"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.

When I joined Farcaster, I was neither an employee of Merkle nor did I know Dan or Varun. Varun finally got me to onboard after multiple attempts, conversations lead to what I could do for the project, and I became a part of the team. I may not always agree with every decision, but I can definitely confirm firsthand there is no "help Merkle's friends" bias, and for those who know why I quit CB, they'd know just as well I wouldn't stick around at Merkle if that were the case.

BDFL of Quilibrium, Eng @ Farcaster, ex-Coinbase, always opinionated, never hydrated

/quilibrium

Reading all of the quotes from this cast has been so wonderful. Speaks to the relationships and connective tissue that were created, as you all built this collectively from, varying points of entry, inside and out. Thank for this and for also being supportive, communicative, and welcoming to me and from what I've seen, others like me. Its help perpetuate the culture to the next ring of FC natives. We'll be sure to pay that forward to the others that follow.