Blockchain platform Tron’s founder, Justin Sun, sparked fresh controversy this week after he first posted and then deleted an online apology in an ongoing PR debacle.
Cryptocurrency-focused news outlet Cryptoslate reported the events, providing their own translation of comments Sun reportedly wrote and later removed from Chinese social media platform Weibo on July 25.
Sun was due to have lunch with infamous Bitcoin (BTC) naysayer Warren Buffett on Thursday, a date he recently abruptly postponed due to reported ill health.
At the same time, Sun’s intense marketing of Tron, for which he himself became well known, appeared to backfire as Chinese authorities allegedly raised suspicions over the platform’s legal status.
Those suspicions went public courtesy of local media outlet Caixin, which also reported he had been banned from foreign travel. Sun then named Caixin in the apology, which appeared to be an attempt to placate Beijing. The translation reads:
“I didn’t sleep all night yesterday, and deeply reflected on my memories and was introspective for my behavior and words — I felt ashamed for my over-marketing. I want to deeply apologize to the public, media, leaders, and the related regulatory authority who cared about me.”
As Cointelegraph reported, Sun produced evidence he was in San Francisco, the original venue for the Buffett lunch, to disprove reports that he had been prevented from leaving China.
The entrepreneur has not offered an explanation as to why he chose to delete the apology, in which he pledged to change the tone of his marketing activities. He wrote:
“In the future, I will repair my shortcomings, reduce my vocalizations on Weibo, reduce the media interviews, and translate all the research and development from marketing hype to true blockchain technology.”
Despite the controversy, Tron’s TRX token was still trading up around 2% as of press time Thursday.