Andre Cronje says someone stole his code to build a $1B DeFi project

Andre Cronje, a senior developer responsible for some of the biggest DeFi-focused projects at Fantom, Bribe.crv, Yearn, and Keeper, claims that someone stole his computer code for a billion-dollar project.

According to Cronje, someone used his work to create an unauthorized copycat that somehow amassed seven figures of total value locked (TVL) and fully diluted value (FDV). He also claims the thief neglected to pay him a licensing fee and even went as far as “slapping on a restrictive license.”

Read more: Fantom stablecoin watcher alleges ‘liquidation’ scheme

Cronje seemingly names the culprit

One X (formerly Twitter) user going by the name of ‘Brad’ speculated that the alleged culprit is Aerodrome Finance, built on Coinbase’s Base blockchain.

If that guess is correct, the TVL matches Cronje’s $1 billion almost perfectly. “This is a really bad look for the project and team if true,” said Brad.

Year-to-date, Aerodrome has grown its TVL from $120 million to $1.08 billion.

Cronje responded directly to Brad’s guess and seemingly confirmed it. An Aerodrome promoter subsequently claimed to be in conversation with Cronje, “We’re chatting. All is good.”

“Your team tilts me so much,” lamented Cronje. “You go to great lengths to lie and say it’s a rewrite.”

Aerodrome hosted a live social audio space on Thursday morning. Protos listened to a substantial portion of the event but didn’t hear any mention of Cronje’s allegation.

Read more: Former Coinbase employee accused of ‘stealing’ code for PearAI

Protos reached out to Cronje for comment but had not received an immediate response prior to publication.

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