Base creator and Coinbase VP of Engineering Jesse Pollak rejected accusations that Coinbase is quietly selling ether, arguing the claims misread the exchange's economic position in Ethereum. Pollak said Coinbase is by far the largest non-DAT holder of ETH, one of the network's biggest customers through Base, and a major contributor to EVM and Ethereum development. His response followed an Ethereum Foundation member's post that much community anger toward Coinbase is "badly misplaced," and he warned that "hating your customers" risks driving them away. Public data place Coinbase's corporate treasury at roughly 115,000 to 151,000 ETH, including about 151,180 ETH previously valued near $256 million and more recently cited near $300 million, after the firm held around 150,000 ETH for years through market cycles. Critics have pointed to Base sequencer fees earned in ETH and converted to USD or BTC, but Pollak stressed Coinbase's structural incentive to support ether demand via Base and broader contributions including USDC, cbBTC, EIP-4844, ERC-4337 smart wallets, and x402. Base has reached Stage 1 decentralization after onboarding millions of users since its 2023 launch. Pollak, who has called the attacks "absurd" and noted that about 75% of Coinbase's revenue has historically come from Bitcoin activities, urged the community to support companies building on Ethereum rather than continually criticizing them.