Base Co-founder Sparks Controversy with Soulja Boy Meme Coin Endorsement

Base's leadership just stepped into the meme coin minefield—and the explosion was immediate.

The Tweet That Lit the Fuse

One casual mention of a celebrity-backed token sent crypto Twitter into a frenzy. Critics slammed the move as reckless, arguing it legitimizes the sector's most speculative corners. Supporters fired back, calling it a nod to crypto's populist roots.

Walking the Developer-Promoter Tightrope

It's the eternal blockchain builder's dilemma: engage with the viral trends driving adoption or maintain a wall of pure technical integrity. This incident ripped the bandage right off. Every like and retweet now carries weight far beyond social metrics.

The Meme Coin Paradox

Love them or hate them, meme assets are a liquidity magnet. They onboard users, generate fees, and—let's be honest—fund more than a few 'serious' projects through developer holdings. It's the dirty secret of decentralized finance, wrapped in a doge mask.

The backlash highlights a growing pain for major L2s: you can't court mainstream attention while pretending the casino floor doesn't exist. Whether this is a strategic misstep or a calculated embrace of crypto's chaotic energy depends entirely on whose timeline you're reading. One thing's certain—in the race for users, even the most polished protocols can't resist the siren song of a viral pump. After all, what's a little reputational risk when there's 'number go up' at stake?

ZachXBT questions why Soulja Boy gets a platform

In the replies to the X post, blockchain researcher ZachXBT questioned why Soulja Boy was being given visibility at all. He reminded the community of Soulja Boy’s past in crypto, pointing to his own April 2023 research, which showed that the rapper had promoted 73 crypto projects and launched 16 NFT collections, of which many of these projects allegedly collapsed or were flagged as scams.

The researcher asked, “Why give SouljaBoy the platform to scam new people?” with old screenshots and posts, showing that Soulja Boy’s risky track record has been public knowledge for years.

Why give SouljaBoy the platform to scam new people? https://t.co/PDxnk0Z0Za

Backlash sparks online debate

Many in the community said the problem was not about rules or legality but about responsibility. They argued that when a co-founder promotes a token, it carries weight, as new users often see it as an endorsement. 

Others noted that Pollak had previously launched his own creator coin, which made some question whether he applies different standards to different people. Some also highlighted that Base still earns fees from activity, even if a project fails.

Those who support Pollak said Base is a permissionless platform, meaning it is neutral and open to everyone, insisting that the tools do not favor any user. Nevertheless, critics maintained that promoting a token linked to a celebrity with a history of questionable projects could hurt Base’s reputation and trust in the network. 

As of now, Pollak has not publicly responded to the criticism. The discussion continues online, showing that even in a permissionless system, the actions of influential people can quickly affect trust.

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