Yakovenko defended his stance, emphasizing transparency and cleaner market structures.
Solana might be known for its fast tech and memecoin mania but its own co-founder isn’t impressed.
In a controversial post on X, Anatoly Yakovenko, co-founder of Solana, slammed the two biggest drivers of activity on his blockchain, memecoins and NFTs, calling them “digital slop with no intrinsic value.”
He compared them to loot boxes in mobile games, where people spend real money on flashy items with little real use.
“I’ve said this for years. Memecoins and NFTs are digital slop. Like a mobile game loot box. People spend $150B a year on mobile gaming,” Yakovenko wrote.
Apparently, just because people pay for something doesn’t mean it’s worth anything.
The post didn’t go unnoticed, especially because memecoins and NFTs are exactly what brought users and volume to Solana.
Another influencer fired back saying without that so-called “slop”, Solana would be as forgotten as Tezos, an old “Ethereum killer” that barely sees any action today.
Even Adam Hollander, CMO at OpenSea, wasn’t holding back:
Disappointing take. And just flat out wrong. The concept of provable transparent digital ownership isn’t going anywhere. And absolutely has intrinsic value.
Other users pointed out that entertainment itself holds value, even if it’s subjective. “Entertainment and media is a multi trillion dollar industry,” one user replied, adding that while not all NFTs offer utility, many still hold cultural or emotional value.
Despite the backlash, Yakovenko didn’t back down. In a follow-up tweet, he shifted the focus to market fairness and transparency:
“What’s important to me is that the shitheads that obfuscate or mislead about market conditions or market structure are nuked from orbit.”
This isn’t the first time Yakovenko has taken a strong position. He has consistently pushed for better market tools, clearer regulations, and cleaner trading practices.
His background as a systems engineer and Solana’s focus on performance suggest that his frustration may lie more with manipulation and hype than with the assets themselves.
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While Yakovenko’s comment may have upset parts of the community, it also reflects a broader conversation in crypto: What gives an asset value – utility, speculation, or ownership?
Solana, now valued at over $104 billion, has built its user base through fast transactions, meme coin culture, and a thriving NFT scene. What will power the growth forward? Let’s wait and watch.
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