We should bring back mining — but not in the way you think: The industry today is overwhelmed with tokens. Tens of thousands are launched daily. Alongside this, we’ve seen a shift in how tokens are distributed. Private markets dominate, memecoins flood public discourse, and many community members who aren’t insiders or pro snipers glued to dexscreener often feel left out of the value equation. It wasn’t always this way. Bitcoin and Ethereum didn’t just launch tokens; they created ecosystems. Their distribution models weren’t built on insider allocations or bot sniped ‘fair launches’, they were built on work. Somewhere along the way, we lost this. First of all, this isn’t a criticism of funding or investment, crypto ecosystems need capital to grow and can’t always rely on wealthy founders. But it is a criticism of how the overemphasis on financial contributions has created a bigger problem: the rise of lazy capital. Lazy capital is money that shows up, invests, and waits for returns without engaging with or adding real value to the ecosystem. Lazy capital may fund projects, but it doesn’t build communities. So, what if we could reimagine mining as a way to activate capital, not just monetary, but latent capital hidden in the ecosystem? One potential way to do this is if every token launch had a mining mechanism; a way for everyone, from VCs to community members, to earn tokens through real contributions? Here’s how it could work: 1. Segment Mining by Stakeholder Groups -> Investors: Allocate a fixed percentage of tokens for investors but make the rest only available through mining. If investors want a bigger stake, they need to earn it by contributing in some way shape or form; eg if they make an intro that was successful, that should be attested onchain and then awarded in allocation. -> Builders: Reward those who contribute technical expertise, build apps, or provide infrastructure. -> Community Members: Create pathways for evangelists, artists, and content creators to mine tokens by spreading awareness and driving engagement. It needs to be designed for meritocracy -> Bitcoin and Ethereum succeeded because they rewarded effort. Mining today can reward effort in new forms like building products, hosting events, or growing online communities. Onchain attestations will need to be used to back these up — a job for @eas_eth ? An example of how allocations could look: Team: 10% (to incentivize early contributors). Investors: 10% (with a cap and opportunities to mine more). Community Mining: 70% (to unlock latent capital and drive participation from all stakeholders + investors). Treasury: 10% (for long-term sustainability). 3. Enable Organic Price Discovery @cobie has pointed out how artificial valuations plague token launches today. Mining solves this. It allows for tokens to be earned, used, and valued in the open market, reflecting real demand which fosters healthier market dynamics. Crypto’s future depends on its ability to tap into the energy, creativity, and passion of its communities. Lazy capital doesn’t scale ecosystems—latent capital does. The ecosystems that design mechanisms to unlock and reward this latent capital will be the ones that endure. By bringing back mining, not as a technical process but as a community-driven framework, we can restore balance to token launches. Everyone from VCs, degens, artists, builders, evangelists should have the opportunity to contribute and earn in a fair, meritocratic system. Curious what you think!