April Fools’ Day is usually a lighthearted affair, but in the crypto industry, where reality often rivals fiction, the line between a joke and a plausible headline can be surprisingly thin. This year’s pranks weren’t just about cheap laughs; they reflected real industry tensions, ongoing narratives and the bizarrely cyclical nature of crypto culture.
From Bitcoin developers allegedly restoring an old poker feature to an absurd Greenland acquisition and a prison keynote from Sam Bankman-Fried, the 2025 edition of crypto April Fools’ jokes held up a mirror to the industry’s quirks. But behind the satire lay a deeper message: crypto isn’t just about technology; it’s an ecosystem with its own culture, history and inside jokes that reveal more than meets the eye.
Bitcoin’s Great Poker Restoration—Or a Glimpse Into the Past?
One of the most talked-about pranks came from GitHub where an official-looking Bitcoin Improvement Proposal (BIP-777) titled “The Great Poker Restoration” suggested that Bitcoin should bring back its long-lost gambling functionality.
The pull request, posted in near-perfect technical formatting, proposed mock opcodes such as OP_SECURETHEPOT and introduced the concept of “Satoshi-sized blinds”. The post played on recent trends, particularly the rise of ordinal inscriptions and Bitcoin-native applications, making the idea surprisingly believable.
Some users even fell for it, believing that early versions of Bitcoin might have indeed supported a poker client. And while it was ultimately a joke, it did spark real discussions on the evolution of Bitcoin’s functionality, with some wondering if such a feature could ever come back.
Aurora Labs ‘Buys’ Greenland: Tokenizing the Northern Lights?
Aurora Labs CEO Alex Shevchenko took April 1 as an opportunity to push satire to the extreme, announcing that the company had bought the entire island of Greenland. The reason? To safeguard the Aurora Borealis from light pollution by banning skyscrapers and urban development. A rebranded map of “Auroraland” accompanied the announcement, which at first glance looked like a legitimate corporate press release.
While obviously absurd, the prank reflected real-world trends in asset tokenization and climate-conscious branding. With projects increasingly tying blockchain to real estate, environmental concerns and governance experiments, the joke highlighted a reality; crypto firms are pushing boundaries, sometimes to ridiculous degrees.
SBF’s ‘Live From Prison’ Keynote: A Joke That Cuts Deep
Few figures in crypto history have left a mark as controversial as Sam Bankman-Fried, the disgraced FTX founder now serving a prison sentence. This year, the Bitcoin Conference decided to take a jab at the industry’s not-so-distant past by posting an image of SBF’s inmate listing alongside a fake event banner for a keynote titled:
“Healing from the Pain Shitcoins Caused Me.”
The tagline?
“He’s not out, but he’s still booked.”
While clearly satire, the post struck a nerve. Bankman-Fried’s downfall is still fresh and many in the crypto community are still dealing with the aftermath of the FTX collapse.
Some found it funny, others saw it as a painful reminder of a dark time. Whatever, it was a way for the industry to poke fun at itself and distance itself from the past.
Gemini’s Inflation Chart: Not a Joke, But Still On Theme
Some April Fools’ posts didn’t even need to exaggerate. Instead of making up a whole hoax, Gemini posted a chart showing the purchasing power of the US dollar has declined 96% since 1913. The caption?
“April Fools? The real joke is the system.”
The message was clear; while other companies were making up pranks, Gemini was using the opportunity to highlight one of the main reasons Bitcoin exists. It was a perfect example of how sometimes in crypto reality is the punchline.
The ALL CAPS Exploit: A Phishing Joke That Felt Too Real
DeFi analyst Ignas claimed he fell victim to a new exploit after clicking a malicious link on X (formerly Twitter).
His tweet, written entirely in uppercase letters, read:
“MY WALLETS ARE SAFE AND EXPLOIT SEEMS LIMITED TO X.”
He warned followers not to engage with the tweet or risk the same.
Obviously a joke, but it resonated with the community because it was so familiar. In an industry where phishing scams and protocol breaches are a daily occurrence, the humor was in how real it felt.
What Crypto’s April Fools’ Jokes Say About the Industry
Each of these jokes, while meant to be funny, had an underlying truth about the crypto world:
Bitcoin’s poker prank was about real use cases; The Greenland acquisition was a parody of asset tokenization projects that promise to change the world; SBF’s fake keynote was a reminder of crypto’s wild past and the ongoing consequences of past failures.- Gemini’s inflation chart was on point; The ALL CAPS exploit was real.
In an industry of disruption the best satire reveals more. April Fools’ Day in crypto isn’t just about jokes—it’s a reflection of where we are, where we’ve been and where we might be.
Crypto’s April Fools’ 2025 was a reminder truth is stranger than fiction in this space. Some jokes were easy to spot, others felt too real—a sign the industry is still wild and fast.
And if history is any guide, some of these “jokes” won’t stay jokes forever. After all what was laughable in crypto often becomes real.
FAQs
Why do crypto companies participate in April Fools’ Day?
Crypto companies use April Fools’ Day to engage with their community, poke fun at industry trends and sometimes highlight real issues in a humorous way.
What was the Bitcoin poker client prank about?
A GitHub post suggested bringing back an alleged poker feature in Bitcoin Core, playing on historical and technical references to make it seem plausible.
Was there any truth behind the Aurora Labs Greenland acquisition joke?
No, it was a satire of tokenized real-world assets and climate-focused blockchain initiatives.
Did people fall for the SBF keynote joke?
While most understood it as satire, it sparked discussions about the lasting impact of FTX’s collapse.
What was the purpose of Gemini’s inflation chart post?
It wasn’t a joke but rather a statement highlighting fiat currency depreciation and Bitcoin’s role as a hedge against inflation.
Glossary
BIP – Bitcoin Improvement Proposal
Ordinal inscriptions – Embedding data directly onto individual satoshis, used for NFTs and other innovations on Bitcoin.
Asset tokenization – Representing real-world assets (like real estate or commodities) on a blockchain.
Phishing alert – Warning about fraudulent schemes to steal users’ credentials or funds in crypto.
Stablecoin – Cryptocurrency pegged to a reserve asset like the US dollar.
References
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