{"id":61510,"date":"2025-10-21T12:02:45","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T12:02:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/coinbase-ceo-confirms-purchase-of-25m-uponly-nft-from-cobie\/"},"modified":"2025-10-21T12:02:45","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T12:02:45","slug":"coinbase-ceo-confirms-purchase-of-25m-uponly-nft-from-cobie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/coinbase-ceo-confirms-purchase-of-25m-uponly-nft-from-cobie\/","title":{"rendered":"Coinbase CEO confirms purchase of $25M &#8216;UpOnly&#8217; NFT from Cobie"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>(Originally posted on : CoinJournal: Latest Crypto News, Altcoin News and Cryptocurrency Comparison )<\/b><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-site=\"CoinJournal\">\n<div class=\"-mt-16  mb-8  lg:-mt-20  rounded-md  shadow-md\">\n<div class=\"relative  z-10  post-article-image  rounded  overflow-hidden\" data-site=\"CoinJournal\">\n<picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/coinjournal.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/imagecache\/2025\/10\/Coinbase-CEO-confirms-the-purchase-of-25M-UpOnly-NFT-smartcrop-750x375.webp\" type=\"image\/webp\" media=\"(min-width: 750px)\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/coinjournal.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/imagecache\/2025\/10\/Coinbase-CEO-confirms-the-purchase-of-25M-UpOnly-NFT-smartcrop-363x181.webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/coinjournal.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/imagecache\/2025\/10\/Coinbase-CEO-confirms-the-purchase-of-25M-UpOnly-NFT-smartcrop-750x375.png\" type=\"image\/jpeg\" media=\"(min-width: 750px)\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/coinjournal.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/imagecache\/2025\/10\/Coinbase-CEO-confirms-the-purchase-of-25M-UpOnly-NFT-smartcrop-363x181.png\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"\/>\n<\/picture>                            <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li>Coinbase paid $25M in USDC for Cobie\u2019s UpOnly NFT.<\/li>\n<li>The deal revives the UpOnly podcast for eight new episodes.<\/li>\n<li>Cobie joked about returning, calling the sale \u201ctoo absurd to happen.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong has confirmed the $25 million purchase of the \u201cUpOnly\u201d NFT from renowned trader and podcaster Jordan \u201cCobie\u201d Fish.<\/p>\n<p>The purchase not only marks a major foray by <a href=\"https:\/\/coinjournal.net\/exchanges\/coinbase\/\">Coinbase<\/a> into NFT-driven media but also sets the stage for the long-awaited revival of the UpOnly podcast after a three-year hiatus.<\/p>\n<p>Armstrong announced the acquisition in <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/brian_armstrong\/status\/1980397986149744769\">a post on X<\/a>, writing, \u201cThe rumours are true, we bought the NFT. UpOnlyTV is coming back.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The transaction, <a href=\"https:\/\/intel.arkm.com\/explorer\/tx\/0x8f326fa42ca7d278667eb6141d06b33e2caa2a2e699f9c7d6b39335531baf39e\">recorded on-chain<\/a>, shows Coinbase paying 25 million USDC to Cobie for the token \u2014 a sum that astonished many in the crypto community given the NFT\u2019s tongue-in-cheek origins.<\/p>\n<h2>The $25 million NFT<\/h2>\n<p>The UpOnly NFT was never meant to sell. When Cobie minted it in May 2025, he framed it as part of a humorous challenge, declaring that the show would only return if someone bought and burned the NFT.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe power is now stored within this NFT,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/cobie\/status\/1920200468627927485\">Cobie wrote at the time<\/a>. \u201cWhen it\u2019s burned, the podcast will restart.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To make sure no one actually purchased it, Cobie set an absurdly high price, adding zero after zero until it looked impossible to buy \u2014 even as a joke.<\/p>\n<p>However, Coinbase not only bought the NFT but reportedly paid more than its listed price.<\/p>\n<p>In doing so, the exchange inadvertently activated the \u201cburn-to-revive\u201d condition, forcing Cobie and his co-host Ledger to return to the microphones for eight new episodes of UpOnlyTV.