LayerZero CEO: Proof of Donation is a way to avoid short-term speculation

Bryan Pellegrino, co-founder and CEO of LayerZero Labs (also known as Stinky Penguin), explained in a recent tweet the Proof of Donation mechanism behind LayerZero's donations. Pellegrino stated that airdrops have deviated from their original purpose, resulting in excessive speculation and users solely using the protocol to obtain more free tokens, lacking long-term protocol alignment and loyalty.Pellegrino pointed out that LayerZero was highly aligned with the community in 2022, but with the appearance of other large-scale airdrop events in 2023, users' expectations for LayerZero's airdrops also rapidly increased. Despite never officially planning an airdrop, market speculation caused protocol usage to skyrocket, leading to immense pressure and high expectations. To avoid this short-term speculation, LayerZero chose the Proof of Donation method, hoping that users could support organizations in need through small donations and enhance their alignment with the protocol's value. This mechanism aims to encourage users to pause and think before participating, pushing them to align more closely with LayerZero's core values.