James Wynn Elevated Hyperliquid to the Top: How the Hype Around Liquidations Brought the Platform $843 Million in 2025

These figures, disclosed in the platform's annual report, indicate rapid growth, but many are wondering: would Hyperliquid have achieved such success without the hype created around trader James Wynn and his high-profile liquidations?

James Wynn, known as @JamesWynnReal on platform X, became a true "star" of the crypto community thanks to his extreme trading strategies. Wynn gained fame by turning $3,000 into nearly $87 million through investments in the meme-coin PEPE in 2023, and later earning $100 million in 70 days using leverage on Hyperliquid. However, his fame truly exploded due to a series of high-profile liquidations that attracted the attention of thousands of traders and media.

How Wynn Hyped the Platform Through Liquidations?

Wynn actively used his trading failures to promote Hyperliquid. In May 2025, he opened long positions on Bitcoin with 40x leverage amounting to $1.27 billion but was liquidated for $100 million after a drop in BTC price. This event became the "top news" on Crypto Twitter: posts about his liquidation garnered thousands of likes and reposts, and users discussed how Hyperliquid handled such volumes without interfering with liquidity. One post from trader steven.hl emphasized:

"Hyperliquid passed the James Wynn test," noting that the platform managed positions worth $1 billion.

Wynn didn't stop there. In July, he was liquidated nine times, losing $1.28 million that he had deposited from Binance. Each liquidation went viral: in August, he returned with a $250 million position, and in October - with $4.8 million in longs on BTC, PEPE, and HYPE, and was liquidated again. His public statements, such as "The platform where I lost $100 million. I'm back. I'm all-in. Pump $HYPE to Valhalla," were accompanied by referral links to Hyperliquid, encouraging users to register and trade.

This hype had a direct impact: after the May liquidations, the HYPE token temporarily surged, and the platform attracted investor attention. Analysts from Presto Labs noted that Wynn became the "main character of Crypto Twitter," boosting Hyperliquid's visibility. Even suspicions of money laundering through hedged positions (as in Duo Nine's post) only added intrigue, increasing traffic.

Results for Hyperliquid

Thanks to this organic hype, Hyperliquid not only withstood the test of large volumes but also demonstrated resilience: partial liquidations without HLP intervention, fast transaction processing, and no KYC attracted new users. Over the year, the platform grew to a TVL of $4.15 billion, with daily fees in the millions and new listings like LIT perps.

Would Hyperliquid have reached these figures without Wynn? Probably not - his liquidations turned the platform into a meme and a magnet for degens. As one trader noted:

"Leverage is powerful, but if you don't respect it, it will destroy you."

For Wynn, it's a game on the edge: from $100 million in profit to a complete wipeout, but with benefits for the ecosystem.