Op-ed by Pepper, Marketing & Growth, Alephium.
Hello and welcome! This is the first column article from Pepper, our new Head of Marketing & Growth. He’ll be researching and commenting on some of the most current blockchain discussions, providing context and making the connection to Alephium. Other contributors will soon be joining as we aim to make this space a popular hub of activity.
Note: The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and may not reflect the official stance of Alephium.
Next-Gen PoW Is More Relevant Than Ever
The crypto industry moves in waves, often riding tempestuous storms. Now, the winds are changing, the seas are calming, and something has been spotted out on the horizon.
What is it? Well, it appears to be the start of “L1 Season”. The signs are all there. Fly the sails!
Google, Stripe, Circle, Tether, and Bitfinex have all set about building new L1 blockchains. I think it’s pretty fair to say that this means we can restate the importance of the base layer. I think it also means that “L2 season” could be ending.
All of this new L1 development raises an important question: “Do we really need more L1s?"
An even more important question… “Do we really need more L1s that are centralized, built on a Web2 foundation, and are backed by corporate giants?”
I’ll leave the answer up to you. First things first, read my first Alephium column below and make your minds up for yourselves.
P.S. If you’re new to Alephium, it is a PoW Layer-1 blockchain and has recently announced that it is entering “Phase 2: Aligned Economics”. This development will see the devs build a Core dApp as a strategic addition to our chain.
The Rise of Corporate-Backed Chains
"Anybody can do anything with enough time and money" - Mark Reuss, President of General Motors, 2014.
Add in access to talent, influence, market dominance, and an established user base, as you can solve almost any problem for users.
That’s why I’m sure it’s pretty much inevitable that Google, Stripe, Circle, Tether, and Bitfinex will succeed with their L1s. Success, though, has different forms and different definitions.
Playing Devil’s Advocate
For those of you who believe in the core ethos of Web3 and Bitcoin-like fundamentals, these platforms may not be aligned with your ideals.
Here’s why I think these corporate L1s will eventually come under scrutiny or buckle (my next column article will go further into this, so here’s the surface layer for now).
- Centralization over Decentralization: Corporate L1s are built on a centralized, permissioned model, where control and governance are concentrated in the hands of a single entity or a small group of institutions. This is in direct conflict with Bitcoin’s (and Alephium’s) fundamental principle of a decentralized, trustless, and permissionless network.
- Web2 DNA vs. Web3 Ethos: These chains are essentially Web2 platforms with a Web3 layer on top. They prioritize corporate interests, data control, and financial gatekeeping, which runs counter to the Web3 ethos of user autonomy, open access, and censorship resistance.
- Expediency over Endurance: Corporate L1s are often designed for short-term gains, such as fast transaction speeds and seamless integration, while compromising on long-term resilience and security. Bitcoin and Alephium’s design, in contrast, prioritizes endurance, building a network that is resilient, battle-tested, and built for the long haul.
This is just the start. There’s much more to it.
The market demands credible neutrality, censorship resistance, and no single point of failure. Can corporate-backed L1s guarantee these attributes, or will they recycle old compromises with convenience-layer blockchains? Only time will tell.
This is exactly why I believe Alephium continues to stand as a principled and open alternative, one that was built for the long haul. This is scalability without surrender.
The longer you’ve been in the crypto, blockchain, or Web3 space, the more likely you are to agree.
The Principled Path: Why We Built From Scratch
“Do we really need more L1s?”
Perhaps the question needs tweaking: “What kind of L1s do we need?”
As others have taken the easier path of copying existing codebases or building with EVM compatibility, Alephium made the strategic decision to build a new class of blockchain from scratch. The devs are playing the long game.
The non-EVM route was a deliberate engineering decision to avoid and overcome the compromises found on other chains. Rather than re-skin or fork an existing solution, Cheng and co meticulously designed one for security, sustainability, and longevity.
While these decisions may have made the route to success longer than EVM-compatible chains, its trilemma-solving tech offers more integrity.
With this approach, Alephium ensured it could be resilient by design and built for decades and generations, not market cycles. They weren’t thinking about the next bull run, but about how Alephium would contribute in the next century.
This Satoshi-like ideology is why Alephium can combine the decentralization of Bitcoin with the smart contract flexibility of Ethereum, all without the trade-offs others have willingly accepted. All native, no asterisks.
While that may not have translated into an enormous TVL (yet), I believe that the ongoing improvements, upgrades, and especially the unique economic design of a protocol-owned Core dApp will eventually attract it.
From Foundations to Functions: Phase 1 & 2
Let’s reflect for a moment.
It was said Proof-of-Work couldn’t scale without compromises, both mathematical and hardware. Cheng said, “Hold my hat”. He built it. Just remember that before L1 Season begins and this chain becomes trendy again.
Alephium Phase 1 focused on the base layer, delivering a production-ready foundation. Those years were more than just R&D, they were proof that PoW scales, native sharding works, and sUTXO can prevent exploits at the VM level.
They’ve shown that decentralization, high performance, and usability don't actually have to be mutually exclusive, as critics previously thought. The Alephium devs achieved it.
Phase 2 is where the infrastructure evolves and aligns. They are programming a self-sustaining ecosystem for the community and $ALPH holders. That is their North Star. As was the case in the past, they are building for long-term endurance, not trends that are gone in a flash.
Alephium is launching its own Core dApp as a native growth engine and definitive proof-of-concept. Once launched, it will enter a new economic model where infrastructure, economics, and governance are properly aligned.
In this new system, there will also be more involvement from DAOs. Alephium DAOs will put marketing and development resources where they belong: in community hands. No boardroom votes, no cap table politics, just directed momentum toward adoption. That’s how decentralized networks can scale their influence.
Your Coin, Working for You
Whether L1 season arrives or not, $ALPH holders will be ushered into an exciting new utility model. The Core dApp will be both protocol-owned and open-source, with all swap fees being redistributed to xALPH stakers and used for $ALPH buybacks.
It’s critical for onlookers, builders, and community members to understand the "Aligned Ecosystem Loop”. Let’s revisit:
- dApp usage generates fees.
- Fees are used to buy back and burn $ALPH, initiating deflationary forces and rewards for long-term ALPH stakers.
- Stakers align incentives around governance and adoption, which further decentralizes growth and restarts the cycle.
Outcome: Your $ALPH is no longer a passive asset but a productive one that gets stronger with every transaction.
I’m excited for every $ALPH holder out there.
A Future Built With You, For You
Alephium’s long-term vision is about you. The community, the builders, and the ALPH holders.
The rise of corporate-backed L1s shows the risks of consolidated power. Let them chase quick wins. Alephium stands apart because it is building for infinity.
Right now, the team is empowering the community and ecosystem to drive the network's growth and activity from within.
Community-driven initiatives like the BlockFlow Alliance DAO are a key part of its second phase. These initiatives empower the community to allocate resources toward marketing, developer support, and onboarding.
Build with Alephium, and you're betting on:
- Lasting tech, built for generations
- Realigned economics (holders > speculators)
- The next chapter of PoW
This is a clear path toward decentralized governance and decision-making, ensuring that the network’s future is determined by its participants, not a centralized entity (or a boardroom).
When you hold and stake $ALPH, you become a welcome participant in a cycle that makes the coin stronger with every transaction. This is a true vote of confidence in a project that prioritizes endurance and a long-term approach to a decentralized future.
The next decade belongs to teams who ignore short-term trends and build long-term foundations. I’m glad to be here, I hope you are too. Whatever happens, we build.
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Pepper's next article will take an even deeper look at the rise of Centralized L1s, helping people to better understand why they might be a concern for Web3 and the principles of decentralization.