From a $30 million weekly profit to self-funded Meme coin development, another form of value output by legendary traders

Hyperliquid Legendary Trader The White Whale Takes Over Meme Coin WhiteWhale and Invests $140,000 to Build Community

Since taking over his namesake meme coin WhiteWhale, The White Whale has personally invested $140,000 to develop the community. The project, which nearly went to zero last October, has now surpassed a market cap of $110 million. Behind this is not just a surge in price, but also a reflection of the crypto community’s recognition of genuine builders and a desire to move away from the KOL vampiric model.

From Legendary Trader to Community Builder

Who is The White Whale?

The White Whale was once a legendary trader on Hyperliquid. According to HyperInsight data, in July 2025, he heavily longed ETH and SOL, earning nearly $30 million in a single week, topping the Hyperliquid profit charts for the first time. Between August and September, his annualized returns approached $100 million. Such performance is considered top-tier in the derivatives trading space.

However, the story took a turn on October 11. During that day’s massive crash, The White Whale experienced a maximum single-day drawdown loss of $62 million. Despite the heavy loss, he maintained overall profitability for the year. By November 14, he announced his permanent exit from Hyperliquid trading, shifting to support teams dedicated to improving the underlying design.

The Real Reason for Taking Over the Project

WhiteWhale, the meme coin, was initially created on pump.fun on October 13, 2025, by community fans using The White Whale’s avatar. Early market cap peaked at only about $10,000, then traded sideways for a long time, once nearing zero.

On December 7, 2025, The White Whale himself announced he was taking over the project. His reason was straightforward: he was worried that misuse of the token could damage his personal reputation. But his actions after the takeover are even more noteworthy. He pledged to return all related income to the community, earning “zero profit” himself.

Self-Funded Community Governance Experiment

Specific Promises and Actions

After taking over, The White Whale did several things:

• Purchased 10,000 tokens with his own funds, planning to gradually invest $140,000 of his personal money
• Used the funds to provide liquidity, enhancing trading depth and resistance to Rug pulls
• Launched a “$100,000 Community Reward” incentive plan on December 20
• Committed to returning 100% of all income to the community, with zero personal gains

The key to these promises is his real financial commitment. In the meme coin ecosystem, most founders and KOLs aim for quick profits, but The White Whale chose a different path.

Innovation in Community Narrative

The project has gradually formed a community-driven narrative of “anti-KOL vampirism and Rug resistance.” This is fresh for meme coin communities. Usually, meme coins face issues where founders or major KOLs hold large token amounts, and once the price rises, they dump for profit. WhiteWhale aims to break this cycle.

With 87,000 followers on X, The White Whale’s actions have gained community trust. This trust isn’t based on empty promises but on his track record and tangible investments.

The Driving Forces Behind Price Performance

Data shows that WhiteWhale’s rise wasn’t overnight. From the takeover on December 7 to the incentive plan launch on December 20, there was a two-week observation period. The price only accelerated after the incentive plan was introduced. This indicates the market was testing whether The White Whale’s promises were genuine.

On January 6, Bybit listed WhiteWhale, further boosting liquidity and attention. Listing on a mainstream exchange is a significant signal, indicating institutional-level recognition of the project.

What Does This Reflect?

The White Whale’s transformation from Hyperliquid’s legendary trader to meme coin community builder is quite interesting. He gave up millions of dollars in monthly trading profits to personally invest in a meme coin project.

This isn’t because WhiteWhale can earn more money. On the contrary, from a financial perspective, this investment might be short-term loss-making. But from a long-term and community influence perspective, he gained genuine trust and reputation.

In the crypto community, such shifts are becoming more common. Influencers no longer pursue quick arbitrage but seek more meaningful participation. The success of WhiteWhale could inspire more capable traders and builders to engage in the meme coin ecosystem similarly.

Summary

WhiteWhale’s journey from near zero to over $100 million market cap isn’t mainly about the token’s innovation, but about a real influential person making genuine commitments. The White Whale has used his reputation and real money to endorse the project, and the community has responded through market votes.

This case shows that in today’s meme coin flood, genuine builders and authentic commitments remain the most scarce resources. How far The White Whale’s experiment will go depends on future community execution, but at least he has broken the traditional KOL vampiric pattern, which is worth paying attention to.