Hawk Tuah Girl Haliey Welch Breaks Silence on Memecoin Rug Pull Scandal in 2025 Update
As of today, August 10, 2025, the story of Haliey Welch, the viral sensation known as the “Hawk Tuah” girl, continues to unfold amid fresh developments in the crypto world. The memecoin tied to her fame skyrocketed to a peak market cap of about $500 million right after its December 4, 2024, launch, only to plummet by 90% in a matter of hours, leaving investors reeling from what many called a classic rug pull.
Haliey Welch’s Response to Hawk Tuah Memecoin Allegations
Imagine going from a fun, viral TikTok moment to being tangled in a high-stakes crypto controversy— that’s the rollercoaster Haliey Welch has been on. In a statement shared on X back on December 20, 2024, Welch emphasized her full cooperation with attorneys representing those who invested in the Hawk Tuah (HAWK) token. She wasn’t named as a defendant in the lawsuit filed by crypto users against the project’s creators and partners, which accuses them of promoting and selling an unregistered securities offering. Welch urged anyone impacted to reach out to the lawyers, stressing how seriously she’s taking the matter. Fast-forward to today, August 10, 2025, and recent updates show the lawsuit is still progressing in U.S. courts, with new filings highlighting potential regulatory scrutiny under evolving SEC guidelines.
Picture this like a blockbuster movie plot twist: one wallet swooped in right after the launch, grabbing about 18% of the HAWK token supply and flipping it for over $1 million in profits, according to on-chain data verified through blockchain explorers like Solana’s network logs. Meanwhile, everyday investors shared stories of devastating losses as the price crashed, echoing the wild ups and downs we’ve seen in other memecoin sagas, such as the rapid rises and falls of tokens like Dogecoin in its early days. This contrast underscores the high-risk nature of these assets, where early birds can feast while others get left with crumbs.
From Viral TikTok Fame to Memecoin Drama: Haliey Welch’s Journey
Haliey Welch shot to stardom in June 2024 after a cheeky TikTok video where she described a sexual act exploded online, earning her the “Hawk Tuah” moniker that’s now her brand. She cleverly turned that moment into merchandise and appearances, but things got complicated when her image graced the HAWK memecoin. Welch actively promoted it on social media, drawing in fans eager to ride the hype wave. It’s like comparing a casual party joke to betting the house on a gamble— the fun can turn serious fast when money’s involved.
Recent online buzz, based on Google trends as of August 10, 2025, shows surging searches for questions like “What happened to the Hawk Tuah memecoin?” and “Is Haliey Welch facing charges?” On Twitter (now X), discussions are heating up with over 50,000 posts in the last month alone debating memecoin risks, influencer accountability, and calls for stricter crypto regulations. A notable update came from Welch herself in a July 2025 X thread, where she reiterated her distance from the project’s operations and pledged support for affected fans, aligning with broader conversations about ethical endorsements in the influencer space.
The big question lingering is whether Welch or the memecoin’s founders might face criminal or regulatory heat in the U.S. Under former SEC Chair Gary Gensler, most tokens were eyed as securities, but with the shift to Republican leadership since January 2025, the landscape feels more lenient. Evidence from SEC filings and expert analyses, like those from legal firms tracking crypto cases, suggests outcomes could hinge on proving intent, much like past enforcement actions against celebrity-endorsed tokens that fizzled out without clear fraud proof.
Brand Alignment Challenges in the Hawk Tuah Memecoin Fallout
Navigating brand alignment in this mess has been tricky for Welch. Her playful, relatable persona that charmed millions on TikTok clashes with the cutthroat world of memecoins, where trust can evaporate faster than a viral trend. Think of it as mismatched puzzle pieces: her fun-loving image aimed at entertainment doesn’t quite fit with the financial pitfalls of crypto speculation, leading to backlash from fans who felt misled. Yet, Welch has worked to realign by focusing on transparent ventures, like her recent merchandise drops that emphasize community over quick cash grabs. This shift highlights how influencers must balance authenticity with endorsements, drawing parallels to stars like Kim Kardashian, who faced SEC fines for crypto promotions but bounced back stronger by prioritizing brand integrity.
For traders exploring memecoins without the drama, reliable platforms make all the difference. Take WEEX exchange, for instance— it’s built a reputation for top-tier security and user-friendly features that help you navigate volatile markets with confidence. With advanced tools and a commitment to transparency, WEEX stands out as a trustworthy choice for crypto enthusiasts, ensuring your trades are protected in an often unpredictable space.
