Dogecoin Founder Exits Crypto Community Citing 'Toxic' Culture

Apr 24, 2015 at 00:10 UTCUpdated Apr 27, 2015 at 15:09 UTC. UPDATE: Jackson Palmer indicates that his leave of absence from the crypto community includes a separation with micropayments project Neucoin.

Dogecoin founder and Adobe senior manager Jackson Palmer has announced he is taking an "Extended leave of absence" from the cryptocurrency community.

Calling the ecosystem "Toxic", Palmer used the occasion to blast aspects of the industry, while encouraging users of dogecoin not to lose sight of its fun and playful roots.

Launched in December 2013, dogecoin quickly became one of the more popular alternative digital currencies, though its community has recently seen a decline in enthusiasm.

In statements, Palmer suggested that the industry is in the midst of a period of stagnation due to the ideologies of the individuals it is attracting, as well as what he characterized as the poor quality of startups founded by new participants in the space.

Palmer went on to suggest the amount of venture capital in the space, which hit record volumes in Q1 2015, was playing a role by increasing the amount of "Anger-fuelled attacks".

The Australian native went on to present his opinion that digital currency participants have done little to create a community that is inclusive to all, citing the recent support of Kentucky Senator and US Tea Party member Rand Paul as evidence.

"The community is very white male dominated, and there are a lot of anarcho-libertarian beliefs caught up in there which I really don't agree with," Palmer said.

The comments suggest that despite the influx of new participants into the ecosystem as a result of dogecoin's success, Palmer believes these individuals have been turned off by the activities of those in the space.

Notably, Palmer's comments echo those of observers in the space, including media outlets like Fusion, which commented on bitcoin's perceived male-dominance in a recent article.