Brian Guan, co-founder of the Web3 streaming app Unlonely, shared his misfortune of losing $40,000 due to a simple mistake.
On June 5, Guan posted on the social media platform X about how he inadvertently made his wallet’s secret keys public on GitHub.
Guan’s public repository contained sensitive information, which he forgot to remove before sharing it online. Within just two minutes, someone had accessed the keys and drained the funds from his wallet.
The incident quickly gained attention in the crypto community, sparking a range of reactions.
Some people expressed sympathy and support, while others were critical, referencing Guan’s previous statements about coding practices.
Guan had previously suggested that developers should use OpenAI’s ChatGPT to assist in writing Solidity, the language used for coding smart contracts.
He also criticized high salaries for smart contract engineers, saying projects paying $200,000 were “not gonna make it” (ngmi).
These comments resurfaced following his mishap, with some community members mocking his stance.
One notable reaction came from a user named Foobar, who parodied Guan’s earlier statements, suggesting that paying $200 for a hardware wallet was unnecessary and that developers could safely store private keys on GitHub with ChatGPT’s help.
Despite the mixed reactions, the event highlights the importance of securing sensitive information and the rapid consequences of even a minor oversight in the digital age.
