"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.

i joined farcaster in 2021 after my then bf got me an invite.

i had never met dan, didn’t have any crypto twitter friends, and had always been v private on social media.

i casted with sincerity about anything and everything, reported bug after bug, and began to host and show up to meetups where everyone was shocked to learn i was a woman.

it was obvious to me that we weren’t building social media, but a social network. 

and, if successful, it wouldn’t be just one network, but a network of networks.

whenever someone asked me why i loved farcaster so deeply, i’d reply that it had the highest signal:noise ratio.

then permissionless happened, then frames, then degen.

the signal:noise flipped. i abruptly boycotted.

the issue is that boycotting is inherently inaction. but me? i have always had a bias for action.

3 days later, i was back on FC.

3 months later, i led FarCon alongside an incredible group of casters.

and now, half a year later, i’m still here building.

this is how we win together.

/ted | exploring the onchain frontier | surfing @ venice, ca | eating @ gjusta / gjelina