In the high-stakes world of cryptocurrency, one CZ memecoin post was all it took to turn an ordinary trader into a millionaire overnight. After Binance co-founder Changpeng Zhao, better known as CZ, shared a short message on X (formerly Twitter) about a little-known token called “4”, the coin’s value skyrocketed more than 650x, transforming a $3,000 investment into over $2 million.
The birth of the “4” memecoin
The origin of this now-famous token is as strange as its meteoric rise. The “4” memecoin was born after a phishing attack briefly compromised the official BNB Chain X account.
The hacker made off with only $4,000—an underwhelming sum that inspired the crypto community to create a meme coin mocking the attacker’s tiny profit.
When CZ reposted the story to his 8.9 million followers, noting how “the community took over and bought the meme coin higher, as a mock to the hacker,” the memecoin surge went into overdrive. Within hours, traders piled in, sending prices soaring.
The crypto trader who struck gold
According to Lookonchain, the analytics firm that first spotted the trade, a wallet starting with “0x872” was among the earliest buyers.
That trader initially used about $3,000 worth of BNB to purchase the CZ memecoin—and within days, the holding ballooned to $2 million. Even after partial profit-taking, the wallet still held $1.88 million worth of tokens at the time of reporting.
Smart money joins the frenzy
It wasn’t just lucky retail traders jumping in. Data from Nansen showed that so-called “smart money” wallets—those known for making consistently profitable trades—also began scooping up “4” tokens.
In just 24 hours, “4” became the third-most-purchased token on BNB Chain, with around $100,000 in volume from top-performing wallets. Blockchain data platform Bubblemaps added that another trader, who bought minutes before the CZ post, pocketed over $1.5 million in profit.
Why big influencers move memecoin markets
The CZ memecoin post is a perfect example of how powerful influencers can reshape crypto markets overnight. Figures like Binance CZ and Elon Musk have the ability to create instant narratives—and in the world of memecoins, narratives equal value.
Because most memecoins lack fundamental utility or long-term roadmaps, their prices are often driven by social sentiment and hype cycles. When a well-known figure posts—even casually—followers interpret it as validation, sparking speculative buying sprees that can multiply token prices in hours.
According to Chainalysis researchers, this phenomenon underscores the psychology of social proof in crypto: when respected figures engage, traders rush to follow, often without assessing the risks.
Beyond the memes: a cautionary takeaway
While these dramatic stories make headlines, they represent statistical outliers. For every trader who turns $3,000 into millions, countless others face heavy losses chasing similar dreams.
Still, the “CZ Effect” is a reminder of how intertwined social media, speculation, and blockchain culture have become. In this space, a single Binance CZ post can spark a memecoin surge—proving that in crypto, sometimes a tweet really can change everything.
