Shytoshi Kusama, the lead developer of Shiba Inu, has raised concerns over Coinbase’s latest campaign, ‘Onchain Summer,’ stating that it seems to draw inspiration from ideas initially presented by the Shiba Inu community. The accusation came after Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong’s update on the upcoming Base mainnet launch and the Onchain Summer initiative.
Coinbase is gearing up to launch its Ethereum layer-2 solution, Base, on August 9, with a vision of bringing the next billion users into the blockchain ecosystem through various Web3 products. In conjunction with the Base launch, Coinbase organized the Onchain Summer campaign, an event encompassing art, music, and gaming, spanning several weeks.
The Shiba Inu community, on the other hand, had previously initiated the “Summer of Shibarium” campaign on July 15, as a preparation phase leading to the mainnet launch of their layer-2 scaling solution. While Kusama hinted at similarities between the two campaigns, she acknowledged that the activities and goals of each event differ significantly.
I just minted Bridge to Base, celebrating the start of @BuildOnBase bringing billions of people onchain.
It’s Onchain Summer. https://t.co/gTcUcuklPF
— Brian Armstrong 🛡️ (@brian_armstrong) August 3, 2023
As part of the ongoing Summer of Shibarium, Shiba Inu has recently introduced several releases, including the Shibarium Beta Bridge and the Shibarium YouTube launch, in preparation for their mainnet launch.
The Shiba Inu community’s response to Coinbase’s Onchain Summer has been mixed, with some members expressing concerns about the similarities between the two initiatives. While Coinbase’s campaign aims to celebrate the Base mainnet launch, the Shiba Inu community remains focused on their development goals for Shibarium.
Coinbase’s Onchain Summer is set to kick off on August 9, but the debate surrounding its resemblance to Shiba Inu’s ideas continues. As the cryptocurrency community watches these events unfold, the question of originality and inspiration remains a topic of discussion.
