Of course John Legere, the former CEO of T-Mobile, has jumped into NFTs by spending $888,888.88 on one made by Steve Aoki, according to Rolling Stone. It’s nice to know he’s keeping busy after stepping down from T-Mobile’s CEO gig on April 1, 2020.
Of course John Legere bought an $888,888.88 NFT from Steve Aoki
It was really a matter of time
It was really a matter of time
The NFT in question is called “hairy.” It’s a 36 second-long video, featuring music — which Rolling Stone describes as “soundscapes in harmony with digital animations” and I would describe as “if Darude were making music from inside a Game Boy” — and this visual:
Not only is Legere’s ownership of the video permanently embedded in the blockchain, but he’ll also get a screen in some acrylic that will display the NFT, as long as he doesn’t sell it in the next two weeks.
What’s an NFT?
NFTs allow you to buy and sell ownership of unique digital items and keep track of who owns them using the blockchain. NFT stands for “non-fungible token,” and it can technically contain anything digital, including drawings, animated GIFs, songs, or items in video games. An NFT can either be one of a kind, like a real-life painting, or one copy of many, like trading cards, but the blockchain keeps track of who has ownership of the file.
NFTs have been making headlines lately, some selling for millions of dollars, with high-profile memes like Nyan Cat and the “deal with it” sunglasses being put up for auction. There’s also a lot of discussion about the massive electricity use and environmental impacts of NFTs. If you (understandably) still have questions, you can read through our NFT FAQ.
Aoki is probably best known for his music career. The NFT is the latest in a series of Aoki’s eclectic projects, which include a branded Street Fighter II arcade cabinet, and several Samsung commercials. According to Rolling Stone, his collection of NFTs with Antonio Tudisco visuals brought in $4.25 million, with Legere’s purchase as the biggest of the lot.
In a way it was meant to be: Aoki’s father founded the Benihana company of restaurants. There is a Benihana in the Las Vegas T-Mobile Arena. Kismet, you know?
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