@bfg

I think it was Messari who called this week's DeSo shuffles a “reset phase” — it believe it's an accurate frame, but resets aren’t regressions. They’re reallocations of energy. I'd say that community sentiment reflects this split: — builders feel cautiously optimistic (nice!) — speculators feel under-stimulated (yay!) — observers sense “less hype, more useful work” (hopefully!) Which is exactly what you want before things find their place. Also, at least for now, the conversation has moved: - from “How do we get users?” -> “What kind of users do we want?” - from: “How do we monetize attention?” -> “How do we reduce coercion?” - from “What’s the killer app?” -> “What’s the minimum protocol that can’t be captured?” And these kinds of questions don't address your $1B valuation, but they signal understanding that every existing platform has its niche. Whether it's Lens, Farcaster or Noster or Fediverse and others. Asking for utility rather than explosive growth might look like a slower path. But it's a more durable one and can be explosive too. After all, every explosively growing product delivered something users considered unique and rare. I like how Vitalik framed DeSo as necessary infrastructure. Farcaster, Lens, and Nostr aren’t “alternatives.” They’re ongoing attempts to realign incentives around: - user-owned identity - composable social graphs - exit without exile - communication without algorithmic coercion - and at least for Nostr - also full censorship durability. Equally important for me is what he didn’t emphasize—speculative tokens, growth hacks, or financialized attention. Which many (including big names) see as the only path forward. Hence, in 2026 I expect and want to see more of: — more AI-assisted, but user-controlled feeds — stronger identity and wallet convergence — human only feeds & privacy first options based on the above — fewer platforms, more interoperable layers — and less hype ... And let's be fair - teams and companies change hands and leadership every day in the startup world outside crypto. So no big deal. I'd go that far to say that the only founders who end up running their companies long-term are those who found an early fit (product-market-fit). You don't get bored and exhausted so quickly when numbers just go up all the time, and you see what you're doing is working and valued. Think Amazon, FB, AirBnB. So I'm glad for the shake-up, it felt a bit tired and stagnant these past 6-9 months, and I'm cautiously optimistic that my favorite garden (Farcaster) will get better and more social, and who knows - maybe even more human. 🤓 WABY?

0 reply

0 recast

3 reactions