Solana Deletes Ad After Backlash Over Gender Messaging

Solana Deletes Ad After Backlash Over Gender Messaging

Solana deleted a promotional ad for its upcoming Accelerate conference after intense criticism over its gender-related content. The video, posted Monday and removed hours later, depicted a man named "America" resisting a therapist’s suggestion to “invent new genders” instead of focusing on innovation.

The ad, which played into right-wing cultural narratives, was slammed as "tone-deaf" and "cringe" by industry figures. "Imagine thinking this is a good commercial," wrote Adam Cochran of Cinneamhain Ventures, while Solana’s former director called it "horrendous."

Before its removal, the ad accumulated over 1.2 million views, with many accusing Solana of pandering to political divisions. Critics highlighted the hypocrisy of the Solana Foundation, which had previously enforced DEI-friendly policies at its conferences.

While Solana has not officially explained its decision, some early supporters of the ad backtracked as backlash mounted. Multicoin Capital’s Tushar Jain, who first praised the ad, later deleted his post, saying the execution “alienated a portion of the audience.”

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Hyperliquid Whale Profits $9.4M, Moves to Melania Trump Coin

The Hyperliquid whale that shorted Bitcoin with 40x leverage just closed his $516 million position, making $9.46 million in profit ahead of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting this week. The whale opened the leveraged short at $84,043 and was at risk of liquidation above $85,592, but managed to close in profit despite traders attempting to push Bitcoin higher to force liquidation.

After cashing out, the whale used part of his profits to buy over 3,200 ETH, spending $6.1 million at an average price of $1,875 per ETH. Following the ETH purchase, the whale placed a $2.7 million long bet on MELANIA, the official Solana meme coin of Melania Trump. The trade uses 5x leverage on Hyperliquid and faces liquidation if MELANIA drops 9.78% from $0.7238 to $0.653.

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Polymarket Predict 100% Chance of Fed Ending QT Before May

Polymarket users have assigned a 100% probability that the Federal Reserve will end its quantitative tightening (QT) program by April 30. The betting pool, which has over $6.2 million in volume, reflects growing expectations that the Fed will loosen monetary policy. Analysts believe this could fuel risk asset rallies, including crypto, which saw a sharp decline during QT.

The Fed’s balance sheet reductions began in June 2022, aimed at draining excess liquidity from markets. Recent macroeconomic shocks under the Trump administration and concerns about the U.S. debt ceiling have increased speculation that QT will be paused. Crypto traders see this as a potential turning point, as easing financial conditions could reverse Bitcoin’s recent 30% decline from its January peak.

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Strategy Announces $500M Stock Raise to Buy More Bitcoin

Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) plans to raise $500 million through a new perpetual preferred stock issuance called Strife, priced at $100 per share with a 10% fixed dividend. Unlike Strategy’s earlier convertible bonds and Strike offering, Strife will only pay dividends in cash, making it more attractive to institutional investors.

On Monday, Strategy acquired $10.7 million in Bitcoin, increasing its holdings to $41.4 billion. CEO Michael Saylor noted shifting macro conditions, stating that when the market flips risk-on, Bitcoin will surge again. Despite recent stock price declines, Strategy remains the largest corporate Bitcoin holder, continuing its aggressive accumulation strategy.

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Data of the Day

The GMCI Meme Index, which tracks major meme coins like Dogecoin, Shiba Inu, and PEPE, has dropped 90% from its December peak. This marks a sharp reversal from 2024’s speculative rally, where the index returned 550% before the market downturn. Traders exiting meme assets amid broader crypto market weakness have led to mass liquidations and falling volumes.

Memecoin-related platforms have seen engagement collapse, with PumpFun’s daily revenue dropping below $1 million. The broader GMCI indices have also declined in 2025, reflecting weak sentiment in risk assets. Analysts attribute this downturn to macro uncertainty, escalating U.S. trade tensions, and shifting investor sentiment toward more stable crypto investments.

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More Breaking News

• ‍A Coinbase study of 350 institutional investors found that over 75% plan to increase crypto exposure in 2025, with 59% allocating over 5% of assets.
• Microsoft researchers flagged StilachiRAT, a new trojan malware actively targeting crypto wallets like MetaMask, Phantom, and Coinbase Wallet via clipboard monitoring.
• South Korea’s central bank will pilot its 'Hangang' CBDC next month with 100,000 citizens, enabling tokenized bank deposits for payments at local vendors.
• Crypto exchange Gemini, backed by the Winklevoss twins, has appointed Dan Chen as its new CFO as it confidentially files for a potential IPO.
• Cronos blockchain will reissue 70 billion previously burned CRO tokens, restoring total supply to 100 billion, despite opposition from independent validators.
• Metaplanet bought 150 BTC for $12.6M, bringing its total holdings to 3,200 BTC as it continues its aggressive Bitcoin accumulation strategy through stock issuance.

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