Base Won’t ’Pump’ Tokens: Jesse Pollak Slams Market Manipulation as ’Illegal’ in 2026 Crypto Crackdown
Jesse Pollak, head of protocols at Coinbase, draws a hard line against artificial token inflation on the Base network. His blunt declaration cuts through the typical crypto hype—market manipulation isn't just unethical; it's illegal.
No Artificial Boosts
The message is unequivocal. Base's infrastructure won't be weaponized to create fake demand or orchestrate price surges. Pollak's stance positions the layer-2 network as a builder's platform, not a casino for pump-and-dump schemes. It's a direct challenge to the 'number go up' culture that still haunts corners of the industry.
The Regulatory Reality Check
Pollak’s use of the term 'illegal' isn't casual. It’s a stark reminder that regulators globally are watching. With the SEC and its international counterparts sharpening their focus, platforms enabling manipulation risk becoming targets themselves. This is about survival as much as ethics—a preemptive move to sidestep the legal quagmires engulfing less scrupulous players.
A Foundation for Real Growth
By slamming the door on manipulation, Base aims to attract serious developers. The thesis is simple: sustainable ecosystems are built on utility and user adoption, not fabricated trading volume. It’s a bet that long-term credibility will outweigh the short-term allure of engineered pumps. After all, nothing says 'mature asset class' like avoiding the tactics of a penny stock boiler room.
The move reframes the game. In 2026, success isn't measured by a fleeting, manipulated spike on a chart, but by organic, grind-it-out growth. It’s a cynical but necessary jab at finance’s oldest game—just with blockchain transparency making the cheaters easier to spot.
Traders Question Base’s Missing “Flagship” Token
The comments came amid growing frustration among some traders who argue that Base lacks a breakout token capable of attracting sustained speculative interest.
A host of a popular Base-focused livestream said the network did not have “what it takes” to push a project into the hundreds of millions in market capitalization and suggested shifting attention to the chains.
No, this is a Base problem.
The Base trenches are starving for a real runner, yet the people at the top don’t seem to care.
And the fix isn’t even hard.
Pick a community.
Support the chart behind the scenes.
Give the chain something to rally around.
Watch sentiment flip and… https://t.co/93HP9nIXM4
Other users pushed back, saying the issue was not unique to Base but shows a broader problem across crypto, where meme-driven speculation has become a zero-sum game dominated by short-lived pumps.
This isn’t a base problem.
This is a Memecoin casino problem, across all of crypto.
More than pvp ponzis we need newer positive sum games.
Pollak’s response drew support from parts of the community, while others showed their disagreements over how networks should compete for attention.
Other users complained that Base had the option to rally around some of their tokens and failed to do so, citing examples of projects they thought could have been used as flagship assets.
Pollak recognized the frustrations but felt that in the long term it only results in recurring losses by manipulating prices, whereas fair markets enable the participants to learn, to adapt, and ultimately to prosper.
In his comments, he noted that Base remains to serve creators, builders, applications, and meme culture on the network, and the Base app is moving towards a more trading-oriented experience to highlight activity throughout the ecosystem.
At the same time, he drew a clear line between promotion and manipulation, saying that secret coordination to inflate prices is incompatible with Base’s role as open infrastructure and with Coinbase’s obligations as a U.S.-regulated public company.
Earlier Meme Token Controversy Still Haunts Base
The debate also revived scrutiny of earlier incidents that shaped perceptions of Base’s role in meme markets.
In 2025, Base faced backlash after its official X account posted “Base is for everyone,” followed by a tokenized version of the post minted on Zora.
@coinbase’s @base sparks controversy as a meme coin linked to its tweet surged to $17.1M before crashing 90%, raising questions about influencer responsibility.#Memecoin #BaseNetworkhttps://t.co/LsdudfhlIz
Although Base said the token was a creative experiment and not an official product, the episode fueled accusations of implicit endorsement and intensified calls for regulatory scrutiny.
More broadly, pump-and-dump activity has been a persistent issue on Base, where low transaction costs and fast execution have made it easier for bad actors to deploy, hype, and exit tokens within hours.
Research during peak meme periods suggested that a significant share of newly launched Base tokens had severe security flaws or malicious features, including honeypot contracts and unlocked liquidity.
These dynamics have contributed to large losses for retail traders and reinforced demands for clearer standards.
Pollak’s statements appear aimed at distancing Base from those practices while leaving room for structured, transparent incentives.
I love and support every meme on base
I love and support every builder on base
I love and support every creator on base
I love and support every app on base
the @baseapp can and will continue to iterate and it's shifting to be more trading focused, so it can drive value to all…
In replies to users, he said open systems such as competitions or clearly defined liquidity programs could be explored if they are implemented publicly and fairly.