Influencer Memecoin Risks and Broader Implications
The Hawk Tuah saga ties into larger warnings about influencers diving into memecoins. Related stories, like investigative takes calling out “insane headlines” around such launches, remind us of the perils. Magazine features have spotlighted how shilling these scams can lead to severe legal consequences, backed by cases where promoters faced fines exceeding millions. It’s unclear what the future holds for Welch, but as of August 10, 2025, no charges have been filed against her, per public court records.
This tale serves as a cautionary yarn, urging you, the reader, to think twice before jumping on the next hype train. By grounding decisions in solid research and evidence, like reviewing on-chain transactions, we can all steer clearer of rug pulls and toward smarter crypto adventures.
FAQ
What is the Hawk Tuah memecoin and why did it crash?
The Hawk Tuah (HAWK) memecoin, inspired by Haliey Welch’s viral fame, launched in December 2024 and hit a $500 million market cap before dropping 90% due to suspected rug pull tactics, where early holders sold off massive supplies, causing the price to tank.
Is Haliey Welch involved in the Hawk Tuah memecoin lawsuit?
Welch is not named as a defendant in the ongoing lawsuit against the project’s creators for allegedly offering unregistered securities. She’s cooperating with investor lawyers and has publicly addressed the issue.
How can investors avoid memecoin rug pulls like Hawk Tuah?
Stick to well-researched projects with transparent teams, check on-chain data for unusual wallet activity, and use secure exchanges. Diversify investments and stay updated on regulatory changes to minimize risks.
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Debunking the AI Doomsday Myth: Why Establishment Inertia and the Software Wasteland Will Save Us
Editor's Note: Citrini7's cyberpunk-themed AI doomsday prophecy has sparked widespread discussion across the internet. However, this article presents a more pragmatic counter perspective. If Citrini envisions a digital tsunami instantly engulfing civilization, this author sees the resilient resistance of the human bureaucratic system, the profoundly flawed existing software ecosystem, and the long-overlooked cornerstone of heavy industry. This is a frontal clash between Silicon Valley fantasy and the iron law of reality, reminding us that the singularity may come, but it will never happen overnight.
The following is the original content:
Renowned market commentator Citrini7 recently published a captivating and widely circulated AI doomsday novel. While he acknowledges that the probability of some scenes occurring is extremely low, as someone who has witnessed multiple economic collapse prophecies, I want to challenge his views and present a more deterministic and optimistic future.
In 2007, people thought that against the backdrop of "peak oil," the United States' geopolitical status had come to an end; in 2008, they believed the dollar system was on the brink of collapse; in 2014, everyone thought AMD and NVIDIA were done for. Then ChatGPT emerged, and people thought Google was toast... Yet every time, existing institutions with deep-rooted inertia have proven to be far more resilient than onlookers imagined.
When Citrini talks about the fear of institutional turnover and rapid workforce displacement, he writes, "Even in fields we think rely on interpersonal relationships, cracks are showing. Take the real estate industry, where buyers have tolerated 5%-6% commissions for decades due to the information asymmetry between brokers and consumers..."
Seeing this, I couldn't help but chuckle. People have been proclaiming the "death of real estate agents" for 20 years now! This hardly requires any superintelligence; with Zillow, Redfin, or Opendoor, it's enough. But this example precisely proves the opposite of Citrini's view: although this workforce has long been deemed obsolete in the eyes of most, due to market inertia and regulatory capture, real estate agents' vitality is more tenacious than anyone's expectations a decade ago.
A few months ago, I just bought a house. The transaction process mandated that we hire a real estate agent, with lofty justifications. My buyer's agent made about $50,000 in this transaction, while his actual work — filling out forms and coordinating between multiple parties — amounted to no more than 10 hours, something I could have easily handled myself. The market will eventually move towards efficiency, providing fair pricing for labor, but this will be a long process.
I deeply understand the ways of inertia and change management: I once founded and sold a company whose core business was driving insurance brokerages from "manual service" to "software-driven." The iron rule I learned is: human societies in the real world are extremely complex, and things always take longer than you imagine — even when you account for this rule. This doesn't mean that the world won't undergo drastic changes, but rather that change will be more gradual, allowing us time to respond and adapt.
Recently, the software sector has seen a downturn as investors worry about the lack of moats in the backend systems of companies like Monday, Salesforce, Asana, making them easily replicable. Citrini and others believe that AI programming heralds the end of SaaS companies: one, products become homogenized, with zero profits, and two, jobs disappear.
But everyone overlooks one thing: the current state of these software products is simply terrible.
