Topic / Subject
A viral post claims a $10,000 “peak buy” in Lucid became about $166 — but the numbers depend on Lucid’s 1-for-10 reverse split and split-adjusted charts.

TL;DR
Reverse splits don’t magically create losses — but they can make charts look wild, and viral posts often skip the split math that explains what you’re actually seeing.

Key Details

• Lucid announced a 1-for-10 reverse stock split effective in late August 2025, with split-adjusted trading beginning in early September 2025, per Lucid IR and Nasdaq coverage.
• Reverse splits reduce share count and increase price per share, and many chart services adjust older prices to match the new share structure.
• Some chart sites show a split-adjusted “all-time high close” around $580.50 in early 2021, which reflects adjusted historical data — not a simple “LCID traded at $580” moment.
• The viral post’s math (roughly 17 shares and about $166 at about $9.75) only lines up if you’re mixing split-adjusted price history with post-split share counts — which the post reportedly doesn’t explain.

Breakdown
This is a classic “chart shock” trap. Someone posts: “Look, Lucid used to be $580 and now it’s under $10.” People dunk on it, panic, or share it — and the algorithm eats.

Here’s the missing piece: reverse split math. In a 1-for-10 reverse split, every 10 shares become 1 share. The price per share is multiplied by 10 (roughly), so the overall value of your position doesn’t change because of the split itself.

What does change is how charts can look. Many chart services “split-adjust” the entire history so the line doesn’t jump on the split date. That means older prices get restated as if today’s share structure always existed — which can make the past look absurdly high.

A simple example that matches the viral framing:

• If someone put $10,000 in near a peak around $58 per share (pre-split), that’s about 172 shares.
• After a 1-for-10 reverse split, that becomes about 17 shares (plus whatever your broker does with fractional shares).
• If the stock is around $9.75 post-split, 17 shares is roughly $166.
  That “feels” like a clean dunk — but it’s not the reverse split causing the loss. The loss comes from the stock price collapsing over time. The reverse split just changes the share count and how the historical chart is displayed.

So is the viral post “fake”? Not necessarily. The direction (down massively from peak) can be true. The problem is presentation: without dates, fills, and a clear explanation of split adjustments, it’s engineered to confuse.

What We Know

• Lucid executed a 1-for-10 reverse split in late Aug/early Sept 2025 (per Lucid IR and Nasdaq).
• Split-adjusted charts can display older prices in a way that makes them look much higher than people remember.
• A $10K-to-$166 example is mathematically plausible depending on entry point and split-adjusted framing.

What We Don’t Know

• Whether the viral poster’s “peak buy” actually happened at the true peak (no receipts provided in the intake).
• The exact buy date/time, fills, and whether dividends/fees/fractional handling affected the final number.
• The methodology used to choose the “peak” price shown.

Is This Leak Credible?
What supports it: The reverse split is real, and split-adjusted chart effects are real.
What weakens it: No documentation of the trade, and the post reportedly doesn’t explain split math.
Confidence: Medium (concept is real; specific claim is unverified social framing).

What It Would Mean (Real-World)
Who should care: Anyone who reads stock charts on social and assumes the “old price” is literal.
Practical impact: If you don’t understand split-adjusted charts, you can get tricked into bad comparisons, bad screenshots, and bad conclusions.

What to Watch Next

• More viral “$X became $Y” posts that rely on reverse splits or adjusted charts.
• Whether major platforms or creators start adding split-adjustment context to charts.
• If the original viral account posts receipts (trade confirmations, timestamps, broker screenshots).

Sources

• Lucid Investor Relations — “Lucid Group, Inc. Announces Effective Date of Reverse Stock Split”
• Nasdaq — “Here’s What Lucid’s 1-for-10 Reverse Stock Split Means for Investors”
• Macrotrends — “Lucid Stock Price History” (split-adjusted chart display)

Comment
Have you ever been fooled by a split-adjusted stock chart screenshot — and what’s the clearest way platforms should label these?