USDSolana’s Starknet Jab Meets Data-Driven Rebuttal as Layer-2 Metrics Rebound Above $300 Million TVL
Social Media Provocation Collides With On-Chain Recovery Signals
TL;DR
- Solana’s official account mocked Starknet’s usage and valuation, igniting a public L1–L2 rivalry.
- Starknet’s TVL climbed back above $300 million for the first time since early 2024, alongside rising stablecoin liquidity.
- On-chain data shows Starknet activity recovering, challenging simplified narratives based on outdated snapshots.
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Solana’s official social media account triggered fresh controversy on January 14, 2026, after posting a blunt critique of Ethereum Layer-2 Starknet. The post claimed Starknet had just eight daily active users and ten daily transactions while still carrying a roughly $1 billion coin market cap and a fully diluted valuation near $15 billion, ending with the remark “Send it straight to 0.”
The tone marked a departure from the usual industry banter, signaling a sharper edge in the scaling rivalry between Layer-1 and Layer-2 ecosystems. The comment quickly gained traction across crypto social channels, drawing millions of views and sparking debate over whether valuation should be judged purely by headline usage metrics or broader network fundamentals.
StarkWare CEO Eli Ben-Sasson fired back by exaggerating Solana's hype and follower count while downplaying its tweet volume. Starknet’s official account replied with a smug gorilla meme video showing an ape smirking and nodding knowingly, a response that pulled in 478 likes and 57 replies. The choice of meme signaled a clear “not mad, just amused” stance, and the replies quickly followed that tone, filling the thread with animal memes and over-the-top roasts that poked fun at both networks rather than escalating the clash.
Not everyone took this as a joke. Several prominent industry figures criticized Solana’s official account for publicly attacking a peer, arguing the move hurt credibility and risked alienating institutional partners. Builders like Austin Campbell and A.J. Warner were among those calling it out, with Warner labeling the post “absurd” for an account with millions of followers and warning that open trash-talk makes compliance teams question whether they could be next. The critique gained traction because Solana has been actively courting institutions, where professionalism matters.
Broader sentiment framed the episode as bearish for Solana’s maturity, with viral reactions suggesting the behavior reflected insecurity or overconfidence rather than strength, even if the metrics jab had roots in older low-activity periods. Others added nuance by correcting the data: Rezo noted Starknet was closer to 53,000–63,000 daily active users with a roughly $400–460 million market cap, while stressing that most major chains are valued on future potential, not current usage. DaoChemist echoed that Starknet’s metrics remain weak but emphasized the gap between valuation and usage is an industry-wide issue, not a Starknet anomaly.
Starknet’s rebuttal was quieter but grounded in data. Just hours before the Solana tweet, Starknet official X account shared that the network’s total value locked climbed above $300 million, reaching roughly $302 million for the first time since early 2024. The recovery followed a prolonged downturn during 2024, when Layer-2 platforms broadly faced declining liquidity and user engagement.
Stablecoin balances on Starknet told a similar story of gradual recovery. Network data showed stablecoin liquidity rising to about $248 million, the highest level recorded on the chain. Analysts often view growing stablecoin balances as a proxy for deeper DeFi participation, signaling that capital is being parked and potentially deployed rather than exiting the ecosystem.
User activity metrics further complicated the social media narrative. Starknet was averaging around 65,000 daily active users at the time, with hundreds of thousands of daily operations across applications. Those figures placed it roughly fifth among Layer-2 networks by daily activity, suggesting meaningful engagement even if usage remained below its 2023 peak.
Market context added another layer to the dispute. Solana’s token had gained roughly 17% year-to-date, while Starknet’s STRK token jumped about 16% over several days despite remaining nearly 95% below its post-launch highs. The divergence underscored how crypto price and sentiment can move independently of short-term network metrics or a broader crypto price index.
This article has been refined and enhanced by ChatGPT.
