Coinbase CEO cites prediction market data during earnings call

During Coinbase’s traditional Q3 earnings call, the CEO checked a prediction market live, where people were betting on whether he would say specific words. Brian read them all aloud, becoming the hero of the day.

This was likely the most unconventional ending to a quarterly earnings call in history. The Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong deliberately read aloud the words that people had bet on, allowing those traders to win. The moment quickly went viral on social media, and investor Anthony Pompliano called Armstrong a "legend."

At the end of the Q3 2025 call, Armstrong told listeners he had been watching a prediction market tracking which words he would mention. He then rattled off terms including Bitcoin, Ethereum, staking, and Web3 before ending the call. Users on X captured and shared the clip within minutes, and it spread quickly through the crypto community.

Armstrong later explained on X that the stunt wasn't planned. "lol this was fun – happened spontaneously when someone on our team dropped a link in the chat," he wrote. The link apparently showed a prediction market where people were wagering on whether specific crypto terms would come up during the call.

The markets Armstrong referenced were "mention markets"—small betting pools where traders wager on whether certain words or phrases will appear during events like earnings calls. These markets have grown alongside the wider use of on-chain betting platforms. Reports noted the Coinbase call markets had relatively small amounts of money at stake, and Armstrong's closing remarks settled them immediately.

The incident drew mixed reactions. Some praised it as a playful moment during what is typically a formal corporate event. Others pointed out it highlighted how easily word-based prediction markets can be manipulated when the person being bet on knows the markets exist and can simply say the words.

Brian Armstrong reads prediction market bets live on Q3 call