"Merkle just helps its friends"

How many times do I have to repeat that most users and developers on Farcaster did not know Varun or myself prior to joining Farcaster.

And in some cases have *become* friends because they stuck around early on when no one else cared. We've spent years with this people socializing on this social network. :)

Don't conflate something that's earned / built with cronyism.

In fact, many people think they know the past, the journey was long and today the result is satisfactory.