Can decentralization be a business model in itself, or is it only a mission?
Governance & community · 2 participants · 4 quotes · 2026-10-27 ~ 2026-10-27
binji_x of Optimism and EthLabs wrote that the era when VCs threw money at anything named 'crypto' gave room to pursue decentralization without worrying about a sustainable business, and that not everything needs a business model. lex_node countered that decentralization is a great mission but cannot be a business model in itself, and that it is also doubtful whether crypto makes sense as a 'business'.
Why it matters
This debate, which took place on the same day as the funding debate, addresses from a business viability angle the same question of who makes public-goods work sustainable. It remains to be seen whether the lack of revenue models for decentralized projects emerges as a sustainability problem for the whole ecosystem amid the EF funding reduction.
Key points
- Was the room to pursue decentralization a luxury created by VC money, or was it a mission unrelated to business from the start?
- Do crypto projects need a business model or revenue to last?
- Is a thing that stands without a business model, like BTC, an exception peculiar to monetary assets, or a property of decentralization in general?
Other — Not everything needs a business model
binji
- Crypto was so experimental because VCs threw money at anything with 'crypto' in the name, and that let it enjoy the luxury of pursuing decentralization without worrying much about a sustainable business.
- BTC has no sustainable business model, yet it inspired a generation to lift it to heights unimaginable, and decentralization is only as strong as the next generation that inherits it.
Against — Decentralization is a mission and cannot be a business model
_gabrielShapir0
- BTC is different because it is closer to a scarce monetary asset like digital gold than to a platform or service that needs paying customers. For the rest of crypto, decentralization is a great mission, but it cannot be a business model in itself.
- Not everything needs a 'business model', and I do not think crypto makes sense as a 'business'.