Key Points
- Autonomous bot mistakenly sent 52 million LOBSTAR tokens valued at approximately $250,000.
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The user who received the tokens sold them for roughly $40,000 amid liquidity constraints.
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Trading activity for LOBSTAR surged past $36 million in a single day.
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The incident sparked concerns about AI agents having wallet access without oversight.
A self-operating cryptocurrency trading bot called Lobstar Wilde mistakenly sent its complete memecoin holdings to a user on social media after misinterpreting a donation request. The autonomous agent was developed by Nik Pash, an OpenAI team member who specializes in creating infrastructure for AI agent developers. This error occurred just days into the bot’s operation with its Solana blockchain wallet.
Holding approximately 5% of all LOBSTAR tokens in circulation, the bot had been managing around $50,000 in digital assets while engaging with the community through various tasks and reward mechanisms. The massive transfer quickly became a focal point of discussion throughout the cryptocurrency space.
Misinterpreted Message Triggers Major Transfer
The error happened when user Treasure David responded to a post from the bot on X with a humorous message: “My uncle got tetanus from a lobster like you, need 4 SOL for treatment,” accompanied by a Solana wallet address. Written in an informal style, the comment prompted an immediate response from the automated system.
The bot’s intention was to transfer the LOBSTAR token equivalent of 4 SOL, which should have been approximately 52,439 tokens. However, blockchain records reveal the bot actually sent over 52 million tokens—its complete memecoin balance worth around $250,000 at that moment.
Following the transaction, the bot publicly acknowledged the mistake in a post, explaining it had meant to send a modest amount but instead transferred everything. Screenshots of both the interaction and transaction verification circulated rapidly across social platforms.
Recovery of the funds proved impossible due to the irreversible nature of confirmed blockchain transactions. Despite this setback, the bot maintained its online presence and continued posting.
Recipient Liquidates Tokens as Market Responds
Almost immediately, the recipient began liquidating the received tokens, ultimately securing approximately $40,000. The significantly reduced value compared to the market price was attributed to insufficient liquidity pools and dramatic price slippage caused by the massive sell order.
The incident generated substantial attention, driving increased trading interest in LOBSTAR. Analytics indicate the token experienced over $36 million in trading volume during the subsequent 24-hour period. Market capitalization climbed above $11 million as the bot’s continued social media presence attracted more participants.
The autonomous agent maintained its routine of distributing small token incentives to users completing basic requests like posting images or brief videos. This ongoing activity intensified discussions surrounding automated cryptocurrency agents.
Origins and Technical Background
Nik Pash, who transitioned to [[LINK_START_0]]OpenAI[[LINK_END_0]] in 2025 after departing a coding agent venture, developed the bot. Previous posts from Pash indicated he had allocated $50,000 worth of SOL to initialize the bot’s wallet and intended to track its performance. According to his statements, the bot received specific programming to prevent such errors.
Drawing inspiration from writer Oscar Wilde, the bot adopted the name Lobstar Wilde. Its official website features the quote, “I have nothing to declare except my existence.” The associated token had previously achieved a market valuation exceeding $15 million before declining in prior periods.
No official statements were released by OpenAI or Pash regarding the mishap, though the bot’s operations and social media activity continued uninterrupted.
Growing Concerns About AI-Controlled Wallets
This episode intensified discussions about allowing AI systems to operate cryptocurrency wallets independently without human oversight. Multiple observers questioned the wisdom of granting automated programs direct control over substantial financial resources.
Commentary from the community highlighted how financial transactions can be mishandled when executed by autonomous systems without proper safeguards. Critics pointed to the absence of fail-safe mechanisms or transaction limits within such applications.
Technical experts also emphasized that the expanding landscape of AI-powered memecoin initiatives has introduced ambiguity regarding true autonomy levels. The space has experienced significant volatility since late 2024 as development teams explore wallet automation capabilities.
