Issues such as community discontent, farm accounts and restrictive criteria have plagued recent airdrops.
An ongoing, much-hyped airdrop conducted by Ethereum restaking protocol EigenLayer continues to generate controversy over its restrictive qualifications for claiming rewards. Project founders and users from across the crypto ecosystem are chiming in as a result.
“The reality is that, in all likelihood, the era of life-changing airdrops is now behind us,” said Leandro Schlottchauer, co-founder and CEO of smart contract developer Kuyen Labs, in a statement. “It should be clear by now that no airdrop or similar incentive can satisfy all community members,” he continued, adding:
Meanwhile, Mohak Agarwal, CEO and founder of liquid-staking protocol Claystack, said EigenLayer’s decision to announce its airdrop as a surprise is not a workable model for the long term. “While the mysterious approach may initially evoke excitement, it often leads to disappointment later on,” said Agarwal. “This pattern suggests a tendency for projects to announce a small airdrop supply initially, anticipating user disappointment, and then offering additional tokens to appease them — a short-term fix that isn’t sustainable in the long run.”