Most Influential: Jesse Pollak

Jesse Pollak, who joined Coinbase in 2017, is recognized as the primary force behind the massive popularity surge of Base, the layer-2 network incubated by Coinbase, since its 2023 launch. Base aims to reduce onchain activity costs and support new decentralized applications, marking the first time a major crypto exchange launched its own L2. The network achieved significant milestones, surpassing $15 billion in Total Value Locked (TVL) in January 2025 and becoming one of the largest L2s. This growth is attributed to low transaction costs (under a cent), the expansion of DeFi applications, and the rise of social applications and memecoins, despite Pollak facing backlash over his $JESSE memecoin launch. Key ecosystem drivers in 2025 included the decentralized exchange Aerodrome Finance and the decentralized social network Zora. Looking ahead, Pollak hinted at the potential introduction of a native token for Base, fueling user anticipation.

(Source：CoinDesk)