Close Calls: 5 Insane April Fools Pranks That Almost Got Crypto X

April Fool’s Day in the crypto world was filled with humorous and outlandish pranks that almost fooled the cryptocurrency community. Solana CEO Anatoly Yakovenko announced the launch of “BunkerCoin,” a token that claimed to operate through shortwave radio channels. Yakovenko poked fun at the complex architecture of new cryptocurrencies by using buzzwords and referencing mainstream adoption. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin joined in on the fun by proclaiming “degen communism” as the only acceptable political philosophy for crypto, highlighting the need to make memecoins more positive in financial markets.

David Hoffman, a well-known Ethereum maximalist and Bankless co-host, playfully announced that he would be leaving Ethereum and joining forces with the Solana Foundation, jokingly taking on the role of “VP of Decentralization.” Hoffman’s switch to Solana was unexpected, as he had previously clashed with Solana developers. This was all in good humor.

One prank that received mixed reactions was from an account associated with the crowdfunding protocol JuiceBox. The account claimed that JuiceBox had secured a $69 million fundraising deal with Paradigm, causing its native token JBX to surge. An hour later, it was revealed to be an April Fool’s Day joke, leading to a retracement in the token’s price. Some users criticized the prank for its timing and potential market manipulation.

Other notable April Fool’s Day pranks included BitMEX Research joking about Grayscale Bitcoin Trust’s outflows being at $0, poking fun at previous high volumes of outflows, and Republican majority whip Tom Emmer using the day to tease the US Securities and Exchange Commission in a series of playful posts.

April Fool’s Day in the crypto world was filled with lighthearted pranks that entertained and occasionally sparked controversy. These pranks served as a reminder of the playful and creative nature of the cryptocurrency community.