Chinese cryptocurrency billionaire Justin Sun apologises for overhyping US$4.6m lunch with Warren Buffett

Justin Sun Yuchen, the millennial Chinese crypto entrepreneur who bid US$4.6 million for a seat at a charity lunch hosted by Warren Buffett and then called it off due to “kidney stones”, has apologised to the public for overhyping the incident and promised to become a social role model for Chinese youth.

In a post on his Sina Weibo account on Thursday the 29-year-old referred to “a dark moment when [he] was sick”, which contributed to “unprecedented storms, doubts and pains.”

“I deeply regret my excessive marketing and overhyping behaviour, and I would like to express my sincere apology to the public, the media, and the leaders and regulators who care about me,” he said in the post.

“All [my behaviours] will be based on national interests, industry interests, and public interests. [I] will abandon the selfishness, actively rectify and abide by the law, export more positive energy for the development of the blockchain industry, do more in-depth thinking, and become a better social role model for youth,” he said.

A message sent to Sun’s verified Twitter account seeking comment did not receive an immediate response.

Founder of cryptocurrency platform Tron and chief executive of software company BitTorrent, Sun came under the spotlight after announcing he had bid US$4.57 million to join a charity lunch hosted by US investment legend Warren Buffett.