According to @Flavio_leMec, a typical crypto KOL lifecycle moves from reply-guy engagement to airdrop farming, to CEX affiliate deals, to paid shilling of low-quality tokens, to pre-TGE Kaito leaderboard farming, followed by rug pulls and market blame, then a rebrand as early-stage investor, a pivot to attention-economy posts, and finally philosophical quotes with claims that the cypherpunk spirit is lost, highlighting recurring incentives that can harm traders. Source: @Flavio_leMec on X, Nov 9, 2025. This sequence flags clear conflicts of interest where affiliate links and paid promotions often precede pushes into illiquid or low-quality tokens, elevating rug-pull and slippage risk for followers. Source: @Flavio_leMec on X, Nov 9, 2025. The reference to pre-TGE leaderboard farming (Kaito) underscores that hype-driven ranking campaigns can front-run listings, signaling the need for extra due diligence on liquidity depth, token unlocks, contract audits, and promoter compensation disclosure before entries. Source: @Flavio_leMec on X, Nov 9, 2025. Rebranding to early-stage investor after failed promotions suggests reputation resets rather than improved research standards, so traders should demand transparent disclosures and verifiable on-chain data before allocating capital. Source: @Flavio_leMec on X, Nov 9, 2025. Actionable takeaway for trading: fade influencer-driven pumps that lack clear vesting, audited contracts, and on-chain liquidity depth, cap position sizes, and treat attention-economy content as marketing until substantiated by fundamentals and disclosures. Source: @Flavio_leMec on X, Nov 9, 2025.

According to @zachxbt, a new Solana meme coin presale received 150+ promotional posts from lower-tier influencers with millions of botted followers and likes but raised only 65 SOL, with few disclosure labels on the posts. Source: ZachXBT on X, Aug 23, 2025, https://twitter.com/zachxbt/status/1959237311880966480. He characterizes the campaign as destined for failure due to the mismatch between heavy influencer promotion and minimal presale funding, alongside disclosure gaps. Source: ZachXBT on X, Aug 23, 2025, https://twitter.com/zachxbt/status/1959237311880966480. For traders, undisclosed paid endorsements are noncompliant with the FTC Endorsement Guides, creating regulatory enforcement risk around such promotions. Source: Federal Trade Commission Endorsement Guides, ftc.gov. The SEC has warned investors about celebrity and influencer promotions of crypto offerings and urges independent due diligence before purchasing tokens advertised online. Source: SEC Office of Investor Education and Advocacy Investor Alert on celebrity endorsements of crypto offerings, investor.gov (2017).

According to @nic__carter, public shilling of low-cap memecoins should be discouraged, a stance that aligns with regulator warnings that hype-driven microcap tokens carry elevated manipulation and illiquidity risks for traders, source: @nic__carter on X (Aug 10, 2025); source: U.S. CFTC Customer Advisory on virtual currency pump-and-dump schemes; source: U.S. SEC Investor Alerts on social media-driven investment fraud. For trading, avoid chasing influencer-driven spikes, verify on-chain liquidity and expected price impact before entry, and use conservative slippage tolerances on DEXs to limit downside in thin markets, source: U.S. SEC Investor Alerts on fraud risks tied to social media; source: Uniswap documentation on slippage, liquidity, and price impact.