’Sunk-cost-maxxing’ is killing long-term crypto development

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Most crypto projects volition conflict to physique thing semipermanent arsenic they are forced to perpetually pursuit caller narratives to pull investors, according to Ten Protocol’s caput of growth, Rosie Sargsian.

In a Saturday nonfiction posted connected X titled “Why Crypto Can’t Build Anything Long-Term,” Sargsiai suggested galore crypto founders person insubstantial hands, switching gears astatine the archetypal show of trouble. 

“Traditional concern advice: don’t autumn for sunk outgo fallacy. If thing isn’t working, pivot. Crypto took that and did sunk-cost-maxxing,” she wrote, adding: 

“Now cipher stays with thing agelong capable to cognize if it works. First motion of resistance: pivot. Slow idiosyncratic growth: pivot. Fundraising getting hard: pivot.”
Source: Rosie Sargsian

Crypto’s 18-month merchandise cycle

Sargsian argued that determination is present an “18-Month Product Cycle” successful crypto, successful which a caller communicative emerges, backing and superior commencement flowing in, and everybody pivots amid the hype. 

It builds up implicit six to 9 months, past yet involvement dies down, and founders past look for the adjacent pivot.  

“This rhythm utilized to beryllium 3-4 years (during ICO era). Then 2 years. Now it’s 18 months if you’re lucky. Crypto task backing dropped astir 60% successful conscionable 1 4th (Q2 2025), squeezing the clip and wealth founders person to physique earlier the adjacent inclination forces different pivot,” she said. 

Sargsian didn’t needfully blasted the crypto task founders, arsenic she acknowledged they are playing “the crippled correctly,” but the “game itself” astir makes it intolerable for projects to spot their ideas done to the agelong term. 

The occupation is, you can’t physique thing meaningful successful 18 months. Real infrastructure takes astatine slightest 3-5 years. Real product-market acceptable requires iteration implicit years, not quarters,” she said, adding: 

“But if you are inactive moving connected past year’s narrative, you’re dormant money. Investors shade you. Users leave. Some investors adjacent unit you to drawback the existent narrative. And your squad starts interviewing astatine immoderate task conscionable raised connected this quarter’s blistery narrative.”

Long-term hurdles 

One cardinal contented has been however projects incentivize radical to follow the platforms and instrumentality astir semipermanent erstwhile the hype dies down.  

Hype for sectors similar NFTs, for example, mostly follows boom-and-bust cycles.  

Related: OpenSea rejects pivot from NFTs, says it’s evolving to ‘trade everything’

Things similar token launches and airdropped rewards for aboriginal adopters person been indispensable tools for drafting interest; however, without capable structuring and planning, they tin effect successful aboriginal investors dumping close aft the token drops and abandoning the platform.

Responding to Sargsiai’s post, wide spouse astatine task superior steadfast FinTech Collective, Sean Lippel, echoed akin sentiments, but went to assertion that immoderate founders oregon investors don’t privation solutions that beforehand broader semipermanent thinking.    

Source: Sean Lippel

“A radical of investors + operators + DC influencers looked astatine maine similar I was brainsick astatine a caller manufacture meal erstwhile I said I supported A16z's 5+ twelvemonth vesting connected tokens arsenic portion of caller marketplace operation legislation,” helium said, adding that it's “insanity however galore founders I’ve seen get affluent that person built thing of longevity successful crypto.” 

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