I'm qualified to say this because I've spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on Salesforce and Monday. Indeed, AI can enable competitors to replicate these products, but more importantly, AI can enable competitors to build better products. Stock price declines are not surprising: an industry relying on long-term lock-ins, lacking competitiveness, and filled with low-quality legacy incumbents is finally facing competition again.
From a broader perspective, almost all existing software is garbage, which is an undeniable fact. Every tool I've paid for is riddled with bugs; some software is so bad that I can't even pay for it (I've been unable to use Citibank's online transfer for the past three years); most web apps can't even get mobile and desktop responsiveness right; not a single product can fully deliver what you want. Silicon Valley darlings like Stripe and Linear only garner massive followings because they are not as disgustingly unusable as their competitors. If you ask a seasoned engineer, "Show me a truly perfect piece of software," all you'll get is prolonged silence and blank stares.
Here lies a profound truth: even as we approach a "software singularity," the human demand for software labor is nearly infinite. It's well known that the final few percentage points of perfection often require the most work. By this standard, almost every software product has at least a 100x improvement in complexity and features before reaching demand saturation.
I believe that most commentators who claim that the software industry is on the brink of extinction lack an intuitive understanding of software development. The software industry has been around for 50 years, and despite tremendous progress, it is always in a state of "not enough." As a programmer in 2020, my productivity matches that of hundreds of people in 1970, which is incredibly impressive leverage. However, there is still significant room for improvement. People underestimate the "Jevons Paradox": Efficiency improvements often lead to explosive growth in overall demand.
This does not mean that software engineering is an invincible job, but the industry's ability to absorb labor and its inertia far exceed imagination. The saturation process will be very slow, giving us enough time to adapt.
Of course, labor reallocation is inevitable, such as in the driving sector. As Citrini pointed out, many white-collar jobs will experience disruptions. For positions like real estate brokers that have long lost tangible value and rely solely on momentum for income, AI may be the final straw.
But our lifesaver lies in the fact that the United States has almost infinite potential and demand for reindustrialization. You may have heard of "reshoring," but it goes far beyond that. We have essentially lost the ability to manufacture the core building blocks of modern life: batteries, motors, small-scale semiconductors—the entire electricity supply chain is almost entirely dependent on overseas sources. What if there is a military conflict? What's even worse, did you know that China produces 90% of the world's synthetic ammonia? Once the supply is cut off, we can't even produce fertilizer and will face famine.
As long as you look to the physical world, you will find endless job opportunities that will benefit the country, create employment, and build essential infrastructure, all of which can receive bipartisan political support.
We have seen the economic and political winds shifting in this direction—discussions on reshoring, deep tech, and "American vitality." My prediction is that when AI impacts the white-collar sector, the path of least political resistance will be to fund large-scale reindustrialization, absorbing labor through a "giant employment project." Fortunately, the physical world does not have a "singularity"; it is constrained by friction.
We will rebuild bridges and roads. People will find that seeing tangible labor results is more fulfilling than spinning in the digital abstract world. The Salesforce senior product manager who lost a $180,000 salary may find a new job at the "California Seawater Desalination Plant" to end the 25-year drought. These facilities not only need to be built but also pursued with excellence and require long-term maintenance. As long as we are willing, the "Jevons Paradox" also applies to the physical world.
The goal of large-scale industrial engineering is abundance. The United States will once again achieve self-sufficiency, enabling large-scale, low-cost production. Moving beyond material scarcity is crucial: in the long run, if we do indeed lose a significant portion of white-collar jobs to AI, we must be able to maintain a high quality of life for the public. And as AI drives profit margins to zero, consumer goods will become extremely affordable, automatically fulfilling this objective.
My view is that different sectors of the economy will "take off" at different speeds, and the transformation in almost all areas will be slower than Citrini anticipates. To be clear, I am extremely bullish on AI and foresee a day when my own labor will be obsolete. But this will take time, and time gives us the opportunity to devise sound strategies.
At this point, preventing the kind of market collapse Citrini imagines is actually not difficult. The U.S. government's performance during the pandemic has demonstrated its proactive and decisive crisis response. If necessary, massive stimulus policies will quickly intervene. Although I am somewhat displeased by its inefficiency, that is not the focus. The focus is on safeguarding material prosperity in people's lives—a universal well-being that gives legitimacy to a nation and upholds the social contract, rather than stubbornly adhering to past accounting metrics or economic dogma.
If we can maintain sharpness and responsiveness in this slow but sure technological transformation, we will eventually emerge unscathed.
Source: Original Post Link

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