Here Is Another Big Evidence Showing Why Shiba Inu Is Dying and the Team Is Avoiding Transparency

A recent announcement from a key member of the Shiba Inu ecosystem offers yet another example of how the project’s leadership is becoming increasingly evasive. 

From the beginning, the Shiba Inu team operated under strict anonymity, relying on pseudonyms as part of its identity. While this approach worked during SHIB’s early phase, it became a serious concern once the project grew into a multibillion-dollar ecosystem where investors demanded visible leadership and long-term accountability.

As the project matured, this anonymity triggered mixed reactions. Some community members accused the team of deliberately avoiding responsibility, while the Shiba Inu team dismissed these concerns and reaffirmed its commitment to the ecosystem. 

K9 Finance Discloses Lack of Communication with SHIB Team 

However, the latest announcement from K9 Finance DAO outlines a troubling timeline marked by prolonged silence, stalled leadership, and a widening trust deficit. As a result, the development has strengthened the narrative that the Shiba Inu project is slowly dying—or that its leadership is actively avoiding accountability.

Over the past several months, K9 Finance DAO has followed every step requested by the Shib team regarding the Shibarium bridge hack and the process to make affected users whole. Throughout this period, we have operated in good faith and maintained multiple private communication…

— K9 Finance DAO (@K9finance) December 11, 2025

According to K9 Finance, the group spent several months following every instruction from the Shiba Inu ecosystem team after the September Shibarium Bridge hack, which resulted in the loss of more than $4 million in crypto assets. 

Despite responding to every request, K9 Finance confirmed that communication from the Shiba Inu leadership eventually dried up. It confirmed that multiple private communication channels that once supported active collaboration in the incident have reportedly gone silent, reinforcing criticism that SHIB’s leadership appears increasingly absent. 

K9 Finance Seeks Full Compensation for Victims of Shibarium Bridge Hack 

In response, K9 Finance emphasized that taking the matter public was not an attempt to create drama. Instead, it described the move as a necessary step to uphold transparency and responsible governance on behalf of its holders. 

As part of this effort, K9 issued a final deadline of January 6, 2026, for the Shiba Inu ecosystem team to fully and verifiably compensate all users affected by the Shibarium Bridge hack. If the team fails to comply, K9 said it will hold a formal DAO vote to determine whether its continued business on Shibarium remains viable for the long-term health of its ecosystem.

For context, K9 Finance, a liquid staking platform on Shibarium, was one of the projects directly affected by the hack. Since the incident, the K9 team has tried to recover the stolen KNINE tokens, even offering a 20 ETH bounty—which the attackers rejected. Although communication once appeared active between K9 and the Shiba Inu team, K9 has now confirmed that all dialogue has stalled. 

The potential DAO vote determining whether K9 Finance will abandon Shibarium poses a significant threat. Losing such a key partner would further damage the blockchain’s already fragile adoption and credibility. 

Clarity and Finality Now Non-negotiable 

Although K9 Finance reiterated its preference for collaboration and constructive resolution, it made clear that clarity, finality, and a defined path forward are now non-negotiable. 

Meanwhile, this incident adds to a growing pattern of complaints from the Shiba Inu community about poor communication from the team. Lead developer Shytoshi Kusama is known for disappearing for months or placing his X account in private mode. 

He recently stayed silent on X for 84 days, leaving the project without any clear direction. Kaal Dhairya, a top developer of the Shiba Inu ecosystem, also locked the comment sections of all his X posts, limiting the community’s ability to engage.

Moreover, a recent disclosure from an independent on-chain sleuth, Shima, claims the Shiba Inu ecosystem team never officially reported the hack to law enforcement. Reporting the incident may have helped seize part of the stolen assets on KuCoin, according to Shima. These practices, combined with K9 Finance’s announcement, provide yet another example of why many believe Shiba Inu’s leadership is becoming increasingly evasive.