Coinbase’s sponsorship of Trump’s military parade sparks debate over crypto’s anti-establishment roots

Coinbase’s sponsorship of the military parade in Washington, D.C., on June 14 has sparked a debate about whether crypto has lost sight of its original ethos.

The parade, which was held to commemorate the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday, took place amid the country-wide ‘No Kings’ protests. The protestors voiced their opposition to President Donald Trump’s immigration policy and mass deportations, calling the parade, which coincided with Trump’s 79th birthday, the behavior of a dictator.

Coinbase, the largest crypto exchange in the U.S. and the third-largest in the world, joined tech giants like Amazon in sponsoring the military parade, which drew a meager and largely quiet crowd. The parade had a total of 22 corporate sponsors, among which was Palantir, the big data analytics firm tasked with compiling data on Americans across federal agencies using an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered system.

Coinbase, which had previously donated $1 million for Trump’s inauguration in January, also received a shoutout from the event MC towards the end of the parade. Coinbase’s sponsorship, which was construed as support and endorsement for the heavily criticized event, has sparked a debate among the crypto community: Has crypto lost touch with its anti-establishment roots?

How crypto might be straying from its original ethos

When Satoshi Nakamoto mined the first Bitcoin (BTC) in January 2009, he left a message in the Genesis block. The message pointed to an article by The Times on how the U.K. was planning to bail out banks in the aftermath of the 2008 economic collapse.

Therefore, Nakamoto’s invention of Bitcoin, which essentially gave birth to the crypto industry, was a form of protest. With Bitcoin, Nakamoto offered an alternative to traditional currency controlled by central banks and governments that constantly put the burden of bailing out companies on citizens.

Bitcoin was designed to bypass governments and establishments that control the supply of traditional currencies, allowing individuals to transact via a decentralized medium called blockchains. It tracks, therefore, that the earliest adopters of Bitcoin and crypto were tech enthusiasts and libertarians opposed to control and surveillance by centralized authorities, including banks and governments.

Coinbase’s sponsorship has, therefore, rightly sparked a debate about whether crypto has lost its way. As Felix Jauvin, director and host of the Forward Guidance podcast, wrote on X:

“Bros I don’t think crypto is a counter culture movement anymore”

Counterculture movements propose values that are different from or opposed to mainstream culture. Crypto was once viewed as a means of defying the mainstream culture of dependence on centralized financial authorities.

But with Coinbase sponsoring the military parade that celebrated the U.S. Army, which serves as a prime symbol of centralized power and authority, Jauvin’s question about crypto’s evolution has struck a chord with many.

What the crypto community is saying

Several crypto community members agreed with Jauvin, with many proclaiming that crypto drifted away from its original goal a long time ago or that it “never was.” For instance, one X user stated that crypto has not been a counterculture movement for three years, adding:

“There will always be parts of crypto that are counter culture, though, and others that aren’t.”

Several users also questioned the need for corporate sponsors when it is estimated that the parade would cost approximately $45 million in public funds. One user tauntingly asked if Coinbase would also sponsor the repairs of D.C.’s “tank mangled streets.”

Others were not surprised by Coinbase’s move. One X user wrote:

“It makes sense, like 30 percent of the crypto community went from libertarian types to some boot-licking version of MAGA.”

Several users also dissented with Jauvin’s claim, with one user noting that a bottom-up, permissionless system will usually evolve in ways that participants do not agree with. The user added:

“Better this than specific groups dictating what should and shouldn’t be.

We can’t eat our cake and have it too!”

Many crypto holders also viewed Coinbase’s sponsorship as a way to maximize gains, while withholding judgment.