There is a very remarkable rumor going on in crypto land. Certain clues link former FTX CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), to Shiba Inu (SHIB). A Coinbase executive, Conor Grogan, brought this to light via Twitter. The founder of Shiba Inu is anonymous, and is known as ‘Ryoshi’, but if this rumor is true then this anonymity is over.
A wallet directly connected to the founder of Shiba Inu (via exchange deposit) has an… interesting Opensea account name pic.twitter.com/pq6koANFMu
— Conor (@jconorgrogan) March 6, 2023
Is SBF the founder of Shiba Inu?
It’s a complex story, so it’s great that Grogan figured this out like a true detective. He discovered a Ryoshi deposit address linked to an account on the NFT marketplace Opensea. This account was called ‘ALAMEDA’. As you probably know, Alameda Research is the sister company of SBF’s FTX that he allegedly used for illegal fraud of customer funds.
Why SHIB’s founder chose this name for his Opensea account is unknown, but it’s not the only clue Grogan discovered. Namely, the account created a NT collection which referenced Sam Bankman-Fried. These NFTs are called ‘SBF Legendary’ and ‘SBF rare’, among others.
Grogan also speculated about a further connection between Shiba Inu and Alameda. According to him, there is strong evidence that Alameda Research on October 27, 2021 107 million dollars sold to SHIB tokens. This moment turned out to be the exact peak of the SHIB bull run.
All in all, not watertight proof, but it is all remarkable. Grogan’s speculation has sparked a frenzy on Twitter, and more clarity is likely to come in the future.
From messiah to schlemiel
SBF is a special figure in the crypto world. The founder of FTX went from crypto messiah to fraudulent schlemiel. He faces multiple financial charges including fraud and money laundering.
His trial will start in October. Until then, he is free on bail and enjoys very limited freedoms in his family home in California.