Shiba Inu lead developer Shytoshi Kusama has spoken out about the controversy surrounding the Hawk Tuah (HAWK) meme coin’s launch. In a series of tweets, Kusama clarified his limited involvement, explaining why he distanced himself from the project. He revealed that the Hawk Tuah team approached him months ago, asking him to become a Key Opinion Leader (KOL) or influencer. However, he turned down the offer, citing more pressing priorities within the Shiba Inu ecosystem.
Airdrop Offer and Transparency
Despite his initial rejection, the Hawk Tuah team reconnected with Kusama shortly before the token’s launch. They offered to airdrop $60,000 worth of HAWK tokens to the Shiba Inu community. Kusama, however, remained unimpressed.
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He acknowledged that, due to Shiba Inu’s decentralized nature, the airdrop would proceed regardless of his input. To maintain transparency, he allowed a retweet from Shiba Inu’s official account but emphasized that no formal partnership existed between Shiba Inu and Hawk Tuah.
Market Collapse and Allegations
HAWK launched on December 4, peaking at a $500 million market cap before crashing by 91% within hours. Accusations soon followed, with reports of insider wallets and sniper activity controlling 90% of the token’s supply.
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One wallet allegedly profited $1.3 million from rapid trading. Kusama expressed disappointment, criticizing the Hawk Tuah team for poor planning and pump-and-dump tactics. He pointed out evidence of insider trading, contradicting the team’s claims of fair distribution.
In response, the Hawk Tuah team proposed an airdrop of tokens to Kusama, suggesting he distribute them to 3,000 wallets. Kusama rejected the offer, stating, “I don’t work for you. You work for the army.” He urged the team to follow proper procedures if they wanted to engage with the Shiba Inu community.
Ultimately, Kusama left the decision to the SHIB Army. He created a poll for the community to decide whether to ignore or burn the airdropped tokens. Voting remains ongoing.
