Key takeaways:
CZ’s reference transformed the meme token “4” into a tradable asset; one early investor saw their $3,000 investment balloon to $2 million.
The catalyst was the hacking of BNB Chain’s X account, which initiated the “4” meme.
The price jump was driven by trades accessing thin liquidity, rather than any underlying fundamentals.
Some wallets had preemptively purchased just before CZ’s announcement.
On October 1, 2025, BNB Chain’s official X account was compromised and leveraged to disseminate phishing links. Within hours, the chaos birthed a joke token on BNB Chain called “4,” humorously hinting at reports that the hacker absconded with approximately $4,000.
Subsequently, Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, Binance’s co-founder and former CEO, commented on the situation.
That one mention propelled a niche joke into a significant market signal, as interest surged into a new liquidity pool with minimal depth.
In the ensuing frenzy, one early buyer invested around $3,000 worth of BNB (BNB) into “4” and witnessed its value rise to approximately $2 million on their screen within hours.
Did you know? When CZ tweets “4,” he refers to point #4 from his 2023 “Do’s & Don’ts” list: Ignore FUD, fake news, attacks, etc. This became shorthand in the community long before the “4” memecoin emerged.
How a meme turned into a move
1. BNB Chain account hijacked (Oct. 1, 2025)
BNB Chain’s official X account was breached and used to share phishing links to about 4 million followers. The team regained control and issued alerts. Out of this turmoil developed a recurring joke that the hacker fled with only “$4k.”
2. A joke gets a ticker
Shortly after, a new token named “4” debuted on BNB Chain — a nod to the “$4k” joke. Early investors began gravitating towards a newly established liquidity pool that was scarcely funded.
3. CZ amplifies it
Changpeng “CZ” Zhao mentioned the event to his 10.3 million followers, reflecting on the hacker’s negligible profit and how the community “bought the memecoin higher.” What was initially a joke rapidly evolved into an active trading signal. Human traders and bots now had a ticker to pursue.
4. The first wave of orders hits
Scanners identified the contract, copy traders queued sourcing purchases, and retail poured through aggregators into the same shallow pool. With minimal depth, each filled order elevated the next quoted price. Slippage increased, momentum intensified, and the chart ascended almost vertically.
5. The headline wallet is already in
An address dubbed “0x872” purchased in early with around $3,000 worth of BNB. As attention filled the pool and liquidity dwindled, that modest investment surged to nearly $2 million within hours.
Inside the winning wallet
The wallet that made headlines (“0x872”) appeared anything but a mastermind. It invested about $3,000 in BNB into a freshly launched token and, as interest peaked, watched its market value soar.
What turned a small position into a significant paper fortune was entering early into a thin liquidity pool. With little liquidity, each new buyer raises the next selling price — whether the investor sells or not.
Then came the moment every speculator both anticipates and fears: life-altering numbers displayed on screen with almost no depth underneath.
Onchain data reveals only minimal profit-taking. The address retained over 98% of its assets in “4,” remaining around $1.88 million after the initial spike, optimizing potential if momentum continued, but leaving the position vulnerable should a single substantial market sell occur.
The data confirmed the same narrative: approximately $1.8 million in unrealized profits over the week.
“Unrealized” is key. Until an order is executed, profit and loss (PnL) remain only theoretical. In markets where a single sale can shift price significantly, even minor adjustments require careful planning. Many traders learn this through a back-and-forth of profits; this wallet, for a time, opted to hold.
Cash flow around the wallet fueled the cycle. “Smart money” addresses tracked by Lookonchain began acquiring “4,” pushing it into the most accumulated BNB Chain tokens in the following 24 hours.
This feedback loop intensified reflexivity. As more screens illuminated and copy trades initiated, the early holder’s unrealized value continued to rise — until a larger seller eventually tested the pool’s capacity.
The outcome for 0x872 hinged on two decisions: entering significantly early and resisting the temptation to cash out immediately.
Did you know? 0x872 wasn’t alone. Another wallet was reportedly in the market minutes before CZ’s post and reached seven figures within hours — highlighting that timely alerts and feed monitoring can yield a real advantage during meme-fueled surges.
When hype outruns depth
So, what lies ahead for the headline wallet? Maximum profits if momentum sustains and maximum risk if a single substantial sell order encounters thin liquidity.
However, we must remember the trigger: a hacked official account. Such spikes attract phishers and counterfeit contracts. The essential takeaway is procedural. Confirm the contract and pool size, script an exit strategy beforehand, and treat screenshots as tentative until a fill is confirmed.
Posts generate flow, not intrinsic value, and the exit door is narrower than it appears.
This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading decision involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research before acting.
