"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.

Not only did @vm and I not know Dan or Varun.. we didn’t know a single person in crypto period… when we joined FC (~December 2021). 

Vic reached out to Dan on Twitter who was posting about the protocol and inviting people who replied to test it out. 

Same is true for a lot of folks on here with large followings now.

There’s something to be said for showing up and just getting involved.

working on receipts.xyz // workout. earn points. /receipts

That's what normally happens with early users. 
You receive constant feedback from them, and you grow closer to each other. They become super users of your product. And that's the end of the story.