Shiba Inu Lead Developer Calls Coinbase Onchain Summer Campaign “Copycat”

Shytoshi Kusama comments on Coinbase’s latest “Onchain Summer” campaign, calling it a copycat of Shiba Inu’s Summer of Shibarium.

The largest US-based crypto exchange, Coinbase, is on course to launch its Ethereum L2 solution (Base) on the mainnet. As recently corroborated by Coinbase CEO Brain Armstrong, Base is designed to bring the next billion users on-chain. It plans to achieve this by providing efficient tools for developing diverse Web3 products.

To mark the upcoming mainnet launch of Base, the Coinbase team has scheduled a campaign dubbed ‘Onchain Summer.’ This fun-filled initiative, scheduled to start on August 9, has triggered diverse reactions from the Shiba Inu community.

Shiba Inu Community Reacts To Coinbase Onchain Summer

Among those who reacted to Coinbase’s Onchain Summer campaign is Shytoshi Kusama. Citing some similarities, the lead Shiba Inu developer implied that Coinbase copied the idea of the Shiba Inu community.

“If it isn’t a shadowcat, it’s a copycat,” he wrote. This remark from Kusama came in response to an update from Armstrong. On Thursday, Armstrong revealed that he used the Base bridge launched yesterday while flaunting Coinbase’s planned Onchain Summer initiative.

If it isn't a shadowcat, its a #copycat. #SummerOfShibarium

— Shytoshi Kusama™ (@ShytoshiKusama) August 3, 2023

According to the top exchange, the celebratory event is designed to kickstart on August 9 alongside Base’s mainnet launch. The disclosure added that it would last several weeks and involve a “festival of art, music, and gaming.”

Summer of Shibarium

Recall that last month, the Shiba Inu lead developer introduced the “Summer of Shibarium” campaign. This marked the build-up phase to the mainnet launch of the L2 scaling solution Shibarium.

Accordingly, Kusama implied that Coinbase mimicked the Shiba Inu ecosystem with its “Onchain Summer” initiative. Notably, while both campaigns are similar in naming and idea, their corresponding activities are quite dissimilar.

It bears mentioning that the Summer of Shibarium is underway. As earlier stated by the team, several thrilling releases have been rolled out in preparation for the Shibarium mainnet launch. The Shibarium Beta Bridge and Shibarium Youtube launch are the most notable developments.