Cryptocurrency world often eagerly anticipates airdrops, which are usually met with great interest, EigenLayer’s latest announcement was met with a series of concerns and criticisms. The plan stated that 45% of the 1.67 billion tokens would be allocated to the community, with one-third of these distributed through an airdrop. However, upon closer examination, some significant issues emerged.
EigenLayer Airdrop Met With Criticism in the Community
Firstly, the non-transferability of the tokens caused serious concerns among recipients. EigenLayer announced that the tokens would initially be non-transferable to allow time for decentralization. Although this move seemed intended to encourage consensus on the token’s utility and governance, it was perceived as a disadvantage by many.
Moreover, the airdrop’s exclusion of certain countries and VPN users caused inconsistency and dissatisfaction within the community. In particular, many questioned the fairness of the airdrop and claimed that the project displayed a clearly centralized approach.
Airdrops Begin to Face Scrutiny
Issues related to the Starknet airdrop also brought these discussions to a different dimension. Initial delays and uncertainties in unlocking the tokens seemed to have shaken confidence in EigenLayer. Concerns increased particularly due to the lack of clarity in token allocations and insufficient communication to the community.
However, despite all these criticisms, the response to EigenLayer’s token plan had a limited impact on the project. The initiation of large-scale withdrawals from the platform in the last 24 hours appears to reflect the community’s concerns and insecurity. According to Dune Analytics, over 7,000 withdrawal transactions were initiated. DefiLlama reports that about 150,000 ETH were withdrawn during this period. However, considering that the total locked value is still quite high at $15.6 billion, concerns might not immediately lead to panic regarding the project’s long-term viability.
The EigenLayer airdrop will likely continue to be a topic of discussion in the cryptocurrency community for a long time. However, the project team needs to consider the community’s concerns and feedback and increase transparency. Otherwise, it could further damage community trust and jeopardize the project’s long-term success.
