a16z Strikes Back: Crypto Giant Wrestles Control Back From Hackers!

Hackers Hijack a16z's X Account to Push Phony Solana Token

Holy smokes! Crypto bigwig a16z had its X account snatched right out from under them by hackers pushing a fake Solana token they called "$a16z". Can you believe it?

On June 18, 2025, these cyber crooks wormed their way into a16z's official X account and started spewing out garbage about this sham token. Talk about audacity!

The whole fiasco only lasted a hot minute, but in that time, the hackers blasted out sketchy links and bogus promos to a16z's massive 850k+ follower base. Yikes!

One post even had the nerve to declare, "It's Official: $a16z Launches Its Own Token. Today marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of crypto @solana," alongside a wallet address to try and trick people into buying the junk. The audacity!

But wait, there's more! The hackers didn't stop there. They kept spamming out fake giveaways and promises of free tokens, including a whopper about a $5 million airdrop. All just a ploy to suck in unsuspecting folks. On-chain data spilled the beans that the scam token spiked briefly before nosediving nearly 90% in a classic pump-and-dump move.

Luckily, a16z fought back fast and yanked the account away from the hackers, scrubbing all the fraud content. In a statement, they made it crystal clear that the breach was confined to their X account and none of that nonsense was from them.

"Earlier today, our X account was briefly compromised. During that time, the account promoted a token and other fake content— none of which originated from a16z. Apologies for any confusion caused by the clowns who temporarily took over our account," the statement fired back.

Folks had mixed feelings about a16z's response, with many questioning their account security. Some unlucky souls even fell for the scam and demanded the firm cough up refunds. Ouch!

Get this, it's not the first time a16z has been in the hackers' crosshairs. Back in February, the personal X account of a16z founder Chris Dixon got jacked to push another fake project. The co-founder called it a well-planned attack and apologized to those who got burned.