Dogecoin (DOGE) is often considered the first “meme coin.” It didn’t start with an ambitious technological vision, but as a joke between two engineers—and yet it has kept running for more than a decade.

\u003cc-8/\u003eDogecoin was launched by the two engineers in 2013. Currently 0.06915 (24h -3.16%).

The two founders:

Dogecoin was created jointly by IBM software engineer Billy Markus and Adobe software engineer Jackson Palmer, and launched on December 6, 2013.

At the time, the cryptocurrency market was rife with speculation, and the two initially created Dogecoin to poke fun at the craze. Its code was based on existing cryptocurrencies such as Luckycoin and Litecoin, and its logo featured Kabosu, the Shiba Inu from the “Doge” meme.

A friendly early community:

What made Dogecoin famous early on wasn’t its price, but its community: people used it to tip creators online with small amounts, and also joined forces for charitable causes.

In 2014, the community raised funds to help the Jamaican bobsled team, which couldn’t afford travel costs, compete in the Sochi Winter Olympics. That same year, it also raised about 67.8 million Dogecoin to sponsor NASCAR driver Josh Wise.

Supply and what happened later:

Dogecoin has no hard cap on its total supply, with about 5 billion new coins added each year—very different from Bitcoin’s fixed-supply design.

Jackson Palmer left the cryptocurrency community in 2015. After its founders left, Dogecoin continued to operate with support from its community and developers, while its price has fluctuated largely with market sentiment.

A note before getting involved:

Being established doesn’t mean being low-risk. Dogecoin’s price is driven largely by sentiment and hype, and a single comment from a celebrity can trigger sharp rises or falls. Manage your position as you would any highly volatile asset.

Before transferring, confirm whether you’re using Dogecoin’s native network or a wrapped token on another blockchain. There are many scams impersonating the founders and offering to “give away” coins—never trust anyone who asks you to send money first.

Here’s the practical takeaway:

Dogecoin’s story shows that community and culture can keep a project going for many years. But that value comes from consensus, and can fluctuate as consensus changes. Don’t rush into buying just because everyone else is.

What would you like to learn about next? DeFi or something else?