Coinbase CEO Debates Base App’s Strategic Focus

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong is exploring different paths for the newly rebranded Base App, questioning whether its focus should be on finance, social features, or both.

In a Dec. 18 post, Armstrong noted that the platform currently functions as both a wallet and a social hub. However, he also admitted he’s hearing different takes on whether that’s the right direction for the app.

“Should Base app focus on being a self-custodial version of Coinbase (trading and financial services oriented) or lean into content/creator coins and social? (Or is this a false dichotomy.) This is a key question I heard from people coming out of the product event yesterday,” said Armstrong, referring to the Coinbase System Update 2025, where the exchange unveiled a set of new products.

“The Base app is the front door to the onchain economy, bringing together the best of defi and new socialfi tools. We aren't choosing one path over the other; we're building a home for both to thrive. We’re excited to see the community shape this journey as we bring seamless onchain experiences for the next billion users,” a spokesperson for Base told The Defiant.

Rethinking the Super App

The Base App marks a significant change from Coinbase Wallet, which was previously a standalone self‑custody wallet. Over the summer, the exchange rebranded Coinbase Wallet as an “everything app” that combines wallet features with trading and social feeds.

The idea, as the Coinbase CEO explained previously, was to create a “super app” like those popular in Asia, such as WeChat and Alipay, which offer multiple services in a single app.

Armstrong’s question to the community comes just a few weeks after Farcaster, a blockchain-based social protocol co‑founded by Coinbase alumni, announced a pivot from a social network-first strategy to focus more on on-chain trading.

Farcaster co-founder Dan Romero said that the team decided to “double down” on wallets after concluding that a social-first approach hadn’t delivered sustainable growth.