Starknet will airdrop, is this a rescue measure for ZK-Rollup?

Haotian

23-12-11 16:07

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Original author: Haotian

Editor's note: The current situation of the ZK-Rollup ecosystem is bleak. Can the issuance of airdrops inject a shot of adrenaline into the Layer2 industry and achieve self-redemption? Regarding this topic, cryptocurrency researcher Haotian shared his views on x, and BlockBeats has summarized them as follows:

Everyone is looking forward to Starknet's airdrop injecting a shot in the arm into the Layer2 industry. The amount and method of distribution are not yet clear, but one thing is certain: the ZK-Rollup team has reached a point where they must airdrop to "save the market".

In my opinion, this wave of airdrops, catalyst, will be a self-redemption action of ZK-Rollup. Why?

1) It is said that ZK-Rollup is the ultimate solution for layer2 Rollup in the encryption industry. In front of ZK-Rollup, OP-Rollup is just a transitional solution that will eventually be eliminated.

As far as absolute technology is concerned, the debate over the superiority and inferiority of OP-Rollup and ZK-Rollup has been going on for too long.

Finality Proof compared to Fraud Proof, which has a 7-day optimistic challenge period for determining the state of each transaction, from the perspective of individual Sovereignism, the future of Rollup is undoubtedly ZK-Rollup.

According to L2Beat data, out of 65 Rollup projects, 26 are ZK-Rollup solutions, while in comparison, there are only 21 OP-Rollup solutions.

In these ZK-Rollup solutions, Scroll, Taiko, and others aim to achieve ultimate EVM compatibility to improve compatibility with the Ethereum mainnet; zkSync and Starknet aim to enhance the overall scalability of the chain, attempting to increase incremental users by improving transaction processing speed and throughput; Aztec focuses on solving transaction privacy issues through ZK; and others like dYdX and zkSync Lite are exploring the potential of ZK technology in the transaction and payment directions.

Overall, ZK-Rollup technology is becoming increasingly specialized, with a focus on achieving more extreme technical narratives: such as strict circuit efficiency and complete EVM equivalence. Pursuing extreme technology is not wrong, but don't forget that ZK itself belongs to a high technical threshold, and excessive pursuit of technology will make the team ignore user experience and ignore the original intention of ZK to solve practical problems.

This is not just my observation, but also the real voice from the market. For the ZK-Rollup project party, it should balance technical pursuit and actual market demand, with the goal of improving the applicability of ZK technology and providing a high user experience. Don't get immersed in the technical narrative of "to VC" and be self-satisfied (not naming names).

2) Although the airdrop distribution standards of Starknet are not yet clear, its airdrop value orientation and purpose are well known, such as distributing STRK to DApp developers to incentivize them to build projects; distributing STRK to early contributors of the ECMP community (contents, meetups, workshops, etc.); distributing 9 billion STRK for future user rebates, and so on.

It is not difficult to see that the airdrop distribution of Starknet will value the contribution and value of individuals, and it also places great emphasis on the long-term ecological incentive effect of the airdrop. Therefore, I believe that the scale of the STRK airdrop will reach the "sweet spot" for most people, which is the switch that inspires everyone to continue to contribute to ZK-Rollup with enthusiasm. In addition, most tokens will be bound through Paymaster and Transaction and will be released linearly as GAS fee subsidies in future ecological contributions.

Take a look at the disastrous TVL data and poor user transaction experience of Starknet, and you will understand why transaction rebates are necessary. Although the early contributors have already provided a large amount of TXS, it is still not enough. Let's be transparent and offer rebates, so keep coming and make it even more intense.

After all, the contribution of the "hairy party" is tangible. It seems that retroactive airdrops may be weaker than potential future airdrops. The airdrop incentive game of Starknet is just beginning, and it is impossible for you to come up and share the cake and then disperse.

Tokenomics is a double-edged sword. Projects like Starknet, which have strong teams, solid backing, and advanced technology, are cautious about using Tokenomics. There have been precedents in history where the ecosystem became desolate after a lively airdrop. This is even more challenging for ecosystems with high technical barriers and poor user experience, such as ZK.

But faced with the current bleak ecological situation, besides Tokenomics as the last resort, how else can the story of ZK-Rollup continue?