CryptoCurrency
New X starter packs face backlash over crypto ‘scam’ accounts
X Head of Product Nikita Bier has added, and swiftly removed, the controversial LexaproTrader account from the platform’s new starter pack feature after users branded the crypto influencer a “serial scammer.”
Bier announced yesterday that X has spent months curating influential accounts from every “niche and country” into “Starter Packs” for users to follow — a concept that will be more than familiar to users of X rival Bluesky.
The announcement naturally prompted crypto enthusiasts from across various communities to ask for their own crypto themed starter packs.
One such pack was titled “Meme Trading” and was created in response to a request for a pack on “Crypto and gambling.”
However, the first iteration drew intense criticism after Bier included the account LexaproTrader.
Read more: Nikita Bier causes collapse of crypto InfoFi
LexaproTrader has garnered a reputation for shilling sketchy crypto projects that often rug pull on investors. Indeed, users questioned why Bier had included a “serial scammer,” and others outright called Lexapro a “criminal.”
The crypto payments firm Moonpay was also in disbelief at Lexapro’s inclusion, and Alon Cohen, CEO of memecoin platform Pump Fun, described the starter pack as a “nightmare blunt rotation.”
Bier also shared a starter pack of “Bitcoin Maximalists” that was also shunned by Bitcoin diehards. This list featured the likes of Micheal Saylor, Jack Dorsey, Anthony Pompliano, Cathie Wood, Balaji Srinversan, Raoul Pal, Natalie Brune, and Erik Voorhees.
Bitcoin Maximalist Nic Carter claimed “half of these people aren’t maxis lol,” while others described it as a selection of “shitcoiners” and a list “that’s way off target.”
Bier also shared a starter pack for crypto founders.
However, users questioned why Vitalik Buterin wasn’t included, accused it of being stacked with “Solana folks cause they pay you,” and described it as “very half-baked.”
Read more: Crypto Twitter melts down after algorithm change triggers X bot flood
Tough month for X’s head of product
Bier has had a tough month of handling changes to X’s policies after he removed API access to “InfoFi” projects in an attempt to cut down on bot posts and all-around spam.
Earlier in the month, algorithm changes to the “for you page” seemingly caused an explosion in visibility for spam, and people’s timelines were flooded with crypto posts.
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