The Ethereum scaling solution zkSync recently announced that it will be airdropping 3.6 billion ZK tokens to users, leading to mixed reactions within the crypto community. This airdrop comes a year after users had been anticipating a governance token from zkSync. Following a snapshot in March, over 695,000 users are set to receive 17.5% of ZK’s total supply of 21 billion tokens. In an effort to involve the community, zkSync has allocated two-thirds of its token supply to users, with the remaining third going to team members and investors over a four-year lock period.
However, the distribution list for the airdrop has led to concerns within the community, as some users have pointed out that certain wallets, known as Sybil wallets, controlled by a single entity had accumulated thousands of tokens. Additionally, some single-account users were reportedly ineligible for the airdrop, further fueling community scrutiny. Polygon Labs CISO Mudit Gupta criticized zkSync for not implementing adequate Sybil filtering, stating that anyone who knew the criteria could have easily taken advantage of the situation.
Despite the criticism, zkSync has defended its decision, stating that the firm did not provide anti-Sybil support to Matter Labs, the parent company of zkSync. While the details of the eligibility criteria are public, the project reserves the right to decide who will receive the airdrop, leaving room for potential changes in the future. This year’s airdrops have been the source of contention for many users, with some feeling disappointed with the distribution plans and tokenomics. Starknet, for example, saw a sharp drop in user activity after its token announcement, highlighting the challenges faced by projects in managing airdrops effectively.
As the crypto community continues to navigate the complexities of airdrops, users are calling on projects to prioritize community building and transparency in their distribution plans. Many believe that the key to a successful airdrop lies in engaging with users who have been active participants in the protocol over an extended period of time. By studying successful airdrops and learning from past mistakes, projects can ensure that their distribution plans are fair and equitable for all participants.
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