Base pivots to trading, payments, and AI agents after social experiments ‘disintegrated completely’

Base creator Jesse Pollak said the network made the wrong bet on
onchain social and will refocus its strategy around trading, payments,
and AI agents as it seeks to become infrastructure for global finance.

As part of the shift, Pollak has handed the Base App back to
Coinbase, where crypto investor and entrepreneur Jordan Fish, better
known as Cobie, will lead its next phase of development.

Coinbase strengthened its ties to Cobie last year through two deals
totaling $400 million, including the $375 million acquisition of his
onchain fundraising platform Echo and a separate $25 million purchase of
an NFT linked to the revival of his UpOnly podcast.

Pollak said the first quarter of 2026 was a major setback after Base
spent the previous two years betting that developers and new social
experiences would drive the next wave of crypto adoption.

While developers helped expand stablecoins, perpetual markets, and
prediction platforms, Pollak said social products including Farcaster,
Zora, mini apps, and creator coins failed to become central drivers of
growth.

“I was wrong,” Pollak wrote Wednesday, adding that it remains unclear whether the strategy was mistimed or fundamentally flawed.

Pollak said the failed push caused Base to fall behind competitors in
several areas. Although the network supported trading platforms
including Avantis and Limitless, their products remained smaller than
competing platforms, while Base also had room to improve its
tokenization and enterprise payment infrastructure.

The comments formalize a strategy shift that began earlier this year.
In January, Pollak said the Base App would move toward a trading first
experience after users criticized its focus on social features and
limited selection of assets.

Pollak said he has since moved his attention away from the app and
back toward the Base blockchain, where he has worked on upgrades
including Azul, Beryl, B20, privacy features, and ledgers.

Base will now concentrate on becoming the blockchain for global
finance, with three priorities for 2026: trading, payments, and agents.

The trading strategy will focus on bringing more assets onchain,
including tokenized stocks, memes, and app tokens. Payments will center
on making stablecoins usable globally for individuals and enterprises,
while the agent strategy will provide financial infrastructure for AI
systems and other software based economic actors.

Pollak previously described AI agents as a major opportunity for
crypto payments because software based systems require programmable
money that can move through APIs and smart contracts.

Builders will remain central to the network’s strategy through
programs including Base Layer, Base Batches, the Base Ecosystem Fund,
and distribution through Coinbase and the Base App.

Pollak said Base had recorded quarterly growth in decentralized
exchange share and payment volume, though he did not provide figures in
the post.

“We are going to build Base into the blockchain for
global finance and do everything we can to be the place that the world’s
money settles over the next century,” Pollak said.