Solana deletes ‘cringe’ ad criticized for being ‘tone deaf’ on gender issues

10 hours ago 27

The squad down blockchain web Solana has deleted a arguable advertisement posted connected its X relationship aft immense backlash implicit governmental messaging astir sex identity.

The much than two-and-a-half-minute advertisement for the Solana Accelerate league posted connected March 17 with the caption “America is back. Time to Accelerate” depicted a antheral arsenic “America” successful a therapy league who said helium was having thoughts “about innovation” specified arsenic crypto.

The therapist responds helium should bash “something much productive, similar coming up with a caller gender” and aboriginal says the antheral should “focus connected pronouns.”

As the speech meanders on, the antheral snaps and launches into a monologue amid swelling patriotic music, saying helium wants to “build onchain and reclaim my spot arsenic the beacon of innovation” and wants “to invent technologies, not genders” successful an evident excavation astatine progressive values.

Before its deletion, the advertisement was viewed implicit 1.2 cardinal times and racked up implicit 1,300 comments and 1,400 reposts, a bulk of which derided it for its handling of sex individuality and for making airy of a highly divisive governmental issue.

“They rolled it backmost due to the fact that it wounded their business, not due to the fact that they thought it was wrong,” Cinneamhain Ventures spouse Adam Cochran wrote to X connected March 18.

Took them 9 hours to delete it.

Also each the large players successful the Solana ecosystem abruptly delete their tweets promoting/supporting the advertisement and RT’d and liked takes astir it being bad.

They approved this, supported it and celebrated it.

They rolled it backmost due to the fact that it hurt… pic.twitter.com/kPMERDpTcn

— Adam Cochran (adamscochran.eth) (@adamscochran) March 18, 2025

Solana has not stated wherefore it deleted the ad. The Solana Foundation did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

Sean O’Connor, operating main astatine Web3 infrastructure steadfast Blocknative, wrote connected X, “This is truthful fucking code deaf.”

“At a clip erstwhile trans radical are getting denied passports and being erased by the government... this is the advertisement you enactment out?” helium added. 

On his archetypal time backmost successful the White House, President Donald Trump revoked Joe Biden’s enforcement orders aimed astatine preventing favoritism based connected sex and intersexual orientation. 

He besides signed an bid recognizing lone 2 sexes — antheral and pistillate — and scrapped the enactment for Americans to take “X” arsenic a sex connected passports.

DoubleZero operating main David McIntyre called Solana’s advertisement “horrendous” and questioned wherefore Solana didn’t “keep the connection affirmative alternatively of dunking connected radical and making airy of superior taste issues.”

Nicolas Pennie, the co-founder of the Solana improvement level Helius, said connected X that “virtue signaling volition ever beryllium cringe careless of governmental ideology.”

Others who initially backed the advertisement person besides pulled their enactment amid the backlash.

Related: Crypto firms spent $134M connected 2024 US elections, raising power concerns

Multicoin Capital co-founder Tushar Jain wrote connected X that helium deleted his archetypal post praising the advertisement “after immoderate reflection.” 

He antecedently called the advertisement “bold and risky” and said having erstwhile Vice President Kamala Harris play the relation of therapist was the “only happening that could person made it better.”

In his retraction statement, Jain said it would person been much effectual to “focus connected deeper civilization warfare issues similar the failings of the oppressor-oppressed satellite view, not aboveground civilization warfare issues similar pronouns,” and the advertisement could person sent a connection “without alienating a information of the audience.”

X Hall of Flame: Solana ‘will beryllium a trillion-dollar asset’ — Mert Mumtaz 

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