Key takeaways:
CZ’s mention turned the meme token “4” into a trade; one early buyer saw $3,000 transform into $2 million.
The catalyst was the hack of BNB Chain’s X account, leading to the creation of “4.”
The increase resulted from activity in thin liquidity, not from fundamentals.
Some wallets had already acquired tokens shortly before CZ’s post.
On Oct. 1, 2025, BNB Chain’s official X account was compromised and used to share phishing links. Within hours, the incident inspired a joke token on BNB Chain known as “4,” playfully reflecting reports that the hacker stole only about $4,000.
Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, co-founder and former CEO of Binance, then commented on the situation.
That singular reference transformed an inside joke into a significant market signal as attention poured into a newly created pool with minimal liquidity.
In the subsequent frenzy, one early buyer invested about $3,000 worth of BNB (BNB) into “4,” witnessing it quickly rise to around $2 million on their screen within hours.
Did you know? When CZ tweets “4,” he’s alluding to point #4 from his 2023 “Do’s & Don’ts” list: Ignore FUD, fake news, attacks, etc. It became a community shorthand long before the emergence of the 4 memecoin.
How a meme turned into a move
1. BNB Chain account hijacked (Oct. 1, 2025)
BNB Chain’s official X account was hacked and utilized to post phishing links to roughly 4 million followers. The team later regained control and issued cautionary alerts. Out of the mayhem emerged a running joke that the hacker had made off with only “$4k.”
2. A joke gets a ticker
Within hours, a new token called 4 was launched on BNB Chain — a nod to the “$4k” meme. Early buyers began to circle a brand-new liquidity pool that was just getting started.
3. CZ amplifies it
Changpeng “CZ” Zhao mentioned the incident to his 10.3 million followers, highlighting the hacker’s minuscule profit and how the community began “buying the memecoin higher.” What started as a joke quickly evolved into a trading signal. Human traders and bots now had a ticker to pursue.
4. The first wave of orders hits
Scanners picked up the contract, copy traders queued their buys, and retail investors flowed through aggregators into the same shallow pool. With razor-thin depth, each filled order elevated the subsequent quote. Slippage increased, momentum built, and the chart surged nearly vertically.
5. The headline wallet is already in
An address labeled “0x872” acquired around $3,000 worth of BNB early on. As interest surged and liquidity dwindled, that small investment ballooned to approximately $2 million within hours.
Inside the winning wallet
The wallet that made headlines (“0x872”) didn’t seem like a mastermind. It invested roughly $3,000 in BNB into a newly launched token and, as attention grew, observed its mark-to-market rise dramatically.
What turned a modest investment into a financial windfall was entering early into a scarce pool. When liquidity is low, every new buyer raises the following quote you would sell into — regardless of whether you actually sell.
Then came the moment every speculator both hopes for and fears: life-changing figures on screen with very little depth beneath.
Onchain analysis shows minimal profit-taking. The address retained over 98% of its portfolio in 4, still valued at around $1.88 million following the initial spike, maximizing potential upside if momentum continued, but leaving the position vulnerable if a significant market sell occurred.
The screenshots reflected a similar narrative: approximately $1.8 million in unrealized profit over the week.
“Unrealized” is the key term. Until an order is executed, profit and loss (PnL) remains only a suggestion. In situations where a single sale can impact the price by several percentage points, even trimming positions requires intention and a strategy. Many traders learn this by inadvertently taking a win back to par; this wallet, for a while, opted to hold.
Flow surrounding the wallet contributed to the cycle. “Smart money” addresses tracked by Lookonchain began acquiring 4, propelling it into the most accumulated BNB Chain tokens over the subsequent 24 hours.
This feedback loop intensified reflexivity. As more screens lit up and copy trades executed, the early holder’s unrealized value continued to rise — until a larger seller eventually tested the pool’s depth.
0x872’s outcome depended on two decisions: entering at an absurdly early stage and resisting the immediate temptation to cash out.
Did you know? 0x872 wasn’t alone. Another wallet reportedly made a purchase just minutes before CZ’s post and realized seven figures within hours — underscoring that quick alerts and feed monitoring can provide a genuine advantage in meme-driven surges.
When hype outruns depth
So, what lies ahead for the prominent wallet? Maximum upside if momentum persists and maximum downside if a substantial sell order hits a shallow pool.
However, we must not overlook the trigger: a compromised official account. Such spikes attract phishers and counterfeit contracts. The lesson is procedural. Verify the contract and the pool size, outline an exit strategy beforehand, and treat screenshots as suggestions until a fill is confirmed.
Posts generate flow, not value, and the exit path is narrower than it appears.
This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.
