Just days after Trump’s return to the White House, Solana found itself drowning in controversy over an ad that many called a tone-deaf disaster. The promotional video for their Accelerate conference showed “America” in therapy, with the therapist suggesting a focus on gender and pronouns.
Then came the kicker—a man boldly declared he wanted to “invent technologies, not genders,” set to patriotic music. Subtle, right?
The crypto community erupted. Over 1,300 comments and 1,400 reposts flooded in, most of them scathing. Industry figures didn’t hold back, labeling the ad “offensive” and accusing Solana of mocking gender identity issues.
Many saw it as a desperate attempt to pander to right-wing ideologies. Not exactly the unifying message crypto claims to champion.
Solana quickly deleted the ad after just nine hours, but not before it racked up 1.2 million views. Damage done. Their co-founder distanced himself faster than politicians from a scandal, despite the company’s previous stance on diversity and inclusion.
Their silence spoke volumes—no official explanation for the deletion followed.
The timing couldn’t have been worse. Trump had just revoked Biden’s anti-discrimination orders and removed the “X” gender option from passports. Talk about reading the room wrong.
The backlash hit Solana where it hurts—their wallet. SOL price tumbled to a yearly low of $118. Crypto analyst Adam Cochran suggested the deletion was about business, not ethics.
Others like Sean O’Connor pointed out the obvious insensitivity toward transgender issues.
The controversy raised bigger questions for crypto. Can the industry remain politically neutral? Should it? One thing’s clear—Solana’s attempt to ride political winds backfired spectacularly.
The greatest irony? An industry built on decentralization and inclusion just alienated a chunk of its community.
Solana wanted to show “America is back.” Instead, they showed how quickly a brand can burn goodwill with one tone-deaf ad. Lesson learned? Probably not.
