Selling Block Space is Dead: Public Chains Must Find a New Way
"Blockchain infrastructure as a neutral, generalized platform is no longer a viable business model. This article argues that simply selling block space has failed, evidenced by the fact that only one public blockchain, Hyperliquid, was among 14 crypto firms surpassing $200M in annual revenue recently. Hyperliquid's revenue vastly outpaces others like Arbitrum, highlighting a crisis. The future lies in public chains pivoting away from neutrality to become product studios, application distributors, payment rails, or vertical SaaS providers, directly serving paying customers.
The piece also covers key industry events: a major exploit on Ostium, attributed to vulnerabilities in its off-chain price oracle, underscores the critical security needs for protocols bridging off-chain markets. Additionally, it discusses the necessity of abstracting complex financial instruments like options. Experts argue that to achieve mass adoption, options should be packaged as user-friendly products—such as yield vaults, binary options, or structured products—rather than marketed with their technical complexity.
Finally, the radar section notes developments including Yearn's fixed-rate lending product Flex, community backlash over Base's strategy changes, the launch of a DXY perpetuals DEX called Plether, and Starknet's focus on institutional-grade privacy and quantum resistance."
marsbit07/22 05:28
