Former SEC Chief Denies Alleged Connection to Pump.fun

David Hirsch, the former chief of the Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit division at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), has officially debunked rumors linking him to any involvement with the pump.fun team.

In response to inquiries from Cointelegraph, the retired SEC veteran clarified that any suggestions of his affiliation with the Solana-based memecoin platform are categorically false.

According to Hirsch, the claims are baseless: "The assertion is inaccurate. While I have not disclosed my upcoming endeavors, I can confirm that they do not involve any meme/coin platforms."

Debunking False Allegations

Speculation arose on June 17 that Hirsch had joined the pump.fun team after a light-hearted social media post targeted at him by pump.fun circulated across various platforms.

The post initially congratulated Hirsch on his alleged new role as the head of trading. It humorously mentioned that after discussions with an individual named Alon, Hirsch supposedly realized his dissatisfaction with his regulatory work, prompting him to venture into a new domain.

Pump.fun's post further exaggerated Hirsch's potential involvement, stating his purported role as overseeing the launch of numerous coins daily. The post painted him as a 'memelord' transitioning into a position managing the platform's internal trading desk.

Binance publication in response to pump.fun’s post. The post has since been removed. Source: Binance.

The circulating rumors prompted Binance's team to offer congratulations to Hirsch on his speculated new position. However, Binance later retracted their message, adding to the uncertainty surrounding the situation.

Retirement After Nine Years at SEC

David Hirsch, who kickstarted his journey at the SEC as a staff attorney, concluded his tenure as head of the SEC's Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit on June 14.

Having served at the Securities and Exchange Commission for nearly nine years since 2015, Hirsch assumed leadership of the SEC's crypto enforcement division in 2022.

Post-retirement, Hirsch expressed his eagerness to take a break and travel with his family before his son's transition to college in the forthcoming autumn.