UPDATE: just to be clear I have no paid partnership with @baseapp so here’s my honest take: Yes, I “made” $65 yesterday from posting my video. But I didn’t get paid like a creator- I cashed out the token At its peak, my wallet balance was around $185… but people started dumping, and I was only able to grab $65 before the pool drained. So how is that supporting me? They weren’t tipping me. They were flipping a coin with my name on it. (I realize I got micro payments from transaction fees but it was minimal) And I had to dump on them to get paid. 😬 Also unless I’m totally misunderstanding this - every new post mints a new coin. >>>>Which means if I want to earn again, I have to do the same thing again… Dump that coin. >Then the next one. >Then the next. So now I’m sitting here wondering: >Am I launching a new micro shitcoin every time I post? >Am I supposed to manage each of those little markets? Because that doesn’t sound like creator monetization. That sounds like an stress-inducing token treadmill. @jessepollak is that how this is meant to work?

When we started building @meleemarkets we set out to simply build a permissionless prediction market. However, as the product has evolved, it’s become so much more. When we started, it was clear the trenches were cooked and people wanted something new. We were excited by the idea of prediction markets and thought it could actually lead to something novel if we could figure out how to make them feel like meme coins with uncapped upside. We believe we have cracked that formula, but I did not expect how relevant that solution would become. This new tokenized attention meta, infoFi or whatnot, has really crystallized for me the belief that prediction markets are far better vehicles for attention speculation than tokens. What has become crystal clear is that tokens have major inherent flaws when used as proxies for attention: • Attention is ephemeral, while tokens are forever. ❌ Internet memes, news events, and “virality” are inherently fleeting moments. The value comes from capturing the moment; it is intrinsically ephemeral, and that’s core to why it’s valuable. When packaged in a permanent market, collapse is inevitable. • Selling a token is a prisoner’s dilemma. ❌ Everyone wants to make money, but no one wants to tell you when exactly they make money. We try to sell meme coins as a collective rally when every “community member” knows deep down there’s nothing collective about the ponzi game. It’s a catch-22: if they’re honest, the value disappears. So we spin collective delusions, act powerless, and repeat the cycle with no way out—justifying each go-around as a novel “experiment.” 🤡 It’s the literal definition of insanity. • A meme token’s value is a Keynesian beauty contest. ❌ 99% of meme coin buying boils down to “I’m buying this now because I think someone else will want to buy it from me for more later.” We even have the gall to label this “infoFi,” knowing full well the information is useless because it’s completely circular. Incentivizing people to tell you what you want to hear is the opposite of “infoFi.” It’s just straight-up noise. For Christ’s sake, it’s even in the name of these apps. All we’ve managed to do is crowdfund bot farms instead of hiring them from sweatshops. Most days I swear I feel like I’m taking crazy pills. I look at what’s hitting the market and it truly feels dystopian. Yes, attention is valuable, and speculation is a powerful force, we’ve proved that over and over. That’s not an interesting “experiment” anymore. Melee excites me because it truly is something new. At the core of how Melee works is the belief that speculative attention is far more valuable when anchored to real-world information. Making money is great for attention, we respect and acknowledge that reality with our uncapped upside. ✅ But what I really hope to prove with Melee is that **being right** is great for retention. It is not easy. It’s a new paradigm. We are throwing countless hours into building a familiar and easy way to enter this new form of market. But what I can say is that, by design: • Prediction markets have graceful exits. ✅ You state your belief up front. We want you to win, to share that you were right, and not feel guilty about where those winnings came from. They came from your convictions. Be loud and proud. You were **right**. • Prediction markets are ephemeral. Launch as many as you want. ✅ Attention is fleeting. Your reputation is not. Prediction markets are anchored to outcomes that let participants engage in the moment without being left holding the bag. • Prediction markets produce useful information. ✅ This is actual infoFi. We want to spark discussion, for participants to debate, to argue their beliefs, and to put their money where their mouth is as a statement of conviction. I’m not interested in your incentivized, passionless slop takes. I want to hear your beliefs, your opinions, your convictions—and reward you when they’re actually proven valuable. End rant.