Solana’s Ad Blunder: The Most Awkward Therapy Session Ever? 😂

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So, let me get this straight. Solana, in a moment of sheer brilliance, decides to roll out an ad that’s basically a therapy session where “America” is told to focus on pronouns instead of, I don’t know, actual technological innovation? I mean, who thought this was a good idea? 🤔

After about nine hours of the internet collectively losing its mind, they yanked the ad faster than you can say “tone-deaf.” Critics were all over it, claiming it mocked gender identity issues. And honestly, can you blame them? It’s like they were trying to win a medal in the “How to Alienate Your Audience” Olympics. 🥇

hey @solana – for real?

at a time when trans people are getting denied passports and being erased by the government… this is the ad you put out?

this is so fucking tone deaf

— sean o’connor | gas network ⛽ (@aseoconnor) March 17, 2025

Sean O’Connor, who clearly has a knack for understatement, called it “so fucking tone-deaf.” I mean, it’s like they were trying to poke the bear while blindfolded. And let’s not forget, this ad got over a million views before it was unceremoniously tossed into the digital dumpster. Talk about a quick turnaround! 🗑️

Deleted after nine hours

So, they posted this gem on March 17 and, poof! Nine hours later, it was gone. It’s like they realized, “Oh wait, maybe we shouldn’t be making jokes about pronouns when people are literally fighting for their rights.” Who knew? 🤷‍♂️

Took them 9 hours to delete it.

Also all the major players in the Solana ecosystem suddenly delete their tweets promoting/supporting the ad and RT’d and liked takes about it being bad.

They approved this, supported it and celebrated it.

They rolled it back because it hurt…

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

Adam Cochran pointed out that the support for the ad vanished quicker than a magician’s rabbit. “They rolled it back because it hurt their business, not because they thought it was wrong,” he said. Well, isn’t that just the cherry on top of this ridiculous sundae? 🍒

And then there’s Tushar Jain, who initially thought the ad was “bold and risky.” Bold? Sure. Risky? Absolutely. But now he’s saying it should’ve tackled “deeper culture war issues.” You know, because that’s what we need—more culture wars in crypto. 🙄

Shift in values

Now, here’s the kicker: just a few months ago, Solana was all about diversity and inclusion. They had a code of conduct that explicitly prohibited discrimination based on “gender identity and expression.” Fast forward to now, and it’s like they’re trying to cozy up to the new political climate. What happened? Did someone switch the script? 📜

“The problem with the Solana ad is not the ad in isolation,” wrote Ceteris, head of research at Delphi Digital. “But the fact that ever since the election, they have gone from a non-political tech platform to pandering to the current political climate.” Wow, talk about a pivot! 🌀

Even Coinbase’s Base product lead, Aneri Patel, chimed in, calling the ad “offensive, cringe, and pandering.” I mean, if you’re getting called out by Coinbase, you know you’ve really messed up. 😬

‘Not like it represents the ecosystem’

Amid the chaos, Matt Sorg from Solana tried to do some damage control, claiming the ad didn’t represent the entire ecosystem. “It’s not like it represents the ecosystem being excited about the message,” he said. Oh, really? Because it sure looked like it! 🙈

And then there’s the classic excuse: “Only a very few people had direct involvement with the ad’s production.” Right, because that makes it all better. It’s like saying, “Hey, I didn’t eat the whole pizza, just a few slices.” 🍕

Solana trying so hard to be the white man chain, while the avg tx size makes you think it’s based in Bangalore

— Heart (@heartereum) March 18, 2025

Some folks in the community are having a field day with this. “Solana trying so hard to be the white man chain,” one user quipped, “while the avg tx size makes you think it’s based in Bangalore.” Ouch! That’s gotta sting! 😅

While many were up in arms about the ad, a few brave souls defended it, claiming the backlash was overblown and that it was “actually brilliant marketing.” Brilliant? More like a brilliant disaster! 💥

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2025-03-18 19:35