Last night, Jesse Pollak hosted an impromptu AMA on Farcaster, fielding a wide range of questions on a wide range of topics—from his favorite hobbies and music to his plans for the future of Coinbase, as their newly-minted VP of Engineering.
In light of this, it feels like the perfect time to feature Jesse in the next episode of my Farcaster VIPs (Very Interesting People) series.
"We’re not here just to build cool tech. We’re here to build a world where opportunity is open to anyone, no matter who they are, or where they come from.”
Whether he’s breaking down the game plan to bring the next billion onchain, or jamming out to Drake and Kanye on a bike ride around the Bay Trail, Jesse embodies the very spirit of what makes Farcaster special—equal parts technical innovation and human connection. In short, Jesse makes the Farcaster community more interesting and fun, just by being himself.
Jesse’s onchain journey kicked off during his years studying Computer Science at Pomona College in South California, thanks to a chance lunch encounter with Olaf Carlson-Wee, eventual Coinbase Employee #1. What started as a casual conversation would become a pivotal moment for Jesse, launching him headfirst into the world he would later help to brand as "onchain." He went on to found Clef, a startup focused on identity solutions.
"I grew up going to Quaker school and from a young age felt a deep calling to make the world a better place,” Jesse says. “When I first learned about crypto, I immediately felt like this new technology could be a huge lever for driving those values across the world."
Clef would eventually be purchased by Authy, which later got acquired by Twilio in a Bay Area Babushka doll of 2-Factor-Identification. Jesse’s efforts building that company did not go unnoticed -- His expertise would lead to an acqui-hire of sorts by Coinbase, where he found himself tasked with the challenge of making the onchain world more accessible and secure.
After leading consumer-facing engineering at Coinbase for several years—working on projects like Coinbase Wallet and Coinbase Pro—Jesse started feeling that familiar itch for a new challenge. In fact, in 2021 he almost left the company. (Almost.) But in the end, he stuck around, after realizing there was might be a tremendous opportunity to push Coinbase into the onchain future in an even bigger way.
"In the framework of 'exit, voice, and loyalty,’ I've always been someone who’s inclined toward ‘voice.’ I like to work within existing systems to make them better,” Jesse explained during yesterday’s AMA.
With that mindset, Jesse thought: What if I could help bring Coinbase truly onchain?
The result? Base—a secure, low-cost Layer 2 solution built on Ethereum, leveraging the open-source OP Stack. Designed to bring both developers and consumers into a global onchain economy—and, ideally, to onboard the next billion users to crypto in a positive sum way.
Jesse is crystal clear about his mission for Base: Bring the whole world onchain. His roadmap focuses on slashing transaction fees, making wallets more user-friendly, and decentralizing infrastructure to ensure that it can scale alongside Ethereum.
"We want to build a global onchain economy that increases innovation, creativity, and freedom,” Jesse says. “There’s a lot of work left to do.”
But it’s not all work for Jesse—far from it. Despite his professional achievements, he’s also deeply connected to his personal values and likes to find balance through hobbies that keep him grounded.
"I’ve had a pretty unrelenting focus and drive from a very young age," Jesse shares, attributing his energy not just to his work but also to his daily routines and the people around him. His mornings are all about balance—usually starting with a workout, followed by a home-cooked breakfast and a decaf cappuccino (yes, decaf—he apparently doesn’t need caffeine to be this energetic!)
In his downtime, Jesse enjoys quality time with his wife and his close friends. Recently married during this past (onchain) summer, he says that not much has changed in their long-standing relationship—except for a deeper sense of certainty and connection. The couple is rooted in Oakland, where Jesse also co-owns a local restaurant, reflecting his love for the East Bay community.
His personal philosophies also shine through in how he leads at work. Jesse believes in always coming from a place of earnest interest and empowering those around him.
"Always lead with curiosity and questions... it helps whoever you're coaching come up with the right answer for themselves,” Jesse says. (A leadership tip that's worth bookmarking to be sure.)
Jesse’s love for creativity and culture also extends beyond the onchain world. He’s an avid music fan, with albums like Views by Drake and The College Dropout by Kanye at the tippy top of his Hip Hop Top 10. He also finds joy in working out, running, and biking—balancing his high-intensity career with fitness and outdoor activities. Plus, he’s actively involved in projects like Oak Currency that aim to improve his local community in Oakland, blending his professional mission of change with personal contributions to the real world.
At his core, Jesse is committed to the broader onchain community. He engages with builders and actively supports public goods funding, often collaborating with Optimism to push the Superchain ecosystem forward.
“At the end of the day, Base is not going to be successful because of me... it’s going to be successful because thousands of people all over the world believe in that mission [...] What makes this space unique is the openness and willingness to collaborate. The best ideas come when we build together.”
And that has certainly been this writer's personal experience. Since day one building The Yellow Collective on Base, he has been nothing but supportive and encouraging to me, leveraging the distribution power at his fingertips to actively participate and amplify the work we are doing to help and empower artists onchain.
Story time: Earlier this year, I was having some merch made for my upcoming trip to ETH Denver representing Nouns, and I happened to see a rack at my supplier with royal blue hoodies on clearance. On a whim, I decided to have a simple blue pullover made with white text on the chest reading "SUPER BASED." When it arrived, I posted a photo in reply to Jesse and said "Look what I'll be rocking in Denver." He replied saying "Need!"
I immediately called my procurement partner and begged him to rush one more SUPER BASED hoodie through. He kindly obliged, and I brought one along to Denver for Jesse as well. This was my first time meeting him in person, and when I handed him the hoodie, he immediately put it on, right there in the ETH Denver Base booth, and proceeded to wear it day in and day out for the entire conference.
On the last day of the event, he called me over and said "Toady, you need to make some of these and sell them in a Farcaster Frame." So I did! We would go on to sell 300 units in a couple hours, with proceeds to The Yellow Collective, and the community response was so positive that we later created an entire Super Based Apparel line, via Slice for the Onchain Summer Store, with Super Based hoodies, t-shirts, hats and slides available to buy in USDC on Base.
This story is such a perfect example of what it's like to work in Jesse's orbit: Find a based idea, execute on it, and he will gladly help you turn it into something amazing. As he is fond of saying: "Talk less, build more.
Jesse Pollak is a relentless optimist with a vision of an open, onchain world—and that vision is slowly becoming a reality. His onchain journey isn’t just about building for today—it’s about laying the groundwork for a future where decentralized technology becomes as familiar and essential as the internet itself.
As he continues to push the boundaries while leading both Base and Coinbase Wallet teams, that vision for a more open, accessible financial system feels more within reach than ever.
In a space too often defined by scams and speculation, Jesse stands out for his unwavering commitment to innovation with purpose. The road ahead might be unpredictable and difficult, but with builders like him leading the way, the onchain future looks based AF.
If you made it this far, thank you for reading! And if you are enjoying this series, please drop a comment and share it with your network on Warpcast and X. Together, we can make it known that there is no shortage of Very Interesting People on the Purple App!
Jesse was also a guest on my podcast ZEROPOD earlier this year and it remains one of my favorite episodes to date. I've embedded the YouTube version below, but you can also find it on Spotify by searching "Zero Rights Reserved Podcast."
Oh and also, Jesse has confirmed that his favorite color is Yellow... just saying.
