto Twitter had accused him of fleeing to Argentina, although he denied those allegations to Reuters.

https://twitter.com/chocolastan/status/1591990677210112002

While Twitter users may continue joking about the situation, SBF will have little to laugh about in the foreseeable future as the Justice Department takes a closer look at him, and a flurry of civil suits start to pour in.

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About the Author
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezReporter
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Role: Reporter
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez is a reporter for Fortune covering general business news.

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