Alon Cohen is a cryptocurrency entrepreneur best known as the co-founder of the Solana-based memecoin creation platform, Pump.fun. He serves as the primary public-facing figure for the project, utilizing his social media presence to announce platform developments and engage with its user base.

Career

Alon Cohen co-founded Pump.fun, a platform designed to simplify the process of creating and launching new tokens, primarily memecoins, on the Solana blockchain. Through his X (formerly Twitter) account, which he joined in December 2021, Cohen has articulated a vision for the platform that extends beyond token launches. He has stated an ambition to compete with and "kill legacy social media platforms" such as Facebook and TikTok by building a decentralized alternative. Cohen frequently communicates with the platform's community, which he refers to as "the trenches," and promotes the concept of "organic community coins" that gain traction without centralized marketing efforts. ^[6]

Under his public leadership, Pump.fun launched its own token, PUMP through an Initial Coin Offering (ICO) on July 12, 2025. Cohen claimed the public sale raised $600 million in 12 minutes. In September 2025, he announced "Project Ascend," a series of platform updates intended to increase creator earnings and improve the sustainability of tokens within the ecosystem. ^[6]

Controversies and Legal Issues

Cohen and his platform, Pump.fun, have been associated with significant controversy and legal challenges within the cryptocurrency industry. The platform's role in the proliferation of highly speculative memecoins has generated divided opinions among market participants, with some community members nicknaming its homepage the "Slot Machine of DeFi." ^{[4] [7]}

Class-Action Lawsuit

In January 2025, a class-action lawsuit was filed against Pump.fun. The suit alleges that the platform knowingly facilitates the creation of "pump and dump" schemes, where token creators artificially inflate a token's price before selling their holdings, causing losses for other investors. The legal filing further contends that every token launched through the platform constitutes an unregistered security. According to the lawsuit, Pump.fun had generated nearly $500 million in fees from these activities. ^[4]

Social Media Suspension

On June 17, 2025, Cohen's personal X account (@a1lon9) and the official Pump.fun account were abruptly suspended. The action was part of a wider move by X that also affected other crypto-related accounts, including ElizaOS, GMGN, and BullX, fueling rumors of a broader "crypto meme purge" targeting the memecoin ecosystem. ^{[7] [4]}

The accounts were restored approximately 24 hours later on June 18, but neither X nor Pump.fun provided an official reason for the suspension. The lack of clarity led to widespread speculation. Theories for the takedown included potential violations of X's policies on spam or platform manipulation, given the platform's role in rapidly launching memecoins, or scrutiny over a controversial liquidity extraction mechanism allegedly used by Pump.fun. The incident left the community divided, with some viewing it as a case of overzealous moderation while others saw it as a warning sign of increasing scrutiny of memecoins and their promoters. ^[7]