Andre Cronje, a leading developer behind several major DeFi-oriented projects at Fantom, Bribe.crv, Yearn, and Keeper, has asserted that his computer code for a billion-dollar initiative was stolen.
Cronje alleges that an unauthorized replica of his work was created, which somehow achieved a total value locked (TVL) and fully diluted value (FDV) in the seven figures. He claims that the individual responsible not only failed to pay him a licensing fee but also went as far as “slapping on a restrictive license.”
Read more: Fantom stablecoin watcher alleges ‘liquidation’ scheme
Cronje seemingly identifies the alleged perpetrator
A user on X (formerly Twitter) known as ‘Brad’ speculated that the alleged thief is Aerodrome Finance, which operates on Coinbase’s Base blockchain.
If this speculation holds, the TVL aligns closely with Cronje’s reported $1 billion. “This reflects very poorly on the project and its team if accurate,” remarked Brad.
From the beginning of the year, Aerodrome has increased its TVL from $120 million to $1.08 billion.
Cronje responded explicitly to Brad’s theory, seemingly affirming it. An Aerodrome supporter then claimed to be in dialogue with Cronje, stating, “We’re chatting. All is good.”
“Your team frustrates me immensely,” complained Cronje. “You go to great lengths to mislead and say it’s a rewrite.”
Aerodrome hosted a live social audio space on Thursday morning. Protos attended a significant portion of the discussion but did not hear any reference to Cronje’s accusation.
Read more: Former Coinbase employee accused of ‘stealing’ code for PearAI
Protos reached out to Cronje for a statement but had not received an immediate reply before publication.
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