🎭 Solana Co-Founder Calls Memecoins & NFTs "Digital Slop" — Despite Raking in Millions From Them

[AIcash]

Solana’s co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko is stirring the crypto pot — again.

In a Sunday post on X (formerly Twitter), Yakovenko declared that “memecoins and NFTs are digital slop and have no intrinsic value,” likening them to loot boxes in free-to-play mobile games.

“I've said this for years,” he added.
"Their value comes from price discovery — not from the content itself."

But here’s the twist: memecoins and NFTs are precisely what have driven Solana’s record growth in 2025.
The “Slop” That Pays the Bills

62% of Solana’s dApp revenue in June came from memecoins alone — a new all-time high, per data from Syndica.

In H1 2025, Solana raked in $1.6 billion in revenue, largely fueled by memecoin trading and NFT hype.

Top sources include Pump.fun, PumpSwap, and rival launchpad LetBonk, which has sometimes even surpassed Pump.fun in daily revenue.

Art vs. Algorithm

Yakovenko’s comments came during a debate with Base creator Jesse Pollak, who argued that NFTs and memecoins can have intrinsic cultural or artistic value, much like a museum painting.

Yakovenko disagreed, emphasizing that market demand alone gives these assets any value — not the content itself.
Community Pushback

Critics were quick to call out the apparent contradiction:

“You mock the very thing that made your network relevant,” wrote one X user.

“Toly promotes memecoins constantly and then calls them worthless,” another added.

What Now?

Whether you see memecoins and NFTs as useless distractions or digital cultural artifacts, one thing’s clear: they’ve become central to Solana’s financial success — slop or not.

So, is Yakovenko biting the hand that feeds him? Or is he just the first to say what others are too afraid to admit?

Either way, the memecoin machine on Solana isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

Your turn: Are memecoins just hype, or are they the new digital art? Let’s hear your take in the comments.

#Solana #Yakovenko #NFTs #Memecoins #CryptoNews #Web3 #PumpFun #LetBonk #DeFi #DigitalArt

[Nahid10]

Strong critique from Solana's co-founder—calling memecoins and NFTs “digital slop” highlights tensions within the ecosystem. Yakovenko argued they lack intrinsic value, likening them to loot boxes in mobile games—even acknowledging they drive Solana’s own volume and revenue, accounting for 62% of dApp income in June 2025.The paradox is real: what he derides fuels the network’s growth. It raises key questions—can Solana evolve beyond hype-driven traffic, and what role will utility-based DeFi or infrastructure projects play moving forward?

[jacson4]

Yakovenko’s take is polarizing—especially as Solana’s memecoin ecosystem continues thriving. Critics point out the irony that Solana might be "as forgotten as Tezos" without these meme coins powering its visibility and growth. Others defend NFTs as valid cultural and digital ownership tools.Regardless, the debate underscores an ecosystem crossroads: sustaining hype-driven models might not be viable long term. Diversification into real-world use, DeFi, tokenization, or gaming infrastructure may be Solana’s next frontier.

[Nahiar806]

Yakovenko isn’t wrong about price discovery, but dismissing memecoins and NFTs as slop overlooks their cultural and economic impact. Art has always been subjective. In Web3, hype itself can be part of the value. Solana didn’t just allow it — it exploded because of it.

[alex]

Calling the engine of your own ecosystem slop while profiting from it sounds like tech elitism in disguise. If memecoins and NFTs are what drive demand, maybe it's time to rethink what value actually means in the digital era.

[Maxwell]

So memecoins are worthless, but also responsible for record revenue? Sounds like Yakovenko is criticizing the mess while cashing the checks. Whether we like it or not, this so-called slop is paying for the innovation pipeline.

[Maxwell]

I’ve always thought of stablecoins as dollar-pegged only, but this shifts the paradigm. Backed by physical gold, tradable like crypto, and now omnichain? XAUt deserves more attention from serious holders.