In recent days, digital asset world has witnessed a mild yet intriguing tug-of-war between the Shiba Inu lead developer and the eminent cryptocurrency exchange, Coinbase. At the center of this friendly rivalry is Coinbase’s ‘Onchain Summer’ campaign, to which the Shiba Inu lead developer, Shytoshi Kusama, responded with a playful jab, playfully insinuating mimicry by quipping, “If it isn’t a shadowcat, it’s a copycat.”
The provocative comment does seem to hold a little substance when we delve deeper into both campaigns’ strikingly similar missions. Coinbase’s ‘Onchain Summer’ initiative entails the launch of Ethereum Layer 2 solution, Base, on mainnet. Aiming to bridge a billion users into the blockchain world, it has been bandied about by the CEO, Brian Armstrong, as a tool aiding the development of an array of Web3 products.
On matchingly parallel lines, Kusama had initiated the ‘Summer of Shibarium’ campaign last month, that was designed to herald the launch of the L2 scaling solution, Shibarium. Hence, it wasn’t entirely devoid of substance when Kusama stated that the similarities between Coinbase’s campaign and the one run by the Shiba Inu community were hard to overlook.
However, the devil is in the details, and it’s essential to underscore the notable differences in activation between both campaigns. Though they share coincidental names and vaguely similar goals, the methodology employed is far from identical. The ‘Onchain Summer’ is modeled as a several-weeks-long celebration, designed to align with the Base mainnet launch, and promises to offer a blend of art, music, and gaming.
In contrast, Shiba Inu’s ‘Summer of Shibarium’ has a more functional approach, strategically focusing on the ongoing mainnet launch of Shibarium. The community keeps well-informed through numerous updates and releases. Among their recent feats, the Shibarium Beta Bridge and the Shibarium Youtube launch have been well-received.
In summation, while there’ll undoubtedly be elements of resemblance whenever efforts are pinned towards the common goal of crypto adoption, the Shiba Inu – Coinbase kerfuffle doesn’t seem more than a light-hearted interaction. Though innovations are ripe for inspiration, it’s important to respect the individuality of projects and communities, particularly in the ever-unfolding digital asset landscape.
Source: Cointelegraph
