Solana Faces Criticism—Removes Ad Following Backlash On Gender Identity

There is a lot of talk going on about Solana since a video promoting its upcoming Accelerate conference in New York came out.

The ad, which aired on March 17, was quickly taken down because it made fun of gender identity problems, sparking widespread criticism.

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Ad Criticized For Insensitivity

The video depicted a character named “America” who was undergoing therapy; the character said he was having thoughts about “innovation.”

The therapist recommended that the subject concentrate on pronouns or the development of new genders rather than pursing technological innovation, like crypto, during the session.

“America” answered by stating a wish to “invent technologies, not genders.”

The look of disappointment from some individuals. Image: Gemini Imagen.

Critics have labeled the commercial as “offensive” and “tone-deaf,” some of which call it disrespectful to transgender and gender minorities.

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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

Corporate executives voiced their criticism. Former Solana Foundation director David McIntyre argued that while Adam Cochran of Cinneamhain Ventures called the advertising “justly absurd,” the platform should have given positive messaging top priority over mocking important societal issues.

Sean O’Connor, operating chief at Web3 infrastructure firm Blocknative, did not mince words and unloaded an explicit message on X:

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 https://t.co/p2hF5jIb9c

— sean o’connor | gas network ⛽ (@aseoconnor) March 17, 2025

Controversy Casts Doubt On Solana’s Values

The controversy has prompted inquiries regarding Solana’s ability to adhere to its stated principles. Just weeks prior, the Solana Foundation underscored the importance of diversity and inclusion at a conference in Singapore.

SOL market cap currently at $63 billion. Chart: TradingView.com

Its code of conduct explicitly safeguarded participants from harassment based on gender identity and expression. Currently, observers are debating whether the advertisement represents a strategic transition or an isolated gaffe by the organization.

Solana has not yet issued an official statement that elucidates the reason for the video’s removal. Critics contend that the decision to eliminate it was reactive rather than indicative of ethical reflection.

I deleted my initial take on the Solana ad today after some reflection.

At first I liked the ad because it struck a chord with me. I believe a whole generation of people was taught to focus on zero sum oppressor oppressed world views rather than positive sum techno…

— Tushar Jain (@TusharJain_) March 18, 2025

Industry Leaders Withdraw Their Support

Subsequently, certain initial supporters of the advertisement withdrew their endorsements. Initially, Tushar Jain, co-founder of Multicoin Capital, commended the video as “bold.” However, he later deleted his post and acknowledged that it alienated certain members of the community.

This incident underscores the increasing tensions within the crypto industry regarding political messaging and cultural commentary.

Featured image from Gemini Imagen, chart from TradingView

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