After two years, SBF, who is in prison, tweeted again. What else is there to watch?

Introduction

SBF’s Twitter update shocked the crypto circle. FTX Token soared 30% and then quickly fell back, causing market turmoil. Coinciding with the first phase of compensation after FTX’s bankruptcy, how did this privileged prisoner serving a sentence in a US federal prison break the mobile phone ban and tweet? Is FTT still worth investing in? What other news is there about SBF? Let’s take a deep look at the shocking truth and potential impact behind this incident.

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SBF speaks out again after two years, causing volatility in the crypto market

On February 25, 2025, Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), the founder of the once-popular cryptocurrency exchange FTX, returned to the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) after two years of silence. The former CEO, who is serving a prison sentence, posted a tweet about government employee layoffs. Although the content has nothing to do with cryptocurrency, it has caused a sharp fluctuation in the crypto market. SBF’s sudden appearance not only attracted public attention, but also sparked speculation about how he posted tweets in prison.

SBF’s tweet mainly discussed layoffs, seemingly in response to Elon Musk’s move to ask federal employees to report on their work last week. He said: “I have deep sympathy for government employees: I haven’t checked my email in hundreds of days. I can confirm that unemployment is far from as easy as it seems. Firing people is one of the hardest things in the world.” Although this remark seems to have nothing to do with cryptocurrency, it has triggered a strong reaction in the market, highlighting the influence SBF still has in the cryptocurrency community.

FTT surged 30% in a short period of time, and market sentiment fluctuated violently

SBF’s tweet triggered violent fluctuations in the FTT token of the FTX platform. According to Gate.io data, FTT soared from $1.63 to a maximum of $2.22 in a short period of time, an increase of 30%. However, this upward momentum did not last long. Within half an hour, the price of FTT quickly fell back to around $1.74. This rapid price fluctuation reflects the high sensitivity of the cryptocurrency market and also exposes the fragility of investor sentiment.

This violent price fluctuation has triggered heated discussions in the market about the future trend of the FTT token. Although the FTX exchange has collapsed and the FTT token has actually lost its use value, there is still a demand for speculative transactions.

In the past two years, some major movements of SBF and FTX exchanges have caused short-term speculation in the market on the FTT token. This phenomenon reflects the speculative nature of the cryptocurrency market and the investors’ pursuit of high-risk assets.

From a genius trader to a prisoner: SBF’s road to information and public opinion manipulation

As a “math geek” who once managed hundreds of billions of crypto assets, SBF’s rise and fall can be called the most magical reality in modern financial history:

-2019: At the age of 26, he founded Alameda Research, swept Wall Street with high-frequency trading algorithms, and regarded himself as the “crusher of the efficient market hypothesis”;

-2021: Launched the FTX exchange, using innovative gameplay such as “liquidity mining” and “zero slippage” to attract more than US$8 billion in three months in the DeFi craze;

-2022: Bitcoin‘s plunge triggered a series of liquidations, and SBF, who was exposed to embezzling customer funds to fill the deficit, hastily launched the “rescue trilogy” - shorting Bitcoin ETFs, selling Bill Ackman’s short positions, and even attempting to acquire competitor Solana - but eventually collapsed completely in the regulatory crackdown.

The collapse of the $40 billion crypto empire directly led to the largest fine in CFTC history ($11 billion), the SEC’s global prosecution of other crypto exchanges, and hundreds of thousands of investors around the world lost all their money. The former “genius boy” is now wearing electronic shackles and is facing a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison.

It is interesting to note that SBF’s “financial magic” has always been deeply bound to the manipulation of news and public opinion. From the early days of shouting orders through TikTok influencers live broadcasts, to the launch of the “GiveAway” marketing campaign in 2021 (sending 100,000 FTTs a day), and visiting the White House in 2022, he is well versed in the crypto world law of narrative-driven value. Even after his arrest, his team still launched the “FTX 2.0” restart plan in early 2024, claiming that it had obtained $1 billion in venture capital, and the market verified the attractiveness of this with a single-day FTT trading volume of $500 million.

“Schrödinger’s SBF”: Market anxiety during a news vacuum

Since his arrest in November 2022, SBF’s fate has been like an unopened blind box:

1.January 25, 2023: FTT rose 23.8% in a short period of time, possibly due to the news that SBF will “testify in court”.

2.April 13, 2023: FTT briefly broke through $2.7, a 24-hour increase of 97.5%, possibly due to the news that “FTX is considering reopening its trading platform business at some point in the future”.

3.January 31, 2024: FTT rose more than 10% in 24 hours, possibly due to the news that SBF’s parents sought a pardon from Trump.

4.June 20, 2024: FTT rose to $1.739 in a short period of time, a 24-hour increase of 6.29%.

5.October 8, 2024: Affected by the news that “the judge approved FTX’s bankruptcy plan”, FTT broke through $3.4 this morning, reaching a high of $3.43, and is now quoted at $2.74, with a 24-hour increase of 12.36%.

6.December 11, 2024: FTT rose briefly to 3.46 USDT, possibly affected by Musk’s reply to the speculation tweet that “Biden may pardon SBF”.

This roller coaster market confirms the judgment of Wall Street analysts: SBF has transformed from the actual controller of FTX to a kind of “narrative symbol”. Investors no longer care about its business logic, but are obsessed with interpreting the metaphors behind each news dynamic - hints of commutation, rumors of cooperation, and even the length of time his Twitter account has been suspended, all of which have become variables affecting market sentiment.

Now SBF is serving his sentence at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center. How did he post tweets in prison? This question has sparked widespread speculation and discussion. Regulation 5265.11 of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) of the United States clearly stipulates that prisoners are prohibited from possessing electronic devices such as mobile phones and can only make monitored calls through the prison pay phone .

However, the reality is often more complicated than the regulations, and there is no clear official conclusion yet. For example, Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the “Silk Road” dark web platform, also updated his Twitter account while serving his sentence. He passed the information through handwritten notes, which were posted on social media by relatives or friends.

Conclusion

Behind the iron bars of the Bahamas prison, SBF seems to be learning how to play the role of “digital Jesus”. His Twitter profile reads “Shared by a friend”, and some fans still believe that the genius trader who once boasted that “FTX will dominate traditional finance” will eventually return with the halo of the savior. It’s just that this time, the market may be soberly aware that when a person’s fate can affect the market value of tens of billions of dollars, and when a tweet is enough to trigger fierce hype, this seemingly free and innovative crypto world has long been completely kidnapped by news narratives controlled by a few people.

Risk Warning: The cryptocurrency market is highly volatile, and changes in regulatory policies may lead to drastic changes in the industry landscape. Investors should carefully assess the risks.