Rug Pull
Updated 2026-08-04
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
Originally a crypto term for a development team that promotes a project, attracts investment, and then removes liquidity or absconds, leaving the token worthless. The pattern has a wider application: any arrangement built on confidence and early promises, such as a partnership or a prepaid service, can be collapsed by withdrawing the support it stands on. The characteristic feature is that the withdrawal is sudden and unilateral, so the other party has no time to adjust. Defenses include staged release of funds, locked liquidity, third-party custody, and contractual milestones.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Dependency map: identify the single support that, if withdrawn, collapses your position. - Staged release: tie payments or resources to verified milestones rather than to promises. - Custody design: place critical assets with a neutral third party so neither side can unilaterally remove them.
Anchor fast decisions
An arrangement built on confidence works as long as participants believe the counterpart will continue, so the counterpart holds an option to exit that is worth more the more others have committed. Withdrawal is profitable precisely because the other side has already sunk resources and cannot respond in time. Removing the option, through locked funds or staged milestones, converts a unilateral exit into a negotiated one and removes the incentive to exploit the timing asymmetry.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exit_scamverified
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