Beyond the pasta, quick(ish) actual @jessepollak appreciation post

Base’s success is because of Jesse’s leadership. If you’ve been paying attention, you already know this

This industry loves crafting narratives that don’t align with reality, especially for those of us who follow it closely every day. One such narrative is that Base is only successful because it’s backed by Coinbase’s resources. If that were the case, why did Coinbase NFT flop?

Before Base, the pattern on L2s was predictable: people would chase airdrops and then quickly abandon the L2 for the next airdrop opportunity. That trend still exists, but Base has become the exception - a chain with real users engaging with real apps. In my opinion, that’s because of Jesse’s incredible community building skills

Did you know Jesse is the second most followed person on Farcaster only behind its founder Dan, and that Base is the most followed channel? If you’re active on Farcaster, this won’t surprise you. Jesse’s ability to build a genuine community is unmatched

From the day Base was announced he’s constantly sharing inspiring messages about the potential of the onchain economy to bring economic prosperity to the world, highlighting new projects on Base, testing them out, encouraging people to build on Base, and actively engaging with the community. Every new project on Base seems to get Jesse’s personal attention, and he’s always sharing thoughtful feedback

This isn’t about incentives, airdrop farmers, Coinbase marketing, or any other narrative, it’s about leadership. Jesse has built a real, genuine community of people who want Base to succeed. I’ve personally DMed him a few times, and despite what I imagine is a flooded inbox, he always takes the time to respond

We’re lucky to have him in the Ethereum community, and I’m genuinely inspired by his work