NFT Project Pivots to AI, Web3, Metaverse, and Quantum Computing Simultaneously
SAN FRANCISCO — Tech entrepreneurs and self-described "visionary disruptors" Jake Finley and Zoe Chen announced today that their company BuzzwardBillions is launching what they call "the first-ever AI-powered, quantum-secured, metaverse-native, Web3 platform for decentralized intelligence."
The announcement comes just three weeks after their previous venture was described by investors as "running out of runway."
"We've always been at the forefront of artificial intelligence innovation," declared Finley during a packed press conference, despite having never mentioned AI in any public statement before last month. "Our proprietary neural networks and machine learning algorithms are revolutionizing how businesses leverage data. This isn't a pivot—it's an evolution we've been planning since day one."
Industry analysts note that BuzzwardBillions began in 2021 as "ApeBroz," a collection of 10,000 procedurally generated cartoon hippo NFTs wearing different hats and sunglasses. The project raised $12 million in initial funding, with Finley and Chen promising buyers that owning one would grant them "exclusive access to the future of digital ownership."
When asked about their sudden expertise in artificial intelligence, Chen, who lists her credentials as "Stanford dropout" and "TEDx audience member," explained: "We're not just technologists—we're futurists. Our team has been quietly developing these AI systems since before most people even knew what AI was."
Records indicate that the company hired its first and only AI engineer three weeks ago, a recent bootcamp graduate who previously worked as a barista.
The ApeBroz NFT collection reached a floor price of 0.003 ETH (approximately $4.87) before the founders announced in early 2022 that they were "expanding their vision" into what they called the "MetaBroz Universe," a virtual world where hippo owners could "socialize, play games, and purchase virtual real estate."
"We've always been passionate about building immersive metaverse experiences," said Finley, contradicting dozens of earlier interviews where he called the metaverse "a distraction from the real value of NFTs as digital collectibles."
The MetaBroz Universe was ultimately delivered as a Discord server and a Minecraft world.
By late 2022, as interest in both NFTs and the metaverse cooled, BuzzwardBillions announced they were "returning to their roots" with "HippoMeme," described as "the first meme coin with utility." The whitepaper for HippoMeme consisted primarily of hippo puns and a roadmap showing the coin's value increasing by 10,000% by Q3 2023.
"Decentralized finance has always been our passion," Chen told crypto news site CoinTelegraph at the time. "NFTs and the metaverse were just stepping stones to our true vision: creating the currency of the future."
The value of HippoMeme peaked at $0.0000347 before dropping 99.8% when Finley and Chen sold their holdings to fund what they called "our next evolutionary leap."
At today's press conference announcing their AI/quantum computing venture, the founders unveiled what they called "breakthrough technology" that appeared to be ChatGPT responses displayed in a terminal window with a custom font. When a reporter asked for a technical explanation of how their quantum computing elements worked, Finley explained, "It's very complex, involving superposition and entanglement at the quantum level," before quickly changing the subject.
Venture capitalist Taylor Williams of Moonshot Capital, who has invested in each iteration of the company, defended the founders: "What critics call 'pivoting' is just Jake and Zoe's remarkable ability to predict market trends. They're always six months ahead of everyone else. That's why we've just led their Series D round of $30 million."
Williams later admitted off the record: "Look, it's simple. I get in early, they hype it to their community, retail investors pile in, and I exit before the pivot. Rinse and repeat. Their audience never learns, but my investors see 3x returns. Their failures are my successes—that's just how this game works."
When asked what specific problem their new technology solves, Chen responded, "All of them, potentially," before adding, "We're also exploring blockchain applications in space."
The company's website now features stock photos of server rooms, robots, and scientists in lab coats, with none of their previous hippo imagery visible. Their new tagline reads: "BuzzwardBillions: Leveraging Synergistic AI-Quantum Technologies to Blockchain the Metaverse for Web3 Disruption."
At press time, Finley and Chen were reportedly taking meetings with investors to discuss their upcoming expansion into sustainable fusion energy and their plans to launch "HippoChain," which they describe as "the world's fastest, most scalable Layer 1 blockchain with zero gas fees."
"We've secretly been blockchain architects all along," Finley told potential investors while sketching what appeared to be a basic flowchart on a napkin. "Ethereum and Solana were just early prototypes compared to what we're building."
"If there's anyone who can solve clean energy and blockchain scalability through sheer force of buzzwords," said one anonymous investor while writing a $25 million check, "it's definitely these two."
