By Key Points
- Jesse Pollak apologizes for resharing the controversial Base art
- The digital art included phrases like “Base is for pimping”
- Crypto community slams it for damaging crypto’s reputation
- Pollak says it was a mistake and vows to be more mindful
Base Creator Jesse Pollak, the mind behind Ethereum’s layer-2 blockchain Base, is under fire after resharing a controversial piece of digital art. The animated image riffed on Base’s tagline — “Base is for everyone” — but included phrases such as “Base is for pimping” and “Base is for squirting,” alongside more neutral terms like “Base is for art” and “Base is for ideas.”
The art was originally created by an independent digital artist and not Pollak himself. However, by resharing it on his personal X (Twitter) account, Pollak unintentionally sparked a wave of criticism from the crypto community. In his April 18 post, Pollak responded:
hey everybody – know it’s been a busy week on the timeline and i wanted to just close out the week with a few notes:
1. we started coining @base‘s content because we believe that unlocking coins to be used for more use cases is a key next unlock for the onchain economy and a…
— jesse.base.eth (@jessepollak) April 19, 2025
While Pollak has been a vocal supporter of artists and edgy, thought-provoking content on the blockchain, he admitted that the line between “provocative” and “problematic” was crossed here. “I want to support bold creators building on Base, but I need to be more thoughtful about what I share,” he added.
This incident puts Base in the spotlight again — not for innovation, but for misjudged marketing. It comes just days after another Base-related controversy, where its official X account posted a memecoin using the same tagline “Base is for everyone.” That token, created on Zora, quickly surged to a $17.1 million market cap before crashing nearly 90% in minutes. Coinbase quickly clarified that Base did not launch or sell any tokens, distancing itself from the chaos.
If this sounds familiar, it mirrors other crypto PR fiascos like the ongoing RFC token dip or the frustration surrounding Pi Network’s migration delays, showing how fragile public sentiment is in Web3 right now.
Base is for everyone and everything. pic.twitter.com/Q0auo5VdOg
— jesse.base.eth (@jessepollak) April 18, 2025
Industry leaders criticize and defend Pollak
The crypto space, already cautious due to increasing scrutiny from regulators and public perception issues, didn’t take kindly to the repost.
Crypto commentator Kristel called it out bluntly on X, saying:
so we’re just casually platforming pimping now?
I get pushing boundaries, but this isn’t it.
In a very juvenile attempt to rebrand memecoins as ‘content coins’ it seems Base is losing the plot, this isn’t provocative and ‘edgy’.
this is fucking stupid. pic.twitter.com/ism9MalCNU
— Kristel (@Web3Kristel) April 18, 2025
She went on to argue that the post wasn’t provocative or artistic—it was just tone-deaf. David Z. Morris, a prominent voice in the space, agreed and said this kind of language doesn’t just reflect badly on Base—it reflects badly on the entire crypto sector.
“The specific allusion to sex trafficking (not ‘sex work,’ pimping is pretty fundamentally exploitation) is specifically bad for a sector that needs to advance the narrative that open finance is a net social positive,” Morris said.
This situation also highlights the sensitive line between edgy branding and harmful messaging—something other projects like Ripple, which recently moved closer to FINRA approval, have been navigating more cautiously.
That said, not everyone condemned Pollak. Some praised his transparency and willingness to apologize. Crypto voice Zuri tweeted:
Love the honesty. We all make mistakes, but it’s about how we grow from them
— Zuri 🇵🇹 (@zuri_nft) April 19, 2025
Bankless co-founder David Hoffman echoed similar thoughts, saying he “respected the leadership” shown in admitting fault. Meanwhile, Kyle Reidhead, co-founder of Milk Road, had a different take altogether:
Don’t let woke people cancel you Jesse.
Do and share whatever you want without apology
— Kyle Reidhead | Milk Road (@KyleReidhead) April 19, 2025
The divide in reactions highlights a broader split in crypto culture—between those pushing for professionalism and mass adoption, and those clinging to Web3’s rebellious, unfiltered roots.
Pollak’s growing role amid increased scrutiny
Despite the controversy, Jesse Pollak remains a central figure at Coinbase and the broader Base ecosystem. In fact, he recently announced his promotion to Coinbase’s executive team, where he’ll lead the company’s wallet initiatives.
But with this new role comes added responsibility. As regulators ramp up their oversight—like Oregon reviving its lawsuit against Coinbase—Pollak and others at the top will need to strike a delicate balance between staying creative and staying compliant.
Pollak’s case also adds fuel to the growing debate around how much creative freedom should be tolerated in the crypto space. Just this month, Arizona lawmakers introduced a bill to create a crypto reserve, emphasizing how important responsible innovation has become to winning public trust.
As the space evolves, crypto leaders must realize that every post, retweet, and meme can shape the industry’s future. One misstep, even with good intentions, can derail a lot of progress.
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