Elon Musk “Kekius Maximus” Frenzy Turns $66 into $3 Million in Days

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Elon Musk’s brief name change on X (formerly Twitter) to “Kekius Maximus” sent shockwaves through the meme coin market, catapulting one lucky trader to a mind-boggling 45,900-fold profit. Musk’s new alias, a nod to a Pepe-Gladiator mashup meme, inadvertently turned a $66 investment into a potential $3 million windfall in just 18 days.

Blockchain analytics firm Lookonchain revealed that the trader purchased 10.17 million Kekius Maximus (KEKIUS) tokens on Dec. 14 for $66 worth of Ether (ETH). By Jan. 1, the trader offloaded 2.81 million KEKIUS tokens for 60.3 ETH, equivalent to nearly $205,000. With the remaining tokens still in hand, their paper gains reached a staggering $3 million at KEKIUS’s peak.

Also read: Elon Musk Net Worth Skyrockets $20 Billion After Trump’s Election Victory

The Rise of Kekius Maximus

Kekius Maximus combines two pop culture icons: Pepe the Frog and Maximus Decimus Meridius, the Gladiator protagonist famously portrayed by Russell Crowe. Etherscan data shows KEKIUS was created on Dec. 13, and its market cap surged from $11.4 million by Dec. 31 to a peak of $380 million on Jan. 1, according to CoinGecko.

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1874199431643619474

This meteoric rise was fueled by Musk’s antics. AI-generated Pepe-inspired images of a cartoon warrior in Rome’s Colosseum, shared on Musk’s X account, drew massive attention, with one post garnering 48.2 million views.

A Fall from Glory

Despite its explosive start, KEKIUS’s market cap has since plummeted to $100.5 million, following Musk’s return to his original name and profile photo. Yet, the meme coin remains a favorite among traders, with over 23,600 investors still holding the ERC-20 token, per CoinGecko data.

Also read: Elon Musk’s Robotaxi Reveal Faces Copyright Controversy Over Blade Runner 2049 Image

Other Kekius Maximus-themed tokens also appeared on the Solana blockchain around the same time but failed to replicate the success of their Ethereum-based counterpart, as noted by DEXScreener.

On Jan. 1, Musk’s attention shifted to a more somber note when a Tesla-manufactured Cybertruck exploded outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas. Authorities are investigating the incident, which Musk believes was caused by a bomb or fireworks, as a potential act of terror.

The Meme Coin Phenomenon

Kekius Maximus’s story serves as a strong indicator of the unpredictable nature of meme coins, where internet culture and celebrity influence can create overnight sensations—and just as quickly, crashes. For now, Musk’s brief dalliance as Kekius Maximus has left an indelible mark on the world of crypto.

Author

Steven Walgenbach

Steven's passion for cryptocurrency and blockchain technology began in 2014, inspiring him to immerse himself in the field. He notably secured a top 5 world ranking in robotics. While he initially pursued a computer science degree at the University of Texas at Arlington, he chose to pause his studies after two semesters to take a more hands-on approach in advancing cryptocurrency technology. During this period, he actively worked on multiple patents related to cryptocurrency and blockchain. Additionally, Steven has explored various areas of the financial sector, including banking and financial markets, developing prototypes such as fully autonomous trading bots and intuitive interfaces that streamline blockchain integration, among other innovations.

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