In the often-changing realm of cryptocurrencies, social media usually influences market attitudes. Few predicted the tsunami of market movement Jesse Pollak, the brains behind Coinbase’s Layer 2 blockchain Base, would cause, though, when he tweeted his unvarnished opinions regarding Ethereum’s direction. Originally an honest post, it soon became a viral event that seemingly had a direct impact on Ethereum’s price and sparked broader debates regarding ETH’s future.
ETH Purity Debate
Jesse Pollak posted a remark on Twitter on April 18, 2025, that struck a nerve with the Ethereum community. The tweet read: Ethereum does not require purity tests. We should be building. Hold your ETH, trade it, stake it—just be sure you stay focused. Not to moralise about what others do with their money, we are here to enable Ethereum scale.
Within under an hour, the tweet had gathered over 20,000 likes and was being reposted on X (previously Twitter), Reddit, Discord groups, and Cryptocurrency news sources. Notable developers, Ethereum aficionados, and even rivals entered the conversation. Many praised Pollak for his integrity and for exposing what they considered a rising diversion in society: virtue signalling about ETH ownership instead of real growth.
Ethereum Price Surges
Pollak’s comments soon found their way into market action. Previously trading sideways around $3,200 for most of the week, Ethereum experienced a sudden surge in value. ETH broke past barrier levels and peaked at over 8%, reaching $3,456 by late afternoon on April 18. With ETH/USDT and ETH/USD pairs driving the surge, trading activity across leading exchanges, including Coinbase, Binance, and Kraken, skyrocketed.
Many experts were taken aback. Just one tweet—no significant protocol upgrade or outside economic stimulus. In the realm of digital assets, however, the story is essential, and Pollak had only rekindled a hopeful one.
Ethereum’s Development Debate
Pollak’s statement was essentially a critique of what he believes to be a recent shift in the Ethereum community: an emphasis on philosophy at the expense of development. A growing conflict exists between pragmatic architects, such as Pollak, who contend that Ethereum’s future depends more on what people do with the blockchain than on ETH “maxis,” those who believe ETH is a moral obligation.
PollakBaseoice is particularly weighted since he founded Base, a successful Layer 2 blockchain built by Coinbase. Since its 2023 launch, Base has expanded quickly and is viewed as an essential component of Ethereum’s broader scaling plan. Though they don’t always fit the purist vision, Pollak was essentially supporting the builders, developers, and companies that maintain the ecosystem alive by speaking out.
Ethereum Bullish Breakout
Ethereum’s Growth price behaviour matched a pattern that technical traders saw as social mood increased. Rising from 55 to 65, the RSI (Relative Strength Index) indicated rising buying pressure but still not in overbought condition. Just as the price surged, the MACD (Moving Average Convergence Divergence) revealed a positive crossover, therefore verifying the breakout.
Support currently appears to be $3,300; resistance ahead is $3,500, and then $ 6,500 should momentum continue. Should Ethereum keep this breakout into the weekend, some analysts think a run toward $3,800 is not unthinkable.
Pollak’s ETH Controversy
While many praised Pollak for his tweet, not everyone agrees with it. Some ETH holders pushed back, arguing that ownership and commitment to ETH are essential to aligning incentives within the ecosystem. Others accused him of minimising the role of economic behaviour in decentralisation.
Still, the overwhelming response was one of appreciation. Developers, in particular, felt seen. One user on Reddit summed it up: “Finally someone with influence said what we’ve been thinking. Let’s stop arguing and get back to building cool stuff.”
Ethereum’s Decentralised Influence
This moment demonstrates that, despite its decentralised character, Ethereum responds profoundly to key voices and narratives in the space. While Jesse Pollak isn’t a star in the conventional sense, in the cryptocurrency world, engineers and protocol designers possess that type of influence. His message is based not only on what he said but also on who he is and what she stands for.
This viral event reminds us that Ethereum’s community is perhaps its most formidable obstacle as well as its strongest asset. It can be not easy to stay focused among so many points of view, instructions, and motives. But when a unifying message breaks through the noise—as Pollak’s tweet did—it can change attitudes and inspire actual action.
Final thoughts
Jesse Pollak’s tweet may not have been intended to move markets, but it did just that. By challenging the Ethereum community to prioritise building over moral posturing, he reignited enthusiasm and pushed ETH into the spotlight. Whether this moment marks the start of a longer-term rally remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: in crypto, sometimes all it takes is a tweet to remind people what they’re building for.
