Hawk Tuah Girl: SEC ends meme coin investigation, ‘work is complete’
Add “Hawk Tuah Girl” to the list of cryptocurrency investigations that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is no longer interested in pursuing.
Haliey Welch, who gained fame as the “Hawk Tuah Girl” in a viral video, has announced that the U.S. regulators concluded their investigation into the controversial meme coin bearing her catchphrase without taking action against her.
“For the past few months, I’ve been cooperating with all the authorities and attorneys, and finally, that work is complete,” Welch told TMZ .
Welch’s attorney, James Sallah, elaborated on the outcome:
The SEC closed the investigation without making any findings against, or seeking any monetary sanctions from, Haliey. Because they did not bring any action against her, there are no restrictions on what she can do in regards to crypto or securities in the future.
The $HAWK token became the subject of regulatory scrutiny after experiencing a crash following its sudden rise. The surge saw the coin reach a market capitalization of nearly $500 million before plunging to around $3 million. The collapse left many investors with substantial losses.
While Welch escaped SEC penalties, the coin’s creators face a separate lawsuit alleging negligence for launching the token without proper regulatory approval.
Sources close to Welch say the influencer has severed ties with the LLC behind the coin and will not support or promote it.
Welch’s viral fame began with a street interview where her description of a certain physical act quickly went viral. She capitalized on her sudden celebrity through various ventures, including the “Talk Tuah” podcast.
Reports also mentioned that a “Hawk Tuah” documentary is being developed.
The Hawk Tuah coin isn’t the only crypto-related entity to see its troubles swept under the rug.
The SEC has recently dismissed various cryptocurrency investigations and lawsuits, including cases against Immutable , Crypto.com , Ripple and Coinbase .
Since Gary Gensler, a Biden administration appointee, resigned as SEC chair, cryptocurrency companies and entrepreneurs enjoy looser regulatory oversight under the current Trump administration.
According to Politico, crypto companies (e.g., Ripple, Coinbase, Kraken, Robinhood, and Circle) have made seven-figure donations to Trump since Nov. 5, 2024.
After the Hawk Tuah meme coin crash, Welch temporarily disappeared from social media, raising questions about her involvement in the project.
Despite the controversy, Welch appears ready to move forward.
“Happy to be starting back up again,” she told TMZ.
Musk Sells X To xAI: The Real Strategy Behind This Move!
Elon Musk announced on Friday night the sale of his social network X to his own artificial intelligence company, xAI. This major transaction values X at 33 billion dollars, slightly less than Twitter’s initial purchase price in 2022, but also includes 12 billion dollars in debt.
Elon Musk announced this transaction on Friday night directly on his X account. The billionaire revealed that his platform would come under the control of xAI , his artificial intelligence startup.
“The future of xAI and X is closely linked“, he stated , emphasizing the necessity to “combine data, models, computing, distribution, and talent”.
This merger occurs at a strategic moment. The Grok chatbot, created by xAI, is already operating on X, demonstrating early synergies.
According to Musk, this alliance will “unlock immense potential” by combining xAI’s expertise with X’s 200 million users, to provide “smarter experiences”.
The new merged entity would reach a valuation of 80 billion dollars. This figure represents a spectacular turnaround for X, whose value had dropped by nearly 80% according to estimates from investment firm Fidelity last October, before partially rebounding at the end of the year.
This reorganization comes as Elon Musk now plays a key role in the Trump administration. Appointed to head the Department of Government Efficiency , the billionaire seeks to better organize his numerous businesses in the face of criticism about his ability to manage them simultaneously.
This acquisition fits into Musk’s clear ambition to become a major player in artificial intelligence. His recent attempt to acquire OpenAI for nearly 100 billion dollars shows his willingness to compete directly with Sam Altman, the creator of ChatGPT.
The X platform has recently won back major advertisers like Amazon and Apple, who are returning after stepping back due to moderation controversies. The valuation of xAI has also skyrocketed, reaching nearly 75 billion dollars according to Bloomberg.
