Jesse Pollak has been tapped by Coinbase to develop its wallet program
Jesse Pollak, the creator of the Ethereum Layer 2 blockchain Base, has officially taken on a leadership role at Coinbase. Pollak will now oversee Coinbase Wallet while continuing to lead the Base team. This move is seen as a step toward improving the user experience (UX) for crypto users, as both Base and Coinbase Wallet work together to make it easier for more people to engage with blockchain technology.
Pollak’s promotion has also placed him on Coinbase’s executive team, which now consists of eight members. By linking Coinbase Wallet more closely with Base, Pollak believes the two platforms can help streamline the process for users to transition from off-chain to on-chain activities. The ultimate goal is to simplify blockchain usage and encourage mass adoption of cryptocurrency.
hey everyone – some news: in addition to leading the @base team, i’ll be stepping up to lead @coinbasewallet and joining the @coinbase exec team.
i’m really excited to take on this new mandate and to accelerate our mission of bringing a billion people and a million builders…
— jesse.base.eth (@jessepollak) September 30, 2024
Some in the crypto industry are optimistic about the potential benefits of this integration. Jacob Horne, a founder at Zora, a media-focused blockchain, mentioned that bringing Base and Coinbase Wallet together could elevate the overall user experience. Similarly, the pseudonymous crypto analyst Altcoin Psycho expressed optimism about how this could make it easier for more people to engage with decentralized finance (DeFi) and other blockchain technologies.
Coinbase Wallet is a non-custodial wallet that supports a wide range of digital assets and decentralized apps across multiple blockchains. Pollak’s goal for the wallet is to continue serving the entire blockchain ecosystem, from Bitcoin to Ethereum and newer chains like Avalanche and Fantom Opera.
Pollak has been with Coinbase since 2018, contributing to products like Coinbase Pro and Coinbase Wallet. His new leadership role comes at a time when Coinbase is experiencing changes, including the recent departure of engineering vice president Manish Gupta.
