Pump.fun launches bounty platform offering crypto for extreme tasks

Pump.fun’s GO feature, launched in early June, lets users escrow SOL or other tokens and pay participants who prove they completed specific tasks. The Solana-based memecoin platform says the product can support community challenges, marketing campaigns or charitable prompts, but critics say it has also exposed the risks of poorly moderated crypto incentives tied to public spectacle. Reports and public criticism have focused on degrading, dangerous and potentially harmful bounties, raising concerns that vulnerable users could be pushed toward unsafe behavior for token payouts. New York Governor Kathy Hochul publicly criticized the feature and called for restrictions, signaling that scrutiny may extend beyond crypto speculation into consumer safety and public welfare. The backlash underscores a broader issue for memecoin platforms: regulators are increasingly likely to judge consumer-facing crypto products not just by market activity, but by the real-world behavior their designs encourage.