Gary Gensler, the chair of the SEC, sparked a whirlwind of excitement and then disappointment among crypto enthusiasts with what many deemed a “legendary and respectable troll thread” announcing his resignation.

The posts quickly gained traction, amassing over 1.1 million views, as per X's figures.

Crypto trader Jordan Fish, known as Cobie, dubbed it a "legendary and respectable troll thread," while Bloomberg Litigation Analyst Elliott Stein remarked on Gensler's apparent penchant for trolling, suggesting the ambiguity in his post was intentional.

Scott Johnsson, a general partner at Van Buren Capital, criticized Gensler for leading with the number of enforcement actions, likening it to the Department of Justice or Bureau of Prisons highlighting the number of incarcerations, indicating a lack of focus.

Under Gensler’s leadership in 2023, the SEC saw a decade-high in crypto-related enforcement actions, with 46 actions taken against crypto firms, double the number from 2021.

Critics, including U.S. crypto industry executives and lawmakers, have accused Gensler of employing a "regulation by enforcement" approach to crypto, as the SEC argues that many cryptocurrencies are securities in lawsuits against crypto companies.

Gensler, on the other hand, has consistently raised concerns about fraud and manipulation in the crypto space and advocated for companies to come into compliance with existing regulations.

In response to Gensler’s post, the crypto community on X launched its own subtle retaliation.

The unofficial Crypto Twitter archivist “inversebrah” pointed out that the crypto community had managed to generate a significant number of responses with higher engagement than Gensler's original post, a phenomenon known as a "ratio."

While Gensler's post received around 1,700 likes, some replies garnered more than three times that amount.

Gensler's tenure as SEC chair began in April 2021 and is set to last until April 2026. However, it is customary for the SEC chair to resign if a new U.S. president is elected. With Americans heading to the polls on Nov. 5, the possibility of a rematch between President Biden and former President Trump looms.