Impostor pretended to be DJ Marshmello at Web Summit

Marshmello's name came up in this year's Web Summit program with great enthusiasm: the North American DJ and producer would go to Lisbon, at the biggest technology summit in the world, to announce a new cryptocurrency in partnership with Adidas, called Adicoin, in a talk at take place on Wednesday, at 10:25 am.

When the day arrives, the North American DJ and producer performs on the Panda Conf stage, with gloves and a different voice. At noon, he gives a press conference alongside Aristide Feldholt, CFO of Adicoin, a cryptocurrency linked to Adidas used exclusively in the metaverse.

On the same day, but at 10:30 pm local time (6:30 am Lisbon on Thursday), the DJ performed at the XS Nightclub, in Las Vegas, in the United States, and appeared alongside drivers at an event preparing for the Formula Grand Prix 1 , which will take place in the North American city over the weekend.

This Thursday, Marshmello himself took to social media to unmask the impostor: “Whoever Web Summit hired to act or give interviews is not me. I apologize to anyone who was fooled by that impostor. My legal team has already contacted Web Summit”, he wrote in a post on the social network X, formerly Twitter.

Renascença questioned the organization of the Web Summit about the DJ's presence at the event and Marshmello was looking for more clarification, about whether he was in Lisbon or whether he was aware of the summit, having not received a response until the publication of this article .

However, there are clues that remain: Marshmello had not made any mention of being present at WebSummit on his social networks and his profile disappeared from the Web Summit website, as well as the publications on the social networks where it appeared.

The lecture where the "impostor" was present no longer appears on the summit's agenda, even after it took place. And the photos of the lecture and press conference where he was present are also no longer available.

The profile photo of Aristide Feldholt, the Adicoin representative, does not correspond to the same person who was with the “impostor” Marshmello on the Web Summit stage.

At the same time, there is no announcement from Adidas regarding a cryptocurrency or metaverse called Adicoin. The brand has its own metaverse, with virtual sports equipment .

Renascença confronted the Adicoin representative about Marshmello's social media post, also questioning whether the cryptocurrency is actually associated with the Adidas brand, having received no response .

Adicoin, the currency to “pay with dreams”

Adicoin 's announcement on the Web Summit stage was already unusual: a cryptocurrency that is received as you work, through a chip, and that can only be used in its metaverse.

“For decades, Adidas has faced criticism for not paying workers. In World War II, we used servants. Today, staying competitive means some workers still go unpaid. But now it's time for a solution. When paying workers stops being profitable, adiCoin ensures that we can pay in a much better currency: dreams. With adiCoin, workers are free to exchange the myth of real money in the real world for the reality of virtual money in a virtual world”, says the cryptocurrency page.

The talk in which Aristide Feldholt spoke was full of sarcasm and mockery, appearing to be a criticism of the sports clothing and footwear brand.

The audience seemed confused, until Marshmello's “impostor” appeared, announcing a new song: “All Day I Dream”, accompanied by dancers and two monitors showing “Adiverse”.

At the end, the man in the mask said goodbye to the audience: "Thank you WebSummit, I hope everyone leaves here happy. Peace."