Coinbase lost touch with crypto-native users, Cobie admits

Coinbase product executive Jordan Fish, better known as Cobie, said the company has become too distant from crypto-native users as questions grow over trust in the Base ecosystem.

Summary

• Cobie says Coinbase lost touch with crypto-native users after avoidable mistakes damaged trust across Base.
• Base App leadership shifted to Cobie as Coinbase refocuses product on trading and onchain activity.
• Rune questioned whether Base can attract users while community members continue to distrust management decisions.

His comments followed a public challenge from crypto commentator Rune over how the Base App plans to attract onchain users after recent community disputes.

Cobie said he had taken responsibility for the Base App and Coinbase trading products only days earlier. He also made clear that he does not run the Base blockchain. Jesse Pollak confirmed the leadership change, saying he had handed the app to Cobie so he could focus on the Base network.

Rune questions whether Base can rebuild user trust

Rune asked how the Base App could bring more users onchain when some supporters feel the ecosystem has repeatedly damaged their trust. He said Base still has strong infrastructure but questioned whether the project could attract new users without changing how its teams interact with the community.

Cobie acknowledged the criticism in a public exchange shared by Wu Blockchain. He said Coinbase had operated in an "ivory tower" to some extent and had become distant from users, especially crypto-native users. He also said Coinbase and Base had lost a large amount of trust through mistakes that could have been avoided.

Cobie added that the problems could not be fixed within a week or even a month. He said he plans to listen more closely to onchain users and create stronger links between product developers and the people using Coinbase products.

Cobie takes over as Base changes product direction

The comments came days after Pollak transferred leadership of the Base App to Cobie. As reported by crypto.news, Pollak stepped back from the app after Base's focus on social products failed to produce the growth the team expected.

Pollak will now focus more closely on the Base blockchain, while Cobie oversees the Base App alongside Coinbase's wider trading products. The shift gives Cobie responsibility for products including the main Coinbase App and its advanced trading services.

The management change also follows a wider reset in Base's product strategy. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong recently admitted that Base had "messed up" with content coins, as reported by crypto.news. The network has since shifted more of its attention toward trading, payments and AI-related products.

Base faces pressure after product and network setbacks

Base has faced several setbacks while changing its product strategy. The network suffered a nearly two-hour halt in block production in June after an invalid block created a consensus problem.

As reported by crypto.news, Pollak said user funds remained safe during the outage but described the incident as unacceptable for infrastructure built to support financial activity around the clock.

Base has also continued to expand its technical infrastructure. The network recently activated its B20 token standard, which allows developers to issue stablecoins and tokenized assets with built-in controls for issuers.

The B20 standard followed Base's Beryl network upgrade, as reported by crypto.news, and forms part of the network's broader push into trading and financial applications.

Cobie says closer contact with users will take time

Cobie said rebuilding trust would require sustained work. He plans to listen more closely to crypto-native users, connect product teams more directly with the community and focus on products that users actually want.

His comments focused mainly on the Base App and Coinbase trading products rather than the Base blockchain itself. Rune later said Base's underlying infrastructure could still compete among leading layer-2 networks but argued that the project needs to place users at the center of its decisions.

Cobie joined Coinbase after the company acquired Echo, the onchain fundraising platform he founded. Coinbase announced the $375 million Echo acquisition in October 2025, bringing Cobie into a larger role within the company.

His move into leadership of the Base App now comes as Coinbase tries to rebuild stronger ties with crypto-native users while expanding its trading and onchain products.