<\/p>\n<h2>From a joke to $25 million reality<\/h2>\n<p>The NFT\u2019s description, written in Cobie\u2019s trademark humour, grants its holder the right to \u201ccompel Cobie and Ledger Status into performing, like monkeys, 8 episodes of UpOnlyTV.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It even allows them to \u201ccall the buyer idiots\u201d or ignore them completely during production.<\/p>\n<p>What began as a parody of NFT culture has now become a high-value contract tied to one of the largest crypto exchanges in the world.<\/p>\n<p>For Coinbase, the deal signals more than a meme purchase.<\/p>\n<p>The company has framed the acquisition as part of its growing content and media strategy \u2014 an effort to engage audiences beyond trading and exchange services.<\/p>\n<p>By tying the revival of a well-loved podcast to <a href=\"https:\/\/coinjournal.net\/news\/tag\/blockchain\/\">blockchain technology<\/a>, Coinbase is experimenting with how NFTs can blend digital ownership, creator incentives, and entertainment.<\/p>\n<h2>The rise, fall, and return of UpOnly<\/h2>\n<p>UpOnly first launched during the 2021 bull market, hosted by Cobie and Ledger.<\/p>\n<p>The podcast became a fixture of crypto culture for its honest conversations with traders, fund managers, and project founders.<\/p>\n<p>Guests often discussed market trends with a mix of sharp insight and irreverent humour, helping the show stand out in an increasingly noisy media landscape.<\/p>\n<p>However, the show went silent in 2022, following the <a href=\"https:\/\/coinjournal.net\/news\/the-big-lesson-with-ftxs-collapse-is-onshore-vs-offshore-says-former-barclays-ceo\/\">collapse of FTX<\/a> and the broader crypto downturn.<\/p>\n<p>For three years, fans wondered if UpOnly would ever return. Cobie repeatedly said no until the playful NFT idea changed everything.<\/p>\n<p>Now, with Coinbase\u2019s purchase, the show\u2019s comeback is officially underway.<\/p>\n<p>According to the NFT terms, Cobie and Ledger will produce an eight-episode season beginning on October 21, 2025 \u2014 nearly three years to the day after the podcast went dark.<\/p>\n<p>In true Cobie fashion, the trader responded to the $25 million windfall with dry humour. \u201cIt\u2019s been three years since UpOnly ended,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/cobie\/status\/1980407181729272093\">he wrote on X<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was in my 20s when it started, now I have grey hair.\u201d He joked that he might rename the show \u201cUnc Only\u201d and spend the NFT proceeds on cosmetic surgery before the first episode.<\/p>\n<p>Behind the jokes, though, lies one of the most unusual media transactions in crypto history \u2014 a deal that transformed a meme into a multimillion-dollar media contract.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-meta\">\n<hr class=\"mb-6\"\/>\n<h6 class=\"text-3xl  mb-4  text-green-300\">Share this article<\/h6>\n<hr class=\"mb-6\"\/>\n<h6 class=\"text-3xl  mb-4  text-green-300\">Categories<\/h6>\n<hr class=\"mb-6\"\/>\n<h6 class=\"text-3xl  mb-4  text-green-300\">Tags<\/h6>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/coinjournal.net\/news\/coinbase-ceo-confirms-purchase-of-25m-uponly-nft-from-cobie\/\">Source link <\/a><br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(Originally posted on : CoinJournal: Latest Crypto News, Altcoin News and Cryptocurrency Comparison ) Coinbase paid $25M in USDC for Cobie\u2019s UpOnly NFT. The deal revives the UpOnly podcast for eight new episodes. Cobie joked about returning, calling the sale \u201ctoo absurd to happen.\u201d Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong has confirmed the $25 million purchase of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":61511,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61510"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61510"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61510\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61511"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61510"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61510"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61510"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}