The sale came after Hayes pointed out weakness in the SpaceX pre-IPO perpetual futures market, triggering a reversal in WLD’s recent rally. The move is also now part of a pattern where Hayes changed his stance on cryptocurrencies, having previously exited positions in Hyperliquid (HYPE) and Zcash (ZEC) after making bullish forecasts. Despite these sales, on-chain data shows that Hayes has recently re-entered some positions.
Arthur Hayes Exits WLD Position
Arthur Hayes, the co-founder of Maelstrom and former BitMEX CEO, announced that he sold his entire position in Worldcoin (WLD) just days after his venture capital firm highlighted the token as one of the strongest opportunities linked to the growing artificial intelligence sector.
Hayes revealed his exit in a post on X, where he shared a chart showing a sharp decline in the SpaceX pre-IPO perpetual futures market. He stated that the chart was “going in the wrong direction” and confirmed that he sold his WLD holdings.
The move surprised many investors because Maelstrom researcher Lukas Ruppert recently published an investor note describing Worldcoin as an overlooked way to gain exposure to the anticipated wave of AI-related public offerings. Ruppert argued that Worldcoin could benefit a lot from investor enthusiasm surrounding major artificial intelligence companies and predicted that the token could reach $5 by August.
The bullish report helped fuel a short-lived rally in WLD. The token climbed above $0.60 on Friday as traders reacted positively to the analysis and the AI narrative surrounding the project. However, sentiment quickly reversed after Hayes announced his sale, and the token subsequently fell back toward $0.40 by Sunday. At press time, WLD was trading hands at $0.46.
WLD’s price action over the past week (Source: CoinCodex)
Some people were particularly critical of the timing of Hayes’ decision because he previously indicated that he intended to hold Worldcoin through the expected SpaceX IPO, which could take place later this week. His abrupt change in strategy raised questions among investors about whether broader market concerns outweighed his earlier conviction.
The Worldcoin sale is not the first time Hayes dramatically altered his outlook on a cryptocurrency.Recently, he made several high-profile bullish predictions before later exiting his positions.
Earlier this year, Hayes forecast that Hyperliquid (HYPE) could reach $150 by August and suggested it would outperform most major cryptocurrencies through the end of the year. Despite those comments, he sold his entire HYPE position only days later due to concerns related to rising energy prices, geopolitical tensions, inventory restocking, and the impact of upcoming AI-focused public offerings.
A similar situation unfolded with Zcash (ZEC). Hayes previously expressed strong confidence in the privacy-focused cryptocurrency, and even suggested it could eventually reach 10% of Bitcoin’s value. However, he liquidated his ZEC holdings after a critical vulnerability was discovered in the network’s privacy infrastructure. After that sale, Hayes declared that his so-called “Holy Trinity” investment thesis involving HYPE, ZEC, and NEAR was effectively dead.
Despite these dramatic exits, Hayes has shown a willingness to re-enter positions when market conditions change. Blockchain data from Arkham Intelligence recently revealed that a wallet linked to him purchased approximately 33,978 HYPE tokens worth around $2 million after the asset experienced a decline. This suggests that while Hayes may frequently adjust his positions, he is still active in looking for opportunities when he believes valuations have become attractive.
