Michaela
Solana Labs CEO Anatoly Yakovenko has addressed the reaction to the company’s “America Is Back – Time to Accelerate” controversial ad campaign, which has sparked debate within the community.
In a post on X, he expressed his unease over the company’s recent advertisement, which combined themes of American patriotism and technological innovation with political messaging on gender identity. Describing his reaction, Anatoly Yakovenko stated that the ad was “gnawing at [his] soul.”
“I am ashamed I downplayed it instead of just calling it what it is — mean and punching down on a marginalized group,” he wrote. The CEO acknowledged the criticism surrounding the advertisement and expressed appreciation for the developers and artists within the Solana ecosystem who voiced their concerns both publicly and privately. He referred to their feedback as the only “silver lining” in the controversy.
“I’ll do whatever I can to make sure solana foundation stays focused on its mission of decentralization and open source software development,” Anatoly Yakovenko added, emphasizing that the project would stay “out of cultural wars.”
The promotional ad for the upcoming Solana Accelerate conference sparked controversy after blending themes of technological progress with political messaging. The two-and-a-half-minute video depicted a man personifying America in a therapy session, expressing his desire to focus on innovation, including cryptocurrency.
During the session, the therapist dismissed his ambitions, suggesting he engage in “something more productive” such as developing a new gender, and later advising him to “focus on pronouns.” The character pushed back, asserting that he would rather focus on inventing technology and “not genders.”
The controversial ad was later removed from Solana’s platforms after receiving mixed feedback from the community.
The advertisement received backlash from members of the Solana community, with many criticizing it as “cringe.” Some prominent figures within the Solana ecosystem initially voiced support for the ad but later deleted their posts as criticism grew.
Cinneamhain Ventures partner Adam Cochran condemned those in the Solana ecosystem who supported the controversial ad. “They approved this, supported it and celebrated it. They rolled it back because it hurt their business, not because they thought it was wrong. This is who they chose to be. They showed you exactly who they are,” Cochran wrote.
Cochran emphasized the irony of the advertisement’s message, noting that transgender individuals have made significant contributions to open-source software and cryptography at a rate he described as “insanely disproportionate.”
“Every cypherpunk growing up, knew of at least one trans 100x dev or hacker that was just an absolute f*cking legend,” Cochran wrote. “And what made these communities so awesome was the mantra was always “we don’t care who you are; we care about what you do,” he added.
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Michaela has no crypto positions and does not hold any crypto assets. This article is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial advice. The Shib Magazine and The Shib Daily are the official media and publications of the Shiba Inu cryptocurrency project. Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial adviser before making any investment decisions.
