There’s just one tiny hiccup: the "covers" are adverts.
Thibeault proudly posted an image of himself on the cover of
Forbes Australia, calling it “by far my greatest accomplishment.” Which
is quite a statement from a man who “crossed the abyss” in his magical order.
A quick look at his personal website reveals 14 magazine covers allegedly featuring him as one of the “top disruptors of the
blockchain industry.” It all looks glossy, billionaire, and “please believe I’m
a super entrepreneur.”
So, we dug further. The articles attached to those flashy
covers all tell the same heartwarming tale: Thibeault used to be a shy
carpenter (yes, like Jesus), failed twice in brick-and-mortar businesses, but
somehow still became the mastermind of a billion-dollar blockchain empire. All
this while giving the same heroic thumbs-up in every photo, which is something
no serious magazine has allowed since 1978.
Then the magic spell broke. The “articles” were not articles
at all. They were paid press releases, bought and placed through PR
agencies. Same story, pictures, and wording, with a dramatic journey from nails
and wood to visionary blockchain general. Some of them even helpfully include
his email address, because, of course, that’s how global CEOs do media.
Not even one mentions his company's name, lists a corporate
registration number, a business address, a revenue figure, a product, or
anything resembling a normal business fact. The closest we get is vague phrases
like “a global conglomerate” and “major networking platform,” which, in
MLM-speak, usually mean “someone once gave me an affiliate link.”
Oddly, none of these business publications explain what
blockchain is, which is quite impressive for finance journalism (or a press release). For the
record, blockchain is just a glorified shared spreadsheet running across lots
of computers, so nobody can sneak in and change the numbers without everyone
noticing. Even that basic explanation is too advanced for Thibeault’s glowing
profiles.
We checked LinkedIn in case his empire was listed there. It
was not. What was there was a job description so vague it could mean
anything from crypto consultant to part-time life coach. He has, apparently,
been a “Global Leader” since 2013. Of what, no one knows. Also missing is any
sign of the “thousands” of people he supposedly “hired.” Strange, because usually,
when a firm hires thousands, someone somewhere pays tax on them.
We spoke to an actual blockchain pioneer, who remembers when
the industry consisted of about 17 people and two laptops. He had never heard of Thibeault, and he would have done so if the timeline was correct.
“It reads like marketing nonsense to me,” he said, before
returning to actual work.
Thibeault does list himself as founder of a Dubai design
company with “100 staff worldwide,” although the company’s website appears
blissfully unaware of his existence: an innocent oversight, no doubt.
There is a theatrical subplot. In several articles,
Thibeault claims he was too shy to speak in public. In another, he markets
himself as a motivational speaker. Sources also say he is a trained martial
artist in aggressive combat styles, which is not usually the life path of a man
frightened of a microphone.
What is missing here is a confirmed company,
verified blockchain credentials, and registry records. Just a stack of paid
mock-magazine covers that are doing all the heavy lifting.
Our legal expert wants us to point out that we are not
saying that Thibeault is not stonkingly rich or does not have a company. If he wants people to believe he got that way by running a blockchain advisory company, we need to see more proof. There are many ways a person
can get rich in this world without owning a company or being a business success
story.
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