Виталик Бутерин призывает к настоящей ценности в криптоиндустрии вместо раздачи токенов Translation: Vitalik Buterin calls for genuine value in the crypto industry instead of token giveaways.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin shared his thoughts on strategies for engaging audiences in cryptocurrency projects. He urged the industry to concentrate on developing valuable applications rather than attempting to buy users’ attention.

Buterin believes that financial incentives should only be used as compensation for inconveniences during the early stages when a protocol is still «raw.» Once a project matures, the need for subsidies should diminish.

He warned against attracting users who join solely for rewards. Such an audience does not contribute long-term value and tends to leave the platform immediately after payouts cease.

As an example of acceptable incentives, Buterin cited rewards for providing liquidity in DeFi. These payments offset the heightened risks of hacks and bugs that early investors face in new projects.

He described the worst-case scenario as paying for activity on social media. This method draws individuals looking to exploit the system with minimal effort, creating an illusion of a large audience while damaging community quality.

Buterin also pointed out the «cynical nature» of the market from 2021 to 2024. He believes that during this period, the «real product» often became the token itself and the speculation surrounding it, with incentive programs merely inflating this bubble.

As a reminder, Buterin has discussed the potential merging of Ethereum with artificial intelligence.