By merging X and xAI, Musk thus strengthens his position in the AI market, a priority sector for the Trump administration.
In summary, X’s renewed success is closely tied to the growing influence of Musk in American politics . His new governmental role makes X an essential platform for tracking the activities of the Trump administration, attracting investors and users.
Inside the Story of Amadeo Brands and His DeFi Consistency
Before Amadeo Brands became a household figure in the space of decentralized finance, or DeFi, he was a young man with a strong interest in computers and economics. A combination that, on second thought, seems to be the perfect formula for the crypto age. Amadeo’s journey, nevertheless, was not as easy.
Born and raised in the Netherlands, Amadeo is not someone who suddenly appeared in the midst of the crypto craze like magic. He started his career from the bottom, becoming part of the first crypto hedge fund in his country.
This step not only marked his early involvement in the world of digital assets but also showed how he was able to combine a technical background and an understanding of economics in one harmonious movement. At a time when many people were still confused about the difference between Bitcoin and blockchain, Amadeo had already invested more deeply — in terms of time and mind.
But Amadeo’s journey did not stop at being an early investor. He went further. One of his major achievements was founding YieldNest, a restaking protocol that harnesses the potential of Ethereum and EigenLayer. In simple terms, YieldNest allows people to still benefit from staking without losing flexibility over their assets.
This concept can be likened to renting an apartment but still being able to go home at any time without having to wait for the contract to expire. And it turns out, such an idea is much needed in the fast-paced world of DeFi.
Interestingly, Amadeo is not only the CEO and co-founder of this project. He is really involved in the design of the token mechanism, how staking works, and the launch strategy. On the other hand, his skills in building tokenomics strategies are also widely used by other altcoin projects that want to stay relevant in a volatile market.
Furthermore, Amadeo does not keep all that knowledge to himself. He chose a path that not all founders take: becoming an educator. He is a co-instructor in the “Master DeFi” course, which teaches everything from staking and yield farming to how to assess risk in DeFi .
However, education is not limited to online courses. Amadeo also contributes opinion pieces and analysis to cryptocurrency media, including his thoughts on the emerging restaking protocol. He highlights not only the potential benefits but also the risks associated with it, which is an unusual perspective in the midst of the FOMO and hype narrative.
If that’s not enough, Amadeo also has his own podcast called “ON DeFi,” which dissects various topics ranging from social tokens and NFTs to technical discussions of staking and smart contract risks. For some, this may sound too technical. But for those who want to really understand this world, Amadeo is one of the clearest voices amid the noise of hype.
Outside of all his official roles, Amadeo is still active in sharing via social media. His Twitter account is filled with updates on the YieldNest project, sharp comments on the development of DeFi protocols, and the occasional lighthearted meme that shows his human side. He doesn’t hesitate to criticize trends that he thinks only rely on buzzwords without a clear direction.
In a recent tweet, he wrote, “If DeFi is just a copy-paste of old projects but gives it a new name, we won’t progress.” A fitting sarcasm, especially amid the proliferation of cloned projects without innovation.
One can characterize Amadeo Brands as more than just a figure in the background. He is actively shaping the narrative and direction of DeFi’s development. Whether he is a constructor, writer, instructor, or commentator, to make the DeFi ecosystem more clear and functional.
What makes Amadeo’s story interesting is not just because he successfully built a project or became one of the brains behind the tokenomics of a popular altcoin . What’s more interesting is his consistency. Amid the huge wave of people coming and going from the crypto industry, he remains there — thriving, but not disappearing.
Perhaps that’s what keeps his name mentioned, even as many other names start to fade. He doesn’t sell empty dreams but offers a real, functional framework. If DeFi is a world of risks and opportunities, then Amadeo is someone who doesn’t just go with the flow — he chooses to build bridges for others to cross, too.