Ponzi schemes are a joke, too. Obviously they're not going to scale -- but people running them are often caught and sent to prison.

I find it baffling that you're defending his antisocial and exploitative behavior.

The creator of DOGE straight up told everyone that he created it as a joke. Ponzi schemes, on the other hand, are marketed as legitimate investments.

What the creator of DOGE said is completely irrelevant to this discussion. If you think there's nothing morally wrong about abusing your position to swindle your fans in technically-legal ways, then any further discussion is pointless.

For what it's worth, I have the same level of disdain towards all celebrities/public figures who abuse their power in this way. It's alarmingly common these days.