Andreas Antonopoulos says he was offered 10 BTC for an interview with the objective to show that Hex is not a scam. The alleged offer comes as Hex proponents battle persistent Ponzi allegations. Antonopolous, an influential cryptocurrency advocate, also reveals the offer was on condition he does not disclose this inducement.
Hex is an ERC20 token launched on the Ethereum network in December 2019 and it is intended to be a store of value. It is also designed to leverage off the emerging defi ecosystem in cryptocurrencies within the Ethereum network.
Instead of playing along, Antonopolous decided to expose the clandestine offer via Twitter, leaving the project backers in an awkward position. The leading cryptocurrency advocate ends the tweet by asking his followers to draw their “own conclusions.”
The post immediately set off a storm with both supporters and opponents of the token trading accusations and counter-accusations. For example, one Twitter user known as The Greatcoin, weighs into the debate by questioning Hex’s business model.
This user argues that Hex’s “business model is not sustainable” and he even goes as far as to call the project a Ponzi.
The Hex team has strenuously denied this allegation.
Perhaps fearing Antonopolous might be tempted to take the offer, this Twitter user goes on to state that “one day (Hex) will burst like Bitconnect. If you want to risk your reputation, you can do (accept the offer) but when it bursts, you may be summoned by the court.”
Another user, Gucci reminded other users about recent events in defi and how Hex compares:
“You guys just saw what happened with Yams, do you really think hex will be any different? It’s just an ERC-20 token.”
Other critics are more scathing in their attacks. They insist the project is going to collapse.
For its part, the Hex team has not been able to shake off persistent Ponzi allegations despite mounting an intensive marketing campaign.
It also appears that the incessant scam allegations could be affecting the price of the hex token.
The token last peaked in May in 2020 when the price surged to $0,006135 giving Hex a total market capitalisation of $968.8 million. However, as Hex battles opponents, the price of the token has been dropping since July 29, from $0.0061 to $0.002732 at the time of writing.
Meanwhile, Antonopolous’ comments are likely to add pressure on the token prompting Hex supporters to fight back. Some Hex supporters, like one Twitter user identifying themselves as Allen Hena, accuse Antonopolous of unfairly targeting crypto project.
Hena argues “unless it was Richard himself, not sure what this proves. I could offer you 100 BTC right now. This seems like an attack on Hex honestly.”
Richard Heart is the creator of Hex.
Meanwhile, Hena concludes by stating that “the Hex (team) has done more than others to prove it isn’t a scam.”
Another user rebuffs Antonopolous and even suspects “a bad actor wanting to portray Hex in a negative light, as this is not the first time you’ve made this kind of tweet.”
The user then infers that the Hex community “is very tight-knit, with no marketing department, and there’s been no mentions or rumors of this whatsoever, at least that I’ve seen.”
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