Arthur Hayes Dumps Worldcoin Days After Maelstrom’s Bullish AI IPO Call

Maelstrom co-founder Arthur Hayes has exited his Worldcoin (WLD) position just days after his venture capital firm touted the token as a prime play on the upcoming AI mega-IPO wave. The move marks another sharp reversal for the influential investor, who has been rapidly pivoting on several major crypto bets in recent weeks.

Hayes announced the sale on X on Saturday, posting a chart of the SpaceX pre-IPO perpetual futures contract and stating simply, “This chart is going in the wrong direction. Dumped WLD. I’m out. See y’all at the clerb.” The exit came as WLD prices retreated from recent highs, falling to $0.40 on June 7 after peaking at $0.60 just two days earlier.

The timing proved controversial given that Maelstrom researcher Lukas Ruppert had described Worldcoin as an overlooked bet on AI mega IPOs, predicting WLD would reach $5 by August. That bullish call had sparked a short-lived rally in the token, but Hayes’ sudden exit and his 800,000 X followers’ awareness of it prompted criticism over the timing of his sale.

Hayes had previously committed to holding WLD through the expected SpaceX Nasdaq IPO on June 12, making his early exit appear inconsistent with his earlier public statements. The reversal adds to a growing pattern of rapid position changes from the Maelstrom founder, who has become increasingly active in trading against his own prior recommendations.

See also: Maelstrom Predicts Worldcoin Token Could Surge to $5 Amid AI IPO Wave

The Worldcoin dump represents just the latest in a series of exits Hayes has executed despite earlier bullish commentary. In March, he predicted that Hyperliquid (HYPE) would reach $150 by August and on June 1 claimed it would outperform any other top ten crypto through year-end. Just three days later, he sold his entire HYPE position, citing higher energy prices due to geopolitical tensions, inventory restocking concerns, and the anticipated wave of mega AI IPOs.

Hayes’ volatility extends to other major holdings as well. On May 6, he stated that Zcash would reach 10% of Bitcoin’s price, but offloaded his ZEC stash on June 5 following the discovery of a critical vulnerability in its privacy protocol. At that time, he declared the “Holy Trinity” of HYPE, ZEC, and NEAR was “dead,” signaling a complete reversal from his earlier conviction in these assets.

However, Hayes appears to have partially reversed course once again. According to data from Arkham Intelligence, a wallet linked to Hayes purchased approximately 33,978 HYPE tokens worth around $2 million on Monday. This buyback occurred after HYPE had fallen 26% in the wake of his June 4 sale, suggesting Hayes may be reconsidering his bearish stance on at least one of his recently dumped positions.

The pattern of rapid reversals raises questions about the decision-making process behind Maelstrom’s public investment theses and whether market conditions or other factors are driving Hayes’ frequent pivots. His willingness to publicly reverse positions so quickly could impact the credibility of future calls from the firm, particularly among retail investors who may have acted on his earlier recommendations.

See also: Bitcoin Sentiment Hits Most Bullish Level of 2026, But History Warns of Pullback Risk

WLD has been extremely volatile over the past week, reflecting broader market uncertainty around AI-related tokens and the anticipated IPO wave that Hayes cited as a key driver of his recent trades. The token’s inability to sustain the rally following Maelstrom’s bullish call suggests that Hayes’ exit may have been a significant factor in the price decline.

Cointelegraph reached out to Maelstrom for comment on Hayes’ recent trading activity and the apparent contradictions between his public statements and subsequent actions, but did not receive an immediate response. The firm has not publicly addressed the series of reversals or provided additional context for the rapid position changes.

As Hayes continues to navigate the volatile crypto markets, his recent trading activity serves as a reminder of the risks associated with following high-profile investor calls, particularly when those calls are reversed within days of being made public.