Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, has unexpectedly reemerged on social media after a prolonged period of silence. His return was marked by a minimalist post consisting solely of “gm,” a common crypto abbreviation for “good morning,” shared on September 23, 2025. Despite its brevity, the tweet quickly garnered approximately 4.5 million views, igniting a flurry of speculation across the crypto community.

However, an important clarification quickly followed, addressing the widespread assumption that Bankman-Fried himself was posting from prison. A subsequent tweet from the same account stated, “No, SBF is not posting himself from prison. I’m a friend posting on his behalf.” This indicates that the disgraced executive, currently serving a lengthy sentence, is not directly responsible for the recent social media activity.

Bankman-Fried’s dramatic downfall began in 2022, a year after his personal net worth peaked at an estimated $26 billion. The collapse of FTX became one of the biggest stories of the year, revealing that the exchange had commingled customer funds, engaged in risky bets with client money, and lacked proper accounting. These severe financial mismanagement practices led to FTX and its various entities filing for bankruptcy when the exchange could no longer honor customer withdrawals. Additionally, executives from FTX and Alameda, Bankman-Fried’s affiliated hedge fund, were found to have taken loans for personal use.

The legal repercussions were swift and severe. Bankman-Fried was arrested in the Bahamas in December 2022 and subsequently extradited to the United States, where he faced multiple charges of fraud. Following a closely watched trial, he was found guilty in November 2023 and ultimately sentenced to 25 years behind bars.

Interestingly, Bankman-Fried’s social media reappearance, even if indirect, had an immediate impact on the market. The price of the FTX Token (FTT) saw a sharp increase, spiking by 20% according to CoinMarketCap data. This surge occurred despite the clear communication that Bankman-Fried himself was not actively posting, highlighting the persistent influence and speculative nature surrounding figures associated with high-profile crypto events.