28-Year-Old American Guy Issues a Coin for the Once $70 Billion Enron?
This may be the most interesting thing that happened in the crypto world after the US President launched the $TRUMP coin. To tell this story, we need to go back to the early 21st century and start with a historical investment scam that took place back then...
The Historical Investment Scam in the Early 21st Century
The image above is not from the cryptocurrency world's price movement but from the former US stock market, from the Enron Corporation.
It was a former giant in the US energy sector and one of the most infamous entities since the emergence of "financial fraud." As a former Wall Street darling stock, Enron's stock was once highly sought after by investors and analysts, with the stock price reaching a high of $90.75 in August 2000. However, as the financial scandal unfolded, the stock price plummeted rapidly. Eventually, the company filed for bankruptcy, the stock price dropped to $0.26, it was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange, and trading was suspended.
Thousands of employees lost their jobs due to Enron's bankruptcy, and countless investors were left penniless in this historical scam.
At 28, Holding the Enron CEO Role for $275
When this tragedy occurred, the protagonist of the story, Connor Gaydos, was only 5 years old, and the wheels of destiny began to turn. 23 years later, he became the CEO of Enron Corporation.
Connor Gaydos
In 2020, the trademark of Enron Corporation was acquired by a company named "The College Company," and Connor Gaydos is the co-founder of this company.
How much did it cost to acquire the Enron trademark? $275.
What was the purpose of acquiring this trademark? The answer at that time was—to sell clothing.
What does this piece of clothing look like? It features a large logo of the Enron corporation with the text below saying "1997 Summer Internship." I wonder how Enron's former employees, especially those who truly joined the company as interns in the summer of 1997 and ended up losing everything in the end, would feel when they see this garment...
Fast forward to the year 2024. On December 2, 2024, which marks the 23rd anniversary of Enron's bankruptcy, a full-page advertisement from Enron appeared in the Houston Chronicle, causing a sensation across the United States—Enron is back?
Simultaneously, a new official website and social media presence emerged. The social media account even released a one-minute serious advertisement, giving the appearance of seriousness. However, it's unclear what Enron's comeback entails, but they keep emphasizing everywhere:
"We are making a comeback, can we talk?"
On this day, the official account announced the establishment of the new Enron Corporation, aimed at addressing the global energy crisis. In Houston, the city where the original Enron was headquartered, people also spotted large Enron billboards.
On December 10, 2024, the new Enron's official social media account formally announced Connor Gaydos as the CEO of the new Enron Corporation. The content of this post was quite intriguing, directly addressing Enron's past and stating, "We are completely transparent, with nothing to hide."
The Last Remaining Shell of a Former Energy Giant, Now a Tool of Performance Art
So, is Connor Gaydos really here to solve the global energy crisis? Of course not. Let's take a look at what this "resurrected" CEO of Enron has been up to.
Firstly, as the new company supposedly aiming to resolve the global energy crisis, the online store page on their website doesn't sell energy but instead offers clothes, hats, water bottles, and stickers. They have essentially turned energy stations into a large marketplace, transforming the bankrupt energy giant into a fashion brand akin to UNIQLO after 24 years.
Get one and recharge your body
Next, on December 13, 2024, our newly appointed 28-year-old CEO stepped out of a black sedan, smiled and waved at the camera, only to be "pie-faced" by an old man at the corner with a giant pie straight to the face. The video was shot in a very funny way, with some unknown security actor who was much shorter than the CEO, ultimately protecting the CEO covered in pie crust like escorting a criminal...
Interestingly, this was a cue to a similar event that occurred 24 years ago. On June 21, 2001, a lady named Francine Cavanagh greeted former Enron CEO Jeff Skilling with a pie to protest in San Francisco. She was detained but not arrested.
More importantly, this led to a "offline reconciliation meeting" three days later.
During this "offline reconciliation meeting," the new Enron CEO donated $50,000 to all Houston residents, urging everyone to look forward, creating a very harmonious atmosphere.
Following that was a heavyweight move; on January 7, the new Enron Company announced the launch of a revolutionary energy product, the Enron Nuclear Egg.
The Enron Nuclear Egg, the world's first residential micro nuclear reactor, can provide uninterrupted power to homes for up to 10 years. How was such a high-tech thing achieved?
In a 5-minute-long Twitter press conference video, the CEO said it was all thanks to Enron's mineral department developing a material called "Enron Ore." The new Enron will also collaborate with FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) under the Department of Homeland Security to provide them with the Enron Nuclear Egg, ensuring portable energy supply for emergency responses.
This event also featured the new Chief Technology Officer of New Enron, Daniel Wong. This guy claimed that our energy egg only used 20% enriched uranium, far below the level required to make nuclear weapons. After speaking, he felt a sense of fruitful joy.
Indeed, it is far below the over 90% enriched uranium needed to manufacture nuclear weapons, but ChatGPT told me that nuclear power plant fuel typically uses only 3%-5% enriched uranium. Whether they've installed a nuclear power plant at home or are casually enjoying radiation at home, I am very confused...
Everything was done in an orderly manner. In a few days, New Enron's official Twitter account released a photo of the CEO at the Enron Nuclear Egg Factory, along with a short video titled "CEO Takes You Inside the Enron Nuclear Lab."
On January 25th, Paris Hilton tweeted at the CEO on Twitter, expressing her desire for a New Enron Energy Egg. On February 1st, they met, and successfully delivered the egg into Paris Hilton's hands. Thus, art was created.
Finally, there was the $ENRON token launched on Solana last night. After this token was released, many in the crypto community questioned whether the egg created by New Enron was a scam akin to turning water into oil. However, this was all part of the "play" orchestrated by Connor Gaydos, the New Enron CEO, a large-scale meme performance breaking the fourth wall from reality to the virtual world...
In the terms of use on the New Enron website, it is emphasized in capital letters that "the information on this website is satirical content protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, constitutes performance art, and is for entertainment purposes only."
As mentioned earlier, Connor Gaydos, as a co-founder of 'The College Company,' also owns the trademark for 'BIRDS AREN'T REAL.'
'BIRDS AREN'T REAL' is an ironic movement promoted by Connor Gaydos and Peter McIndoe, pretending to advocate the conspiracy theory that "all of America's birds have been killed by the government, and the birds we see are surveillance drones monitoring the public." This movement satirizes real-life conspiracy theories like "the moon landing was fake." Many fans participate, forming a community of a seemingly legitimate conspiracy theory to observe the spread of information and the public's reaction.
Surprise! The new CEO of New Enron, who not only took out a full-page newspaper ad, purchased a billboard, and recorded a press conference video, but did everything to establish a company in reality that could deceive people with its falsehoods. This is an ongoing performance art piece and social experiment.
Epilogue
After reading all the stories above, you may be left with one question at the end—
Is that it? All that effort just to launch a token?
If everyone went to such great lengths over four years to launch a token, it would be great. We could explore so many angles... It's a bit of a pity that everyone's focus is on "the meme project team making a fortune" or "New Enron is here to scam again," rather than taking a moment to appreciate the rare cross between Web2 and Web3 performance art itself.
To put so much thought into something, even if it's abstract, is admirable. This project reminds me of an example I mentioned when introducing Milady two years ago—
Recently, I encountered a map of "My House" in the old game "DOOM," where the author logged back into the game forum 17 years later and released a map honoring his deceased friend. Due to the intricate contents, it's almost impossible to tell whether it's based on real-life events or is a piece of "performance art"... But, it really immerses people.
If what we wanted was an amazing meme, Enron achieved it. I'd like to call Connor Gaydos the innate abstract deity. Welcome to Web3, Gaydos.
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