Arthur Hayes has amplified a bullish Worldcoin thesis from Maelstrom, arguing 
that WLD could become a high-beta proxy for the coming wave of artificial 
intelligence IPOs. The call centers on a short-heavy setup, a potential 
balance-sheet bid from Eightco, and a scheduled reduction in WLD unlocks later 
this month. Hayes, the BitMEX co-founder and Maelstrom chief investment 
officer, put the argument in his typically blunt style on X. “Read it and weep 
WLD bears,” he wrote. “This shitcoin is going to moon … cause AI duh. Don&#8217;t 
mid-curve this shit.” The post quoted a Maelstrom research note titled “WLD 
Hated Rally,” authored by Lukas Ruppert, which frames Worldcoin as an 
overlooked liquid proxy for exposure to OpenAI-adjacent artificial 
intelligence upside. Maelstrom’s stated target is $5 by August, though the 
firm cautioned readers to “DYOR” and said the note was “not financial advice.” 
Maelstrom Sees Worldcoin (WLD) As An AI Proxy Maelstrom’s core thesis begins 
with public-market behavior around private technology listings. The firm 
pointed to SpaceX’s confidential S-1 filing on April 1, arguing that high-beta 
space-linked equities reacted sharply after the filing became known. Related 
Reading: Worldcoin’s FOMO Rally Cracks After On-Chain Activity Explodes “When 
SpaceX confidentially filed its S-1 on April 1, high-beta space names ran,” 
Maelstrom wrote. “Rocket Lab (RKLB) rallied 165%. Anthropic has now filed as 
well. The AI mega IPOs are coming &#8211; and it appears the market has overlooked 
one of the cleanest proxies.” The proxy in question is WLD. According to 
Maelstrom, investors are aggressively pursuing exposure to companies such as 
Anthropic and OpenAI, often through layered SPVs that charge high fees and 
imply valuations in the hundreds of billions or even trillions. By contrast, 
the note says WLD trades at a $2 billion unlocked market capitalization, a 
comparatively small figure if the market begins treating it as a liquid 
expression of AI-linked speculative demand. “Capital is aggressively chasing 
Anthropic and OpenAI exposure,” Maelstrom wrote. “Layered SPVs are charging 
egregious fees. Valuations are in the hundreds of billions and trillions. WLD 
trades at $2B unlocked market cap. A small cap, when it comes to AI 
valuations. Asymmetric upside.” The Bear Trap Setup The second leg of the 
thesis is positioning. Maelstrom argued that WLD has lagged the broader AI 
trade despite the intensity of investor interest in the sector. The token is 
down year-to-date, according to the note, while perp funding has turned deeply 
negative. The firm tied that weakness partly to Worldcoin’s March OTC round, 
which it said raised $65 million, including $25 million locked for six months. 
Since then, Maelstrom argued, OTC participants have been hedging exposure 
while long-short traders continued leaning into a bearish chart. Related 
Reading: Worldcoin Drops 10% Even As Sam Altman Doubles Down On Human ID Tech 
“While the AI bull market has been raging, $WLD is down YTD,” the note said. 
“In March, Worldcoin closed a $65M OTC round, with $25M locked for six months. 
Since then, perp funding has turned deeply negative as OTC participants hedge 
exposure and L/S traders continue pressing a down-only chart. Textbook short 
overhang. But those shorts could end in tears.” That short overhang is central 
to the $5 target. In Maelstrom’s view, WLD does not need a constant bid to 
move sharply. It needs a catalyst capable of forcing crowded shorts to 
reassess at the same time that new buyers begin treating the token as an AI 
trade. Maelstrom pointed to Eightco Holdings, trading under the ticker ORBS, 
as another possible accelerant. The note described Eightco as a WLD/OAI 
digital asset treasury and said the company reported approximately $144 
million in cash and equivalents on its balance sheet on May 27. “Even a modest 
allocation into WLD could trigger a reflexive loop,” Maelstrom wrote, adding 
that the daily unlock rate is scheduled to drop 43% on July 24. The firm also 
said ORBS already holds roughly 283 million WLD, equal to about 8.3% of 
circulating supply, and claimed the company is “just getting started.” UPDATE: 
In a later X post, Hayes added: &#8220;The SpaceX IPO is going to melt people’s 
faces off. Holding the WLD through the listing next week.&#8221; He also revealed 
that he sold his entire HYPE and NEAR positions. At press time, WLD traded at 
$0.5192. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com

Arthur Hayes has amplified a bullish Worldcoin thesis from Maelstrom, arguing that WLD could become a high-beta proxy for the coming wave of artificial intelligence IPOs. The call centers on a short-heavy setup, a potential balance-sheet bid from Eightco, and a scheduled reduction in WLD unlocks later this month. Hayes, the BitMEX co-founder and Maelstrom &#8230;

Arthur Hayes Says Worldcoin (WLD) Could ‘Moon’ To $5 By August: Here’s Why

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Arthur Hayes Says Worldcoin (WLD) Could ‘Moon’ To $5 By August: Here’s Why

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