Efe Nail Saltık 
Despite concerns voiced by industry leaders, Solana memecoin presales continue to attract significant interest.
Ki Young Ju, the founder and CEO of CryptoQuant, has expressed apprehension regarding the surge in Solana memecoin sales. Notably, projects like Slerf and presales such as ‘areyoustupid.sol’ have experienced remarkable growth, leading to increased fees and trading volume on the Solana blockchain.
Ju, whose company specializes in cryptocurrency on-chain and market data, took to the social media platform X to convey his concerns. He emphasized the detrimental impact memecoins could have on the crypto industry, lamenting how they overshadow legitimate projects striving to drive industry advancement.
“Memecoins pose a threat to the integrity of the crypto industry,” Ju stated on X. “It’s disheartening to witness billion-dollar memecoins outshine diligent teams working on genuine products to propel this sector forward. The pursuit of easy money does not foster sustainable progress across the industry, as evidenced by the ICO bubble burst of 2018.”
Acknowledging the argument that memecoins serve as a gateway for new users to enter the crypto space, Ju questioned whether risking financial loss is a suitable method for attracting newcomers. He also raised concerns about the lack of societal value contributed by many projects during the 2018 ICO frenzy, likening it to a casino-like environment.
Ju concluded his remarks on X by suggesting that supporters of memecoins may be unfamiliar with the adverse consequences of chasing quick profits in the crypto industry.
The ICO burst of 2018 refers to the period when numerous web3 projects conducted initial coin offerings, exchanging digital assets for financial investments. While some projects, like Ethereum in 2014, executed legitimate and successful ICOs, the later period saw a proliferation of speculative or fraudulent offerings, contributing to the burst.