While attempting to promote its upcoming Accelerate conference, Solana released a firestorm of controversy with an ad that many deemed politically charged and divisive. The video, titled “America is Back—Time to Accelerate,” depicted the United States as a man in therapy struggling with innovation while his therapist suggested focusing on gender issues. Talk about a marketing misfire.
Solana’s therapy-themed ad backfired spectacularly, turning a conference promo into a culture war casualty nobody asked for.
The ad, which included the line “I want to invent technologies, not genders,” racked up over 1.2 million views on Solana’s official X account before being yanked down after nine hours. No surprise there. The crypto community wasn’t having it.
Reactions came swift and brutal. “Embarrassing.” “Cringe.” “Tone deaf.” Even people within Solana’s own ecosystem couldn’t defend the mess. Sean O’Connor from Blocknative and David McIntyre of DoubleZero joined the chorus of critics calling the ad “horrendous.”
Damage control kicked in immediately. Matt Sorg, Solana’s VP of Technology, tried distancing the Foundation by claiming most production steps were outsourced. Right. Dan Elbert, Executive Director, tweeted the obvious: “Solana is for everyone.” Too little, too late.
The fallout went beyond hurt feelings. Solana’s price tumbled to a yearly low of $118 on March 18, 2025. Whether directly related or not, the timing wasn’t great for a project still recovering from FTX drama.
The incident reignited debates about crypto’s political neutrality. Should blockchain companies wade into cultural issues? Many think not. The industry values its position as neutral technology, accessible to everyone regardless of political leanings. Adam Cochran pointedly reminded everyone about the transgender developers’ contributions to the cryptocurrency industry.
For Solana, it’s another lesson in the power of marketing gone wrong. Next time, maybe stick to promoting the actual technology instead of culture war talking points. The crypto space is diverse enough without adding fuel to already divisive issues. The deletion of the ad created even more problems as it resulted in backlash from both supporters and critics alike. Sometimes innovation speaks for itself. No therapy session required.
