Base Won’t ‘Pump’ Tokens: Jesse Pollak Slams Market Manipulation as ‘Illegal’

Tensions around market manipulation, meme tokens, and perceived favoritism have resurfaced on Coinbase-backed Layer 2 network Base, prompting its creator, Jesse Pollak, to publicly reject calls for the team to intervene in token prices.

In a post on X, Pollak said the Base core team would not “support the chart behind the scenes,” directly addressing community members who have urged the network to use internal capital to push specific tokens higher.

Pollak said privately coordinating or deploying funds to drive the price of an asset toward a desired outcome would disadvantage other tokens, undermine trust in the ecosystem, violate Base’s commitment to free and open markets, and likely break the law.

He added that while the team would continue to improve how it drives visibility and distribution for applications and assets built on Base, price discovery must remain organic and transparent.

Traders Question Base’s Missing “Flagship” Token

The comments came amid growing frustration among some traders who argue that Base lacks a breakout token capable of attracting sustained speculative interest.

A host of a popular Base-focused livestream said the network did not have “what it takes” to push a project into the hundreds of millions in market capitalization and suggested shifting attention to the chains.

Other users pushed back, saying the issue was not unique to Base but shows a broader problem across crypto, where meme-driven speculation has become a zero-sum game dominated by short-lived pumps.

Pollak’s response drew support from parts of the community, while others showed their disagreements over how networks should compete for attention.

Other users complained that Base had the option to rally around some of their tokens and failed to do so, citing examples of projects they thought could have been used as flagship assets.

Pollak recognized the frustrations but felt that in the long term it only results in recurring losses by manipulating prices, whereas fair markets enable the participants to learn, to adapt, and ultimately to prosper.

In his comments, he noted that Base remains to serve creators, builders, applications, and meme culture on the network, and the Base app is moving towards a more trading-oriented experience to highlight activity throughout the ecosystem.

At the same time, he drew a clear line between promotion and manipulation, saying that secret coordination to inflate prices is incompatible with Base’s role as open infrastructure and with Coinbase’s obligations as a U.S.-regulated public company.

Earlier Meme Token Controversy Still Haunts Base

The debate also revived scrutiny of earlier incidents that shaped perceptions of Base’s role in meme markets.

In 2025, Base faced backlash after its official X account posted “Base is for everyone,” followed by a tokenized version of the post minted on Zora.

Although Base said the token was a creative experiment and not an official product, the episode fueled accusations of implicit endorsement and intensified calls for regulatory scrutiny.

More broadly, pump-and-dump activity has been a persistent issue on Base, where low transaction costs and fast execution have made it easier for bad actors to deploy, hype, and exit tokens within hours.

Research during peak meme periods suggested that a significant share of newly launched Base tokens had severe security flaws or malicious features, including honeypot contracts and unlocked liquidity.

These dynamics have contributed to large losses for retail traders and reinforced demands for clearer standards.

Pollak’s statements appear aimed at distancing Base from those practices while leaving room for structured, transparent incentives.

In replies to users, he said open systems such as competitions or clearly defined liquidity programs could be explored if they are implemented publicly and fairly.