Base creator Jesse Pollak apologizes for sharing provocative GIF after latest backlash

Jesse Pollak, the creator of Coinbase-backed Base, an Ethereum layer 2 network, conceded he made a “mistake” by sharing a GIF containing controversial words in an X post.

Pollak had shared a GIF that played on the tagline of Base: Base is for everyone. It featured a rotating sequence of terms under the phrase “Base is for…” Some of these terms were neutral, like “art,” “minting,” and “great ideas.” However, the sequence also contained controversial terms like “pimping” and “squirting.”

Pollak clarified that he or the Base marketing team was not involved in the creation of the GIF. He explained that it was developed by a creator he “wanted to support.” But he admitted that it was a wrong move, especially highlighting the phrase “Base is for pimping”:

“… I’ll own this was a mistake and apologize. I’m sorry… the messages I share matter, especially when they look and feel like a direct message from me.”

Apology follows strong community backlash

Pollak continued to promote the creator of the GIF after publishing it. In an X post, he wrote: “buy the coin from @Wizard_Kin.” The GIF creator goes by Wizard_Kin on X.

Pollak reposted the above message in various endorsement messages in response to users. When an X user shared a snapshot of “Base is for squirting,” Pollak replied, “seems provocative – let the artists cook.” He then proceeded to endorse the GIF creator, asking the user to “support the artist.”

In another post, he wrote “art is provocative” and attached his previous post endorsing Wizard_Kin.

However, strong criticisms started to surface quickly. Many X users, including those in the crypto community, found the GIF to be vulgar, offensive, and inappropriate. Crypto commentator David Z. Morris wrote in an X post:

“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 added that the allusion “doesn’t just hurt Base, it hurts crypto.”

The pseudonymous founder of Kanto Labs, AshRobin, called the incident “an absolute PR nightmare.” Crypto commentator Kristel noted that the controversial GIF portraying offensive words “isn’t provocative and ‘edgy’” but “stupid.”

Apology evokes a mixed response

Pollak’s apology evoked a mix of responses from the community. Some praised Pollak for his honesty and transparency.

“Love the honesty. We all make mistakes, but it’s about how we grow from them,” crypto commentator Zuri wrote in an X post. Bankless co-founder David Hoffman responded to Pollak’s apology with: “I respect the leadership here.”

However, some crypto community members suggested that there was no need for Pollak to apologize. Milk Road co-founder Kyle Reidhead, for instance, said: “Do and share whatever you want without apology.”

Second controversy in a week

The GIF was the second controversy surrounding Base and Pollak in a week. The previous controversy started with Base sharing a tokenized version of its “Base is for Everyone” post on Zora via X. Zora is a decentralized content-sharing platform that automatically tokenizes all posted content.

Zora clearly stated in a disclaimer that the Base is for Everyone token is not associated with either Base or Coinbase. It also warned investors not to expect returns.

Despite the warnings, investors started trading the token, causing its market cap to soar to $17 million an hour after launch. In less than half an hour, however, the market cap crashed by around 95% to $1.9 million, according to data from DEX Screener. Multiple analysts and users then claimed there were signs of market manipulation and accused Base of doing a rug pull.

Base has earned over $94,000 from the tokenized post on Zora. Previously, Base said that it does not intend to ever sell these tokens. Pollak claimed that Base is for Everyone is not a memecoin but a ‘Content Coin.’ Many, however, were not convinced and believed the token to be a memecoin with no purpose.

In his latest apology post, Pollak continued to defend the concept of content coins. He elaborated that Base has started coining its content on Zora as a way to expand the use-cases of tokens. He added that coining content was a “powerful tool” to pave the path for creators to “earn from their creativity.”

Pollak said that he expected the pushback from the community since Base is trying to shake up the status quo, adding:

“I can’t predict the future, but I hope that we’ll continue to see folks look at the technology with clear eyes and see how we can use it to bring more people onchain.”