Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko struck at the core of Coinbase’s Base expansion strategy this weekend, dismissing the Ethereum layer-2 network’s new bridge as an “alignment bullshit.”
In a sharp rebuke of Base lead Jesse Pollak, Yakovenko argued that cross-chain bridges are rarely neutral infrastructure. He said they act as vectors for value capture, deciding where fees settle and which ecosystem benefits.
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Solana Rejects Base’s ‘Alignment’ Message
Yakovenko contended that Base applications must migrate their computation to Solana so that transaction fees and economic activity accrue to Solana validators.
The dispute ignited after Pollak announced the integration last week, framing it as a “bidirectional” tool to unlock shared liquidity.
However, Yakovenko rejected this premise, warning that “alignment” is a marketing term often used to obscure capital flight.
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Considering this, he demanded that Base market the bridge honestly as a competitive tactic rather than a cooperative venture.
Solana Foundation executives Vibhu Norby and Akshay BD had previously criticized the bridge, saying Base bypassed Solana’s technical and marketing teams entirely.
They also alleged that the exchange-backed network launched the product without a single Solana launch partner.
At the same time, they cited private communications where Base leadership allegedly discussed “flipping” Solana as proof of hostile intent.
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However, Pollak defended the initiative, claiming his team spent nine months building the connection to satisfy developer demand on both sides.
He attributed the friction to a communication breakdown and insisted that the bridge allows assets to flow freely wherever opportunities exist.
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However, market observers see a darker pattern.
NFT historian Leonidas noted that Base employed similar “alignment propaganda” on Ethereum in 2023, extracting developer mindshare before pivoting to its own native economy.
Solana and Base have become two of the fastest-growing blockchain networks, competing directly for assets, liquidity, and developer activity.
Together, they hold nearly $20 billion in locked value. Solana accounts for about $12 billion, while Base holds roughly $6 billion, according to DeFiLlama data.
Source: https://beincrypto.com/solana-and-base-clash-over-new-bridge/
