Ethereum Co-Founder Triggers a Rug Pull for Meme Coins, Is Meme Coin Mania Over?

Prashant Jha
May 13, 2021 Updated June 5, 2025
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Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin earlier today donated $1 billion towards the COVID relief in India and the proceeds of the donation came from the sale of meme coin Shiba Inu. A majority of these meme coins were donated by the founders of the project to Buterin’s wallet as a promotional gesture to gain more mainstream traction. However, this massive sell-off has triggered a selling spree that threatens to end the meme coin frenzy seen over the past month.

After selling a significant portion of $SHIBA from his $8 billion holdings, Buterin is now selling Dogecoin too. And people are following the Ethereum co-founder’s lead and panic selling as well.

Dogecoin is currently trading at $0.39 down 20% over the past 24 hours and nearly 50% from its ATH. The meme currency started the meme coin frenzy after rising from $0.045 to a new ATH Of $0.76 on several exchanges. The massive price surge was pre-dominantly aided by Elon Musk’s continuous shilling followed by may til toke traders buying in the frenzy. The massive success of Dogecoin led to the creation of several other meme currencies such as Shiba Inu and Akita Inu and they gained instant success as well.

Is it End of Road for Meme Currencies

This bull season has seen various types of altcoins surge to new highs in different phases that started with Ethereum, NFT tokens, privacy coins, and now meme coins. Each altcoin bull cycle came to an end and this seems to be the end of the road for meme currencies.

Shiba Inu hugged the limelight for its mammoth 1500% surge over the past week, and the founders have sent a significant portion of the market supply to Buterin’s wallet that rose to a valuation of over $8 billion. While these meme currencies have no particular use case and an infinite supply, the recent surge has led to many organizations adding Dogecoin as a payment. However, crypto proponents have been warning against these tokens as well as amateur investors heavily investing in them and the recent rug pull is evident enough that those warnings were genuine.

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Investment disclaimer: The content reflects the author’s personal views and current market conditions. Please conduct your own research before investing in cryptocurrencies, as neither the author nor the publication is responsible for any financial losses.
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Why Trust CoinGape

CoinGape has covered the cryptocurrency industry since 2017, aiming to provide informative insights Read more…to our readers. Our journal analysts bring years of experience in market analysis and blockchain technology to ensure factual accuracy and balanced reporting. By following our Editorial Policy, our writers verify every source, fact-check each story, rely on reputable sources, and attribute quotes and media correctly. We also follow a rigorous Review Methodology when evaluating exchanges and tools. From emerging blockchain projects and coin launches to industry events and technical developments, we cover all facets of the digital asset space with unwavering commitment to timely, relevant information.

About Author
About Author
An engineering graduate, Prashant focuses on UK and Indian markets. As a crypto-journalist, his interests lie in blockchain technology adoption across emerging economies.
Investment disclaimer: The content reflects the author’s personal views and current market conditions. Please conduct your own research before investing in cryptocurrencies, as neither the author nor the publication is responsible for any financial losses.
Ad Disclosure: This site may feature sponsored content and affiliate links. All advertisements are clearly labeled, and ad partners have no influence over our editorial content.