Who Is James Wynn? From the Slums to a $1.2 Billion Contract – A Wild Gamble

In the world of cryptocurrency, the name James Wynn is like a bomb, blowing open the path of traditional wealth accumulation. James Wynn was born in a “forgotten little town” in England, a place filled with crime, drugs, and poverty, where he claims to have “struggled to make ends meet” as a youth. In 2022, he stepped into the crypto world, starting with “10U War God” (fighting with a very small capital), floating between various MEME coins. No one expected that this young man from the bottom of society would later leverage 1.2 billion dollars with 40 times leverage, becoming a “contract whale” that attracted market attention.

The Legendary Battle: $7,000 to $50 million on PEPE Coin

James Wynn’s true turning point began with a “frog.” In 2023, he discovered the nascent frog-themed MEME coin PEPE. With an initial capital of only $7,600, he heavily invested, buying 28.3 trillion PEPE. As PEPE’s market cap skyrocketed from $4.2 million to $10 billion (by October 2024), his assets soared like a rocket. By April 2024, his earnings had surpassed $25 million; and as PEPE subsequently tripled in value, his total earnings exceeded $50 million.

He once predicted on Twitter that the market value of PEPE would reach 4.2 billion dollars, and a year later the result far exceeded expectations—this accurate judgment earned him the title of “Meme Coin Prophet.”

Controversial Transformation: From Influencer to Contract Whale

With the expansion of wealth, controversies follow. In April 2024, James publicly recommended the new coin ELON, while secretly laying out a plan through multiple wallets. After the coin price skyrocketed by a hundred times, he suddenly claimed that “the token has issues” and sold off, causing ELON to plummet by 70% in a single day, resulting in heavy losses for retail investors who followed suit.

This “harvest” has caused its reputation to collapse, with the community angrily denouncing it as a “whale that exploits followers.” After that, he quietly transformed: his Twitter name changed from “James Wynn (The GOAT)” to “James Wynn Whale,” shifting the content towards Bitcoin analysis and high-leverage contract trading.

Stunning Gamble: $1.2 Billion Position and $80 Million Retracement in 5 Days

In March 2025, James joined the derivatives platform Hyperliquid with 6 million dollars, starting a new round of crazy operations.

40x leverage sweeps mainstream coins: he focuses on Bitcoin and Meme coins such as PEPE and TRUMP, having longed BTC at an average price of $94,292, with a single floating profit of $5 million; the profit from the PEPE long position reached as high as $23 million.

22x leverage position of 1.25 billion: As of May 24, its Hyperliquid total funds are 55.8 million USD, yet it has opened positions of 1.25 billion USD - facing liquidation if volatility exceeds 5%.

However, the collapse came faster:

May 24: Closed long positions worth 1.2 billion dollars, with a loss of 13.39 million dollars;

May 25: Shorted $1 billion in BTC (average price of $107,069) due to a price rebound triggered by Trump’s policies, forced to stop loss within 6 minutes, resulting in a further loss of $15.86 million;

Lost 80 million in 5 days: According to Lookonchain data, its 70-day profit was 87 million USD, almost all evaporated in the past 5 days.

In the face of doubts, he downplayed on the X platform: “Is 80 million dollars considered wealth creation? In this day and age, 80 million dollars can’t even buy a super yacht. When trading billions with 40x leverage, this amount is just a normal fluctuation.”

“I will make a comeback”: Declaration and new positions after the crash

The losses did not defeat this strong-willed whale. On May 31, he announced his return:

“I will come back stronger, as always… I have made a huge bet, calculated meticulously, and earned a lot of money that most of you would not dare to… My passive income each month is more than most of your annual income.”
He also reflects on the essence of wealth: “Money does not truly make you rich; peace, happiness, family, love, loyalty, health, nature, sunshine, and dogs are what make you feel wealthy.”

According to on-chain tracking, he has returned to Hyperliquid, establishing a long position of 439 million dollars in Bitcoin (entry price 109,733 dollars), despite currently having an unrealized loss of 4.12 million dollars. Will the next stop be wealth or liquidation? The market holds its breath.

Conclusion: The Adventurer’s Paradox

James Wynn’s career is a microcosm of the crypto world: born in the slums, he rose to success through MEME coins, achieved glory through leverage, and also fell due to leverage. His strategy combines precise market intuition, extreme risk-taking spirit, and self-marketing ability, while an $80 million drawdown is seen by him as merely “normal volatility.”