Solana Mocks Starknet Over Low User Activity — What Really Happened?

Crypto rivalries are rarely subtle, but they are almost always revealing. On January 15, 2026, Solana ignited a fresh controversy after publicly mocking Starknet for reportedly having just 8 daily active users (DAUs) and 10 daily transactions figures that appeared wildly disproportionate to Starknet’s $1 billion market capitalization and staggering $15 billion fully diluted valuation (FDV).

The jab quickly went viral, amplifying long-standing debates around valuation logic, Layer 1 versus Layer 2 relevance, and the reliability of on-chain metrics. What initially looked like a meme-driven insult soon evolved into a deeper conversation about how crypto networks should actually be measured.

Key Takeaways

• Solana’s “8 DAUs” claim relied on selective or outdated data rather than current network usage

• Starknet’s valuation debate reflects broader skepticism toward Layer 2 token economics

• The incident highlights how on-chain metrics can be weaponized to shape market narratives

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How the Solana vs Starknet Twitter Drama Started

The controversy began when Solana’s official X (formerly Twitter) account publicly questioned Starknet’s activity levels, contrasting allegedly minimal user engagement with its multi-billion-dollar valuation.

The timing was not accidental. Starknet had just shared upbeat milestones, including reaching approximately $300 million in total value locked (TVL), a figure often used to signal DeFi ecosystem growth. Solana’s response reframed that progress as superficial, suggesting that underlying user participation did not justify the valuation premium.

Within hours, the post spread across Crypto Twitter, drawing attention from developers, investors, and ecosystem leaders alike.

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Starknet Responds With Humor, Not Denial

Rather than issuing a defensive rebuttal, StarkWare CEO Eli Ben-Sasson chose satire.

He jokingly claimed that “Solana has 8 marketing interns (all bald), posting 10 tweets daily,” redirecting the focus from Starknet’s on-chain metrics to Solana’s social media theatrics.

Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko (Toly) quickly joined the exchange, labeling the situation “an unnecessary violent conflict between bald CEOs” and humorously proposing to “fire the interns.”

The lighthearted banter diffused tension publicly but the underlying valuation question remained unresolved.

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Starknet Valuation Questioned by Solana

At the core of the dispute lies a fundamental disagreement over how blockchain networks should be valued.

Solana’s critique implied that token valuation should closely track real, observable user activity. From this perspective, a network with limited DAUs regardless of technical sophistication should not command a double-digit billion-dollar FDV.

Starknet’s supporters argue the opposite. As a zero-knowledge (ZK) rollup, Starknet is priced on long-term infrastructure relevance, Ethereum alignment, and cryptographic scalability, not short-term user throughput.

This clash exposes two competing valuation philosophies:

• Execution-driven valuation, focused on current usage and transaction volume

• Optionality-driven valuation, pricing in future adoption and technological leverage

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The Data Dispute: Solana Starknet Daily Active Users Explained

The most contentious figure, 8 DAUs, does not reflect Starknet’s current reality.

That number appears tied to outdated or selectively chosen snapshots, potentially from periods following airdrop-driven activity declines in 2024. More recent and comprehensive data tells a different story:

• 245,416 daily transactions recorded via Dune Analytics

• 2,369 active transaction addresses in recent activity windows

• Other estimates citing ~65,000 DAUs and 759,000 daily operations

While Starknet does not rival Solana’s throughput, the network is demonstrably active. The episode illustrates a recurring issue in crypto discourse: metrics stripped of context can become narrative weapons rather than analytical tools.

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Solana vs Starknet: A Deeper L1 vs L2 Rivalry

Beyond tweets and jokes, this exchange reflects a structural rivalry.

Solana positions itself as a monolithic Layer 1, optimized for speed, consumer-facing applications, and visible on-chain activity. Starknet represents the Layer 2 scaling thesis, prioritizing cryptographic efficiency and long-term Ethereum scalability even if usage metrics are less immediately impressive.

By mocking Starknet, Solana indirectly questioned whether ZK-rollup valuations across Ethereum’s scaling ecosystem are running ahead of adoption. Starknet’s response, meanwhile, reinforced the view that infrastructure layers should not be judged by surface-level metrics alone.

Why This Matters for Investors and Traders

For market participants, the lesson extends beyond Solana and Starknet.

• Social media narratives can distort perception faster than fundamentals can correct it

• Valuations often reflect expectations, not present-day performance

• Public rivalry can influence short-term sentiment, liquidity flows, and volatility

Understanding the incentive behind the narrative is just as important as understanding the data itself.

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Conclusion

The Solana–Starknet exchange was never truly about eight users or ten transactions. It was a narrative collision between two opposing blockchain philosophies: visible activity versus invisible infrastructure.

Solana leveraged selective metrics to reinforce its identity as a high-usage, execution-first network, while Starknet exposed the limits of surface-level data in evaluating long-term scaling solutions. The result was not a definitive winner, but a reminder that valuation in crypto is as much storytelling as it is statistics.

For investors, builders, and analysts, the takeaway is clear: data without context misleads, and narratives without fundamentals eventually unravel. In an ecosystem where a single tweet can move sentiment, critical interpretation is no longer optional, it is essential.

FAQ

What triggered Solana mocking Starknet?

Solana cited allegedly low daily active users and transactions on Starknet despite its high valuation, sparking a public Twitter exchange.

Did Starknet really have only 8 daily active users?

No. The figure appears outdated or selectively chosen. Recent data shows thousands of active addresses and substantial daily transaction volume.

Why is Starknet’s valuation so high?

Its valuation reflects expectations around zero-knowledge scalability, Ethereum ecosystem alignment, and long-term infrastructure adoption.

Is this Solana Starknet Twitter drama serious or just marketing?

While framed humorously, it reflects real competition between Layer 1 blockchains and Ethereum Layer 2 solutions for relevance and capital.

Does this controversy affect SOL or STRK prices?

Short-term sentiment may fluctuate, but long-term price performance depends more on adoption, developer growth, and ecosystem execution.

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