Solana CEO Anatoly Yakovenko: "Ashamed" Over Backlash to Deleted Ad

The ad, titled "America Is Back — Time to Accelerate", was posted on Solana’s official X account on March 17 but was removed after about nine hours. Before being taken down, it had gained around 1.2 million views and over 1,300 comments.

Solana has not released an official statement, but its X account reshared Yakovenko’s post.

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The two-and-a-half-minute video featured a man representing America in a therapy session. He expressed thoughts about innovation and crypto, to which the therapist responded that he should instead focus on creating a "new gender" or "pronouns". The man replied that he wanted "to invent technologies, not genders".

On March 19, Yakovenko addressed the backlash, admitting that the ad was a mistake. "The ad was bad, and it’s still gnawing at my soul", he wrote on X. He added:

I am ashamed I downplayed it instead of just calling it what it is—mean and punching down on a marginalized group.

He also acknowledged the members of the Solana community who criticized the ad, calling their response necessary. Yakovenko said that he wants Solana to stay focused on open-source development and decentralization rather than political debates.

Meanwhile, Ripple's CEO, Brad Garlinghouse, announced the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has officially dropped its case and appeal against the company. What did he say? Read the full story.