PEPE Fans Send #DeleteCoinbase Trending After ‘Hate Symbol’ Newsletter

This isn’t the first time #DeleteCoinbase has trended on Twitter

article-image

Ezume Images/Shutterstock modified by Blockworks

share

Supporters of memecoin pepe are taking to Twitter to once again say “delete Coinbase.” The crypto exchange recently sent out a newsletter labeling the Pepe the Frog meme, which PEPE invokes, a “hate symbol” co-opted by far-right groups.

With over 70,000 tweets containing the hashtag #DeleteCoinbase, it’s safe to say that its newsletter sparked not just a conversation, but a revolt. 

In the email, Coinbase cited the Anti-Defamation League’s view on Pepe the Frog as an internet symbol.

Read more: Pepe’s Pump Has Memecoin Fans Excited — But Red Flags Abound

“The [PEPE] token is based on the Pepe the Frog meme, which first surfaced on the internet nearly 20 years ago as a comic-strip character. Over time it has been co-opted as a hate symbol by alt-right groups, according to the Anti-Defamation League,” Coinbase wrote. 

Twitter users were quick to point out that Coinbase wasn’t necessarily representing the entirety of the ADL’s views on the Pepe the Frog meme. 

Jason Cline, a creator on Instagram and TikTok, retweeted a screenshot of the ADL’s blog post on Pepe the Frog, where the organization is quoted as saying, “The majority of uses of Pepe the Frog have been, and continue to be, non-bigoted.”

Loading Tweet..

There were a fair number of users who weren’t just saying delete Coinbase, but upped the ante by claiming they’d close their accounts. One tweeter claimed they’re selling all their Coinbase shares and moving their assets onto Gemini.

#DeleteCoinbase trended in 2019 when they acquired Italy-based analytics startup Neutrino. Executives of that company were involved with the controversial surveillance unit Hacking Team which sold intrusion and surveillance capabilities to oppressive governments. 

Coinbase later said it fired team members previously associated with Hacking Team.

Coinbase also made waves in 2020 when CEO Brian Armstrong urged staff to adopt a corporate policy of political neutrality to avoid discussing social justice issues in the office.

Blockworks reached out to Coinbase, which responded by pointing out the disclaimer at the bottom of the newsletter that said views expressed by the author are not necessarily shared by Coinbase or its employees.


Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:

Tags

Upcoming Events

Old Billingsgate

Mon - Wed, October 13 - 15, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

recent research

Research

article-image

Judge Analisa Torres said the parties have not demonstrated that vacating her prior ruling is in the best interest of the public

article-image

Prediction markets have found a mainstream fit

article-image

Money for enemies isn’t fun, but crypto can be

article-image

Onchain SOL perps wiped $31 million, outpacing CEX volumes two days in a row

article-image

Fed Chair Jerome Powell told Senators Wednesday that the timeline on lowering interest rates is up in the air

article-image

Credit infrastructure DeFi protocol Grove makes allocation into a CLO segment “ripe for movement into DeFi”