Dogecoin co-founder Billy Markus (Shibetoshi Nakamoto) posted a sarcastic tweet on January 13, 2026, downplaying the near-term potential for new all-time highs (ATHs) in crypto. Addressing his 2.2 million followers on X, Markus stated, "Man crypto is doing good and all, but also wake me up when ATHs are being broken." This sentiment comes despite his stated respect for top assets like Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Dogecoin (DOGE). Markus has historically been critical of crypto trading, likening it to gambling.
The tweet was published against a backdrop of significant market activity. Bitcoin's price surged past $96,000, triggering a massive short squeeze. Data from CoinGlass shows $291.86 million in futures liquidations within 24 hours, with $263.85 million of that from short positions, creating a 942% liquidation imbalance. The move marked a 10% gain for BTC year-to-date, reigniting talks of a push toward $100,000 and the October 2025 high of $107,154.
Simultaneously, a mystery whale dumped 145,214,184,927 Shiba Inu (SHIB) tokens, worth approximately $1.27 million, into Robinhood's hot wallet. The transfer, tracked by Arkham, raised questions about whether it signaled retail offloading or institutional positioning. Despite the large volume, the SHIB price remained relatively stable, trading just under the $0.000009 resistance level. Analysts suggested a break above could target $0.00001102, while a rejection might see a drop to $0.0000076.
Adding to the volatility, a well-known Hyperliquid whale, who famously lost 255 BTC in December, flipped to a short position. After closing over $413 million in long trades on BTC, ETH, SOL, and XRP, the trader opened a fresh $35 million short, excluding XRP from the new bets. This move suggested a strategic pivot from a long campaign and highlighted active whale manipulation in the derivatives market.
