Why Edward Snowden Is Criticizing Coinbase Over Super Bowl Ad

Former CIA agent and whistleblower Edward Snowden has criticized at Coinbase Global Inc. COIN after the cryptocurrency trading platform’s website crashed immediately after its Super Bowl ad was aired.

What Happened: Snowden noted on Twitter that Coinbase spending zero dollars to ensure its website does not crash even as it spends millions on the SuperBowl ad is “so very internet.”

Coinbase spending $16,000,000 on a Superbowl ad to direct people to their website and $0 to make sure that website doesn't crash 10 seconds after the ad starts is so very internet.

— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) February 14, 2022

The Coinbase ad — which featured a bouncing QR code placed in front of a black background — quickly went viral and was trending on Twitter.

The bouncing QR code ad, which was linked to Coinbase’s “less talk, more Bitcoin” campaign, crashed the company’s application.

See Also: How To Buy Bitcoin (BTC)

Why It Matters: Super Bowl LVI was labeled the “Crypto Bowl” by several publications since it featured commercials from several companies to promote their cryptocurrency exchanges and platforms.

Coinbase enables users to trade in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin BTC/USD, Ethereum ETH/USD and Dogecoin DOGE/USD among other offerings.

An anonymous white-hat hacker had managed to suspend trading on Coinbase by hacking its advanced trading platform on Friday. The company later said it had “re-enabled full service for retail advanced trading.”

Price Action: Coinbase shares closed 5.0% lower in Friday’s regular trading session at $194.53 and further lost almost 0.3% in the after-hours session to $194.00.

Read Next: Coinbase Extends Bitcoin Giveaway To Existing Users After Superbowl Fame: How To Enter

Photo: Courtesy of Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia