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Santiago Roel Ignites Crypto Firestorm: Is Ethereum Overvalued at 380x P/S Ratio?

Santiago Roel Ignites Crypto Firestorm: Is Ethereum Overvalued at 380x P/S Ratio?

Santiago Roel, Haseeb Qureshi, and Threadguy in a live L1 debate on Threadguy, discussing Ethereum's valuation

In the ever-volatile world of cryptocurrency, few topics get pulses racing like the valuation of Ethereum (ETH). Is it the unbeatable king of smart contracts, or a bloated behemoth ready for a reckoning? That's the explosive question at the heart of a recent Threadguy live debate that has the crypto Twitterverse buzzing.

Hosted by the irreverent Threadguy (@notthreadguy), the session pitted Santiago Roel, co-founder of Inversions, against Haseeb Qureshi, partner at Dragonfly Capital. What started as a casual L1 (Layer 1 blockchain) showdown quickly escalated into a full-throated takedown of ETH's market cap. And boy, did it deliver the drama.

The Bombshell Claim: ETH's "Dot-Com Bubble" Valuation

Santiago didn't mince words. Leaning into the camera with the intensity of a prosecutor in a courtroom thriller, he dropped this zinger: "ETH is a $380B asset. It will crank out $1B in fees. That’s a 380 times price-to-sales ratio. Amazon never traded at more than 28 times at the peak of the dot-com bubble."

Oof. For the uninitiated, price-to-sales (P/S) ratio is a classic stock market metric—it measures how much investors are willing to pay for every dollar of a company's revenue. Amazon's infamous 28x during the late '90s internet hype was already seen as wildly speculative. Santiago's point? ETH's numbers make that look like chump change.

At the time of the debate, ETH's market cap hovered around $380 billion, while annual fees—essentially the "revenue" from transaction processing on the network—were projected at a modest $1 billion. That's not just overvalued; it's stratospheric. Santiago argued this disconnect screams bubble, urging viewers to wake up before the inevitable pop.

Haseeb, ever the poised counterpuncher, pushed back hard, defending ETH's role as more than just a fee machine. But the clip of Santiago's roast went viral, racking up thousands of views and sparking a reply storm that rivals any meme coin pump.

Why This Hits Different in Meme Token Land

As folks at Meme Insider, we're all about the wild side of crypto—those cheeky tokens born from internet jokes that somehow moon to millions. But even in that chaotic playground, ETH looms large. It's the settlement layer for countless Layer 2 solutions, DeFi protocols, and yes, meme launches on platforms like Base or Optimism. If ETH stumbles, the whole meme ecosystem feels the tremor.

Think about it: Dogecoin and PEPE might thrive on hype and Elon tweets, but they often route through ETH-based bridges and DEXes. A devalued ETH could mean higher gas fees during pumps, slower settlements, or worse—confidence craters across the board. Santiago's critique isn't just academic; it's a wake-up call for every degen trader eyeing the next 100x meme play.

The Crypto Twitter Backlash: Defenders and Detractors Clash

The replies to the original clip read like a crypto family feud. On one side, the bears piled on:

  • One user quipped, "Lol at using price to sales ratio in crypto," highlighting how traditional metrics might not fit blockchain's unique economics.
  • Another went nuclear: "Honestly impressed with the level of mid curve that is @santiagoroel. Very embarrassing... he should consider retiring from public facing stuff after this."

But the ETH faithful weren't silent. Critics like Maxime Desalle argued, "Agree ETH is overvalued, but exclusively relying on a P/S ratio to value ETH is ridiculous. There are many other properties to ETH (secures the network, monetary premium by being the native asset on L2s, etc.)."

Echoing that, trader ibu (@ibuprod) nailed the broader frustration: "The trend these days in crypto is to try to make all valuations comparable to stocks... $ETH cannot be valued in the same way as stocks because they are the lifeblood of ecosystems which enable tons of other companies to provide value and make revenue."

Even Solana maximalists couldn't resist a jab: "If that's how you determine value then BTC is cooked." (Spoiler: Bitcoin's P/S would make ETH look like a bargain bin find.)

And in a poetic twist, one reply simply declared, "It is a commodity you dumb idiot." Classic crypto discourse—half insight, half roast.

Beyond the Noise: What Valuation Metrics Mean for Meme Builders

Look, we're not here to pick sides in the ETH wars (though if memes had a say, they'd vote for more liquidity, not less). But Santiago's debate shines a light on a real tension in crypto: Are we building the future of finance, or just inflating another tech bubble?

For blockchain practitioners dipping into meme tokens, this matters. Tools like Dune Analytics show ETH's fee revenue has spiked with L2 adoption, but it's still dwarfed by the $400B+ market cap. If you're launching a meme on Uniswap, keep an eye on gas trends—overvaluation chatter can spook whales and tank liquidity.

Pro tip: Diversify your meme portfolio across chains. Solana's speed might capture the next viral hit, but ETH's security is the bedrock. As Haseeb might say, it's about the network effects, not just the numbers.

Wrapping Up the Debate: Bullish, Bearish, or Just Entertaining?

Santiago Roel's ETH takedown has reignited the age-old question: Is Ethereum a revolutionary asset class or an overpriced relic? With the debate clip still trending, one thing's clear—crypto loves a good fight.

Whether you're a meme token hodler or a serious DeFi dev, stay tuned to Meme Insider for the unfiltered scoop on how these battles shape the blockchain playground. What's your take? Overvalued or undervalued? Drop it in the comments—we're all ears (and eyes on those fee charts).

Catch the full debate on Threadguy's channel and join the conversation that's got everyone from VCs to vibe traders talking.

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