Tech

A joke between Elon Musk, McDonald’s has given rise to a new cryptocurrency

The entrepreneur had promised to go eat a McDonald's children's Happy Meal on TV if the fast-food chain accepted Dogecoin

Updated 4 years ago · Published on 28 Jan 2022 12:00PM

A joke between Elon Musk, McDonald’s has given rise to a new cryptocurrency
Elon Musk likely didn't think that his joke with McDonald's over Twitter would lead to new cryptocurrencies. – AFP pic, January 28, 2022

AT a time when financial news outlets can no longer ignore the Bitcoin market, you may have already wondered how these cryptocurrencies are created. Sometimes, they stem from a joke, such as that time Elon Musk dared McDonald's to accept Dogecoin. 

It all started on Twitter. Elon Musk, the high-flying CEO of Tesla Motors, reached out to McDonald's, daring it to accept Dogecoin, the cryptocurrency featuring the head of a shiba inu dog.

The entrepreneur, whose projects can be both visionary and fantastical, promised to go eat a McDonald's children's Happy Meal on TV if the fast-food chain accepted his dare. Elon Musk posted a series of tweets, often humorous, referring to the steep tumble in cryptocurrency markets.

Other Twitter users called on Bitcoin holders to find work at McDonald's to make up for their lost value. 

McDonald's Twitter account was quick to respond, beating Elon Musk at his own game. The chain proposed that Musk's company Tesla accept the "Grimacecoin," a cryptocurrency straight out of the imagination of McDonald's communication team.

Grimace is an imaginary purple character found on the packaging of some McDonald's food in the United States. 

The fast-food brand likely thought it had ended the conversation, but it obviously hadn't taken into account the ingenuity of internet users. A dozen new cryptocurrencies carrying the name "Grimacecoin" were created following McDonald's tweet.

One among them even climbed 285,000% in the space of a few hours. – ETX Daily Up, January 28, 2022

Related News

Malaysia / 1mth

Ministry committed to ensuring safe use of AI - Gobind

Malaysia / 4mth

Southeast Asia’s booming scam industry eyes Malaysia

Business / 1y

German tech company confident US tariffs will not impact its exports

World / 1y

SpaceX again loses its Starship rocket on test flight

Business / 1y

HP reaffirms commitment to invest in Penang

Malaysia / 2y

Inspector nabbed in connection with RM1.25 million extortion case

Spotlight

Malaysia

Man kidnapped, tortured, and killed following misunderstanding

Malaysia

'I will never forget taxi drivers who backed me in my hardest times' - PM Anwar

Malaysia

Najib fails to secure stay of 15-year jail term, RM11.38b fine in 1MDB case

Malaysia

Ivana Smit’s mother considers Federal Court appeal after RM1.1m award overturned

Education

Schools in Negeri Sembilan, Melaka to reopen tomorrow as haze conditions improve

Malaysia

Zara Qairina inquest: Investigating officer says final findings showed no suspicious circumstances

Malaysia

Man jailed 8½ years for abusing three-year-old boy, forcing the child to eat faeces

World

Pope Leo XIV diagnosed with lung cancer after successful surgery

Malaysia

More than 3,000 Myanmar refugees set for repatriation after Malaysia secures breakthrough

You may be interested

Community

Burst pipe affects 130,790 consumers in Penang

By Ian McIntyre

Community

Penang urged to plant new trees before felling those deemed rotten

By Ian McIntyre

Places

MBPP: No choice but to fell dangerous, rotting trees

By Ian McIntyre

Our Planet

Pacific El Niño waters hit record 29.7°C, raising risk of 2026 becoming hottest year