Curve Founder Calls pump.fun a 'Casino with Scams' and Criticizes Phantom

cryptonews.ruPublished on 2026-08-17Last updated on 2026-08-17

Abstract

Curve Finance founder Mikhail Egorov criticized the Solana ecosystem, calling the pump.fun platform a "casino with scams under the name of memecoins" and the Phantom wallet inconvenient to use. Egorov stated that pump.fun is essentially a casino of memecoin scams. He also negatively assessed Phantom's user experience, describing issues while trying to connect it to a hardware wallet and calling its UX worse than MetaMask's. However, he acknowledged that Solana does a very good job of supporting its ecosystem, though he added that its best examples are "not very good." An X user disagreed with the criticism of pump.fun, arguing the platform merely provides a tool and users decide how to use it, noting a large part of the crypto market operates like a casino on various blockchains. Regarding Phantom, the user suggested it might be one of the best options for average users despite personal non-use. In response, Egorov compared the situation to a common software pattern where initial quality and user support can later lead to developer "laziness" and product deterioration, a phenomenon he observed in both the Ethereum ecosystem and beyond. When asked about his favorite crypto wallet, Egorov named qeth, a project he developed himself using Claude AI. His motivation was dissatisfaction with JavaScript-based wallets, which he felt excessively burdened his laptop and drained its battery.

Curve Finance founder Mikhail Egorov criticized the Solana ecosystem, calling the pump.fun platform a 'casino with scams called memecoins' and the Phantom wallet inconvenient to use.

Mikhail Egorov stated that pump.fun is essentially a 'casino with scams called memecoins'. He also gave a negative assessment of the Phantom user experience.

According to Egorov, he encountered problems while trying to connect Phantom to a hardware wallet. In the end, he managed to do it, but he called the UX worse than MetaMask's.

At the same time, the Curve CEO acknowledged that Solana supports its ecosystem well.

"Solana really does a very good job of supporting the ecosystem, but the best examples, frankly, are not very good," wrote Egorov.

"pump.fun simply provides a service"

An X user under the pseudonym tomi204 disagreed with the criticism of pump.fun. He noted that the platform merely provides a tool, and users themselves decide how to use it. According to him, a significant part of the crypto market is essentially a casino, and this applies not only to Solana but also to Ethereum.

The user also noted that the memecoin market exists independently of pump.fun, and in the absence of this platform, a similar service would likely be created by someone else.

Regarding Phantom, tomi204 added that he personally does not use it, but for the average user, the wallet could be one of the best options.

Egorov replied that such a situation might be common for software. He noted that developers can first make a product well and gain audience support, then start to "get lazy," causing the product's quality to deteriorate.

According to him, this phenomenon can be observed both in the Ethereum ecosystem and outside of blockchains.

Curve CEO Named His Favorite Wallet

When asked about his favorite crypto wallet, Egorov named qeth — a project he developed himself using Claude.

According to him, the reason for creating his own solution was dissatisfaction with JavaScript code, which, in his opinion, excessively loaded his laptop and drained the battery quickly.

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Related Questions

QWhat did the founder of Curve Finance, Mikhail Egorov, call the platform pump.fun?

AHe called pump.fun a 'casino with scams called meme coins'.

QWhy did Mikhail Egorov criticize the Phantom wallet?

AHe criticized Phantom's user experience, stating he had problems trying to connect it to a hardware wallet and called its UX worse than MetaMask's.

QAccording to user 'tomi204', what role does pump.fun play in the ecosystem?

Atomi204 argued that pump.fun merely provides a tool, and it is up to the users to decide how to use it, adding that a significant part of the crypto market essentially operates like a casino.

QWhat is Mikhail Egorov's favorite crypto wallet, and why did he create it?

AHis favorite wallet is 'qeth', a project he developed himself with the help of Claude. He created it due to dissatisfaction with JavaScript code that, in his opinion, overly taxed his laptop and drained its battery quickly.

QWhat did Egorov acknowledge about Solana despite his criticism?

AHe acknowledged that Solana does a very good job of supporting its ecosystem, though he added that 'the best examples, frankly, are not very good'.

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