Solana deleted an advertisement criticized for its messaging around gender identity
The ad portrayed a man wanting to “invent technologies, not genders” amid patriotic themes
The video received over 1.2 million views before being removed following community backlash
Several crypto industry leaders called the ad “tone deaf,” “cringe,” and “divisive”
Solana’s price hit a yearly low of $118 on Monday, though it’s unclear if related to the controversy
Blockchain network Solana has removed a controversial advertisement from its social media after facing intense criticism from the crypto community. The ad, which ran for less than a day, sparked backlash for its messaging around gender identity issues.
The advertisement titled “America is Back—Time to Accelerate” was posted on March 17. It showed a man portrayed as “America” in a therapy session. The therapist suggested he focus on “coming up with a new gender” instead of innovation.
The man later responded that he wanted to “build onchain and reclaim my place as the beacon of innovation.” He also stated he wanted “to invent technologies, not genders.” These comments appeared to criticize progressive values around gender identity.
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… pic.twitter.com/kPMERDpTcn
— Adam Cochran (adamscochran.eth) (@adamscochran) March 18, 2025
Before Solana deleted it, the video gained over 1.2 million views. It also received more than 1,300 comments and 1,400 reposts. Most responses criticized the ad for its handling of gender identity issues.
The timing of the ad proved especially problematic. It came shortly after President Donald Trump revoked executive orders related to gender and sexual orientation. Trump also recently signed an order recognizing only two sexes and removed the “X” gender option on passports.
Many crypto leaders spoke out against the advertisement. Sean O’Connor, operating chief at Web3 infrastructure firm Blocknative, called it “tone deaf” on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
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
David McIntyre, operating chief at DoubleZero, described the ad as “horrendous.” He questioned why Solana didn’t “keep the message positive instead of dunking on people and making light of serious cultural issues.”
This video is horrendous and I hope Solana takes it down
If you want to celebrate America why not keep the message positive instead of dunking on people and making light of serious cultural issues
Let's keep the message on how Solana can help people rather than this garbage
— David McIntyre (@mcintyre) March 17, 2025
Even Nicolas Pennie, co-founder of Solana development platform Helius, criticized the approach. He stated that “virtue signaling will always be cringe regardless of political ideology.”
virtue signalling will always be cringe
regardless of political ideology
— nick | helius.dev (@nick_pennie) March 17, 2025
Some supporters of the ad later changed their position. Multicoin Capital co-founder Tushar Jain initially praised the ad but later deleted his post “after some reflection.”
Jain had earlier called the ad “bold and risky.” He even suggested that having former Vice President Kamala Harris play the therapist role would have made it better.
In his retraction, Jain said the ad could have been more effective by focusing on “deeper culture war issues.” He noted it could have delivered its message “without alienating a portion of the audience.”
Anneri van der Merwe, product lead at Base, also criticized the advertisement. She called it “offensive, cringe, and pandering” and noted that Base’s approach is “for everyone.”
Adam Cochran, partner at Cinneamhain Ventures, questioned the judgment behind the ad’s creation. He referred to a “weird circlejerk” in Silicon Valley where people believe “this is cool or edgy.”
Even Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko appeared to distance himself from the campaign. He suggested in a post that the company’s previous “Maren ad was better,” referring to an earlier, less controversial marketing effort.
Some observers suggest the ad may have been intentional “rage bait.” This is a marketing approach designed to generate buzz through controversy. However, this strategy risks alienating large portions of the global crypto community.
The Solana Foundation has not publicly stated why it deleted the ad. It also has not responded to requests for comment from media outlets.
The controversy comes at a challenging time for Solana. The blockchain’s native token hit a yearly low of $118 on Monday. This drop comes as activity on Pump.Fun, a platform for launching meme coins on Solana, has cooled off in recent weeks.
The post Technologies, Not Genders”: The Ad That Backfired on Solana & Was Removed appeared first on CoinCentral.
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Technologies, Not Genders”: The Ad That Backfired on Solana & Was Removed
TLDR
Blockchain network Solana has removed a controversial advertisement from its social media after facing intense criticism from the crypto community. The ad, which ran for less than a day, sparked backlash for its messaging around gender identity issues.
The advertisement titled “America is Back—Time to Accelerate” was posted on March 17. It showed a man portrayed as “America” in a therapy session. The therapist suggested he focus on “coming up with a new gender” instead of innovation.
The man later responded that he wanted to “build onchain and reclaim my place as the beacon of innovation.” He also stated he wanted “to invent technologies, not genders.” These comments appeared to criticize progressive values around gender identity.
Before Solana deleted it, the video gained over 1.2 million views. It also received more than 1,300 comments and 1,400 reposts. Most responses criticized the ad for its handling of gender identity issues.
The timing of the ad proved especially problematic. It came shortly after President Donald Trump revoked executive orders related to gender and sexual orientation. Trump also recently signed an order recognizing only two sexes and removed the “X” gender option on passports.
Many crypto leaders spoke out against the advertisement. Sean O’Connor, operating chief at Web3 infrastructure firm Blocknative, called it “tone deaf” on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
David McIntyre, operating chief at DoubleZero, described the ad as “horrendous.” He questioned why Solana didn’t “keep the message positive instead of dunking on people and making light of serious cultural issues.”
Even Nicolas Pennie, co-founder of Solana development platform Helius, criticized the approach. He stated that “virtue signaling will always be cringe regardless of political ideology.”
Some supporters of the ad later changed their position. Multicoin Capital co-founder Tushar Jain initially praised the ad but later deleted his post “after some reflection.”
Jain had earlier called the ad “bold and risky.” He even suggested that having former Vice President Kamala Harris play the therapist role would have made it better.
In his retraction, Jain said the ad could have been more effective by focusing on “deeper culture war issues.” He noted it could have delivered its message “without alienating a portion of the audience.”
Anneri van der Merwe, product lead at Base, also criticized the advertisement. She called it “offensive, cringe, and pandering” and noted that Base’s approach is “for everyone.”
Adam Cochran, partner at Cinneamhain Ventures, questioned the judgment behind the ad’s creation. He referred to a “weird circlejerk” in Silicon Valley where people believe “this is cool or edgy.”
Even Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko appeared to distance himself from the campaign. He suggested in a post that the company’s previous “Maren ad was better,” referring to an earlier, less controversial marketing effort.
Some observers suggest the ad may have been intentional “rage bait.” This is a marketing approach designed to generate buzz through controversy. However, this strategy risks alienating large portions of the global crypto community.
The Solana Foundation has not publicly stated why it deleted the ad. It also has not responded to requests for comment from media outlets.
The controversy comes at a challenging time for Solana. The blockchain’s native token hit a yearly low of $118 on Monday. This drop comes as activity on Pump.Fun, a platform for launching meme coins on Solana, has cooled off in recent weeks.
The post Technologies, Not Genders”: The Ad That Backfired on Solana & Was Removed appeared first on CoinCentral.