How did the most controversial platform on Solana manage to raise $500M in 10 minutes?
Here's how @pumpfun pulled off their legendary heist.
(Spoiler: The $PUMP airdrop may not be what you think)
Unless you live under a rock...
You know PumpFun.
It's a launchpad where you can launch/trade memes.
Over 11.8M+ tokens have launched on pump.
Needless to say; PUMP makes money.
In fact, they've generated over $780M in lifetime revenue since 2024.
Pump launched on January 19, 2024. The founders are:
- Noah Tweedale (CEO)
- Alon Cohen
- Dylan Kerler
In the first half of 2024, the platform had already generated over a million tokens, and $60M in fees.
So... what started the controversy?
Fast forward to early 2025.
Pump was running into major problems:
• Multiple scandals
• Regulatory pressure
• Backlash from the community
Despite this, the app was growing; hovering over $300M in revenue.
At this point, speculation of a token began.
The idea was condemned.
PUMP was already being called extractive, because they would regularly transfer large sums of money to CEXs.
And to many, they were making Web3 look bad.
But that's the thing... pump's revenue model IS notoriety.
Here's how they pulled off their ICO.
Law 6: Court attention at all costs.
This is from '48 Laws of Power', and it's a law Pump has used since Day 1.
Pump spent a year becoming the most hated app in crypto.
Then they cashed in on their notoriety.
As for the airdrop? Well... it's complicated.
Shortly after the ICO, airdrop speculation broke out.
Allegedly, the airdrop range begins at $200; with the max capping out at $2000.
If this is true, despite $PUMP raising $500M at a $4B FDV, the airdrop won't be anything special.
But hear me out...
Despite how you may feel about PUMP:
It's the fastest company in crypto, and a masterclass in courting attention at all costs.
So what's next for them?
It seems they want to build an ecosystem powered by $PUMP.
But as always, only time will tell.
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