The Ethereum layer 2 network Base founder Jesse Pollak acknowledged making a wrong decision when he distributed a GIF featuring arguments some people found provocative. The animation showed Base is for followed by a sequence of rotating inappropriate words. The following words appeared which included the inappropriate terms “pimping” and “squirting.” The GIFs did not originate from Pollak but he became its main promoter until community members raised complaints about its contents.
Community Reaction
The public regarded this GIF as offensively inappropriate material because the platform intended to gain widespread acceptance. According to crypto commentator David Z. Morris these references to exploitation cause harm to the crypto industry. Several community members approved of Pollak’s transparent apology despite the fact that others argued against issuing any statement whatsoever leading to mixed reactions.
Previous Tokenization Issue
On the day before this incident Base received negative feedback after selling their “Base is for Everyone” post tokenized on Zora. The disclaimer against prospective investment failed to stop the token from reaching $17 million in market cap which later plummeted 95% during its first 30 minutes of existence. The accusations of market manipulation remained unfounded while Base received revenue of approximately $94,000 from the tokenization process.
Pollak’s Defense
Through content tokenization creators can profit from their work according to Pollak in his apology post. The pushback against his initiatives to disrupt established norms seemed inevitable according to Pollak since he believed blockchain technology would eventually draw new users to its system.
The GIF Controversy
Crypto leadership faces two major challenges. Due to personal communication methods and platform management decisions receive strong public scrutiny in an environment of constant advancement. The Base community continues to question how the company addresses tokenization issues even after Pollak accepted responsibility.
