After disabling its livestream feature due to reports of harmful content, Solana memecoin launchpad Pump.fun experienced a notable decline in weekly revenue. This decision was a reaction to a series of alarming incidents during live broadcasts, prompting community concerns and urgent action from the platform.
In early November, Pump.fun's revenue showed a strong upward trend.
According to DefiLlama data, the platform generated $33.83 million from November 18 to 24, marking a substantial 60% increase from the previous week. Compared to the month's outset, this represented an almost fourfold rise.
However, this trajectory reversed from November 25 to December 1, as revenue sharply fell to $11.31 million, a 66% decline from the previous week's performance. Significant pressure from community members to disable the livestream feature was a key factor in this downturn. Users reportedly engaged in dangerous activities to boost their token values.
The platform faced criticism when incidents of harmful content were broadcasted. On November 25, Beau, a safety project manager from Pudgy Penguins, reported a user threatening suicide contingent on their token reaching a specific market cap. This prompted Beau to urge Pump.fun to halt the livestream and support the user.
Further reports from social media described users making violent threats, including threats to animals and schools. Consequently, Pump.fun suspended the livestream indefinitely to address these issues and ensure proper moderation.
Industry experts weighed in on the situation. Yuriy Brisov of Digital and Analogue Partners suggested potential for criminal and civil legal action. Similarly, Mikko Ohtamaa, co-founder of Trading Strategy, speculated on potential regulatory shutdowns for Pump.fun.