Anatoly Yakovenko ignited a wave of backlash beyond Crypto Twitter, opening up a fierce debate over the role of the community.
The conversation wasn't particularly close to Web3, but one comment from the Solana executive attracted a long-term criticism.
Base and Solana executives disagree with the community
The controversy began when Yakovenko responded to a post by the X Head of the product, Nikita Bier, regarding the potential X (Twitter) improvements for X (Twitter) Revamp.
According to Anatoly Yakovenko, co-founder of Solana, the community was useless and it was a stance that sparked quick and vocal criticism from both developers and users.
Some interpreted his comment as referring to the community feature of the X app, while others viewed it as a broader dismissal of community-driven growth in the crypto space.
Jesse Pollack, creator The base chain and key figures of the Coinbase Exchange challenged this recognition Clear community relevance.
Pollack later detailed the memecoin project, which relies specifically on the community. According to base executives, they are just as relevant as they are, but the community also needs to be able to facilitate them to bring them together.
Other users reflected Pollac's sentiment and pointed to the irony of Jacobenko's statement, taking into account Solana's current trajectory in the memecoin market.
“Why do you hate Toly that supports Solana's prices?” one user chimed.
The statement refers to the memecoin traders and gamblers who have dominated Solana's chain activity in recent months.
“It's crazy to bite the hand that built you up,” they added.
In fact, Dune's data demonstrates the active and speculative trading environment for Solana Meme Coins, characterized by short-term momentum changes.
Solana Net Trade Pulse. Source: Dune Analytics
Memecoin proves the power of Solana's community
Similarly, diamond hand-sharing metrics indicate that 62.4% of SMTA (Solana Meme Token Analysis) token holders are eligible as diamond hand. This means that you're holding the token for a long period of time without selling it.
The remaining 37.6% is considered more transient or short-term holders. This is a strong indication of investor conviction, especially for relatively new or speculative assets on the Solana network.
Solana Meme Coins Diamond Hand Share. Source: Dune Analytics
The majority of SMTA holders believe in the long-term value of the project, suggesting that it will not be easily shaken by price volatility or short-term market fluctuations.
Key metrics show resilience despite repeated dips in the story of Solanamemmecoin. This supports the argument that meme community and its trading behavior play an important role in the Solana ecosystem.
This is directly contradicts Anatoly Jacobenko's claim that the community is useless.
“Literally, all the coins in Solana use the community in place of telegram chat, Anatoly,” one user stopped.
The timing of your comments is particularly sensitive. Solana has seen a surge in activity on the chain, and long-term holders are quietly buying dip.
Despite the recent price drop, Beincrypto reported that Solana Holders is drinking $367 million in sol in a week.
Critics argue that reducing the importance of grassroots structures such as communities alienates the chain's most active user base and undermines Solana's decentralized narrative.
The discussion highlights a larger cryptography theme: technology and scalability are important, but community involvement often encourages adoption.
Builders like Pollak are chains that compete for users and view communities as essential infrastructure, rather than optional marketing fluff.
