In a statement shared on X, Shytoshi Kusama, the lead developer of the Shiba Inu ecosystem, categorically denied any formal association or partnership with the recently launched HAWK Tuah project. The denial comes amid widespread accusations that the HAWK Tuah token’s team orchestrated a so-called “rug pull,” leaving investors with substantial losses.
Shiba Inu Lead Dev Unveils The Truth
Addressing the ongoing controversy, Kusama stated: “For those who don’t know me, I keep it real… so let’s make sure this HAWK bs is clear so there is no confusion.” According to Kusama, the HAWK Tuah team approached him months ago with offers to participate as a key opinion leader (KoL) and influencer. Kusama claims to have “politely declined” any such involvement, emphasizing: “I didn’t even think much more about it except seeing in the comments to ‘Omg send it to zero.’”
Days before the token’s problematic launch, Kusama says he was contacted again, this time about a proposed airdrop of “millions of tokens” to the Shiba Inu community. He recounted: “Because Shib is decentralized, the post including Shib was going out regardless. So okay, you want to airdrop tokens, won’t be the first or last, and we have methods in place to accept these properly… So sure. Main account RTs. At this point, and never, was there any partnershib, or even agreements in place yet. Only wanted good for the community.”
Before the launch, Kusama expected to have to set up the airdrop. However, what happened was strange. “We are expecting time to set up the system to get the army involved and do things properly. And what happens? Instant launch?! Pump and obvious dumping; even denial of doing so! Which imho is shameful and just like like 90% of crap on Solana. Do better,” Kusama recalled.
He further stated: “So where does this put us, ShibArmy? Last I checked, the Hawk team wants to airdrop me…yeah me, the tokens and I distribute to 3000 wallets…which is absolutely not happening. […] Imho ShibArmy we politely decline and ignore, or tell them to burn it to Shib.”
Kusama then polled the community on X, asking how they should proceed with the approximately $60,000 worth of tokens supposedly intended for distribution. As of press time, with 5,314 votes cast and three hours remaining, the poll shows that 64.7% want to “burn tua Shib”, 21.9% voted for “Tell them tua fck off”, 6.8% for “Take vote to dao” and 6.7% for “Work w/them tua airdrop.”
Background On The HAWK Tuah Rug Pull
The HAWK Tuah project, promoted by internet personality Haliey Welch—popularly known for her viral TikTok videos and the “Talk Tuah” podcast—has been at the center of growing scrutiny. The token reportedly reached a market capitalization of $500 million at launch, only to plummet to $25 million shortly thereafter, wiping out a large portion of investor value. On-chain analysis, including data from Bubblemaps, indicated that 96% of the supply was clustered among a limited group of wallets, with at least 89 wallets selling 100% of their holdings immediately.
In response to criticism, the HAWK Tuah team publicly claimed: “Haliey’s Team has sold absolutely no tokens whatsoever.” Nonetheless, community members and independent investigators, including the crypto commentator @coffeebreak_YT, have pushed back against these denials. Critics accuse the team of deceptive practices. During a recorded X Spaces session intended to clarify events, Welch reportedly ended the session and “went to bed,” leaving unresolved questions about the sudden price collapse and token distribution patterns.
At press time, Shiba Inu traded at $0.00003077.
