SHIB Price Drops 13% in Three Days as Leadership Debate Intensifies

• Shiba Inu investors uneasy as Kusama’s silence fuels leadership concerns.
• SHIB slid 13% in three days, retracing from $0.00001484 to $0.00001305.
• Shibarium exploit and Kusama’s absence have weighed on investor trust.

Shiba Inu investors are voicing concerns about the project’s long-term direction as leadership uncertainty and slow ecosystem progress erode confidence. 

The token, which rallied from its meme-coin origins to become the second-largest meme asset by market cap, counts more than 1.5 million holders worldwide. But as SHIB matures, the gap between early hype and current delivery has widened. 

The project’s transition into an “ecosystem coin” with spin-off projects and Shibarium, its layer-2 network, once raised expectations. Analysts now point to internal challenges as the main factor holding SHIB back from fulfilling that potential.

Kusama’s Silence Adds to Instability

Central to the debate is the role of Shytoshi Kusama, Shiba Inu’s pseudonymous lead developer. Investors are concerned about the intermittent disappearance of the project’s lead developer, who repeatedly takes unannounced social media breaks. 

For instance, Kusama went silent on X for over a month before resurfacing this week amid growing speculation that he had abandoned the Shiba Inu project. 

Kusama returned shortly after the Shibarium bridge suffered an exploit worth around $3 million. However, he did not directly address the issue but only reassured Shiba Inu community members of his commitment to advancing the project. 

Although most community members didn’t complain about Kusama’s anonymity in the project’s initial stages, his recent behavior has raised concerns. Many are beginning to develop trust issues, particularly because nobody could reveal the SHIB developer’s identity for the past five years. He has conducted all communications under pseudonyms.

SHIB Price Action Reflects Sentiment Shift

Market reaction has mirrored the doubts. SHIB, which spiked 26% at the start of September, has since reversed. Over the last three days, the token dropped 13.34%, sliding from a local high of $0.00001484 to about $0.00001305 at press time.

Related: Shiba Inu Breakout Puts $0.000018 in Sight as Traders Test Key Resistance

The pullback highlights how leadership signals and project execution feed directly into price sentiment. Without clear guidance from Kusama and consistent delivery on Shibarium’s roadmap, traders see higher risk in sustaining earlier gains.