I’ve been reflecting over the past 24 hours on why people punch down in Bitcoin—whether they do it intentionally, accidentally, or without even realizing it. PlebLab has gotten its fair share of this in the past and we do our best to teach founders what to look out for. I’ll write a follow-up to this on ~builders later this week.
Some patterns keep coming up:
• A lack of awareness of their own power or privilege maybe.
• Confusing criticism with accountability they believe are entitled to.
• Defaulting to social norms, business dealings, ngo affiliations, equity entitlements
• A failure to empathize or truly see the other as a brother or sister in what god intended.
We all notice faults—in people, projects, and companies. Sometimes we speak them aloud; sometimes we just hold them quietly. But when does that shift from healthy discernment to something more damaging? When does it become bullying, exclusion, or a subtle attempt to harm?
Is it when the critique goes public?
Is it when there’s manipulation behind the scenes?
Or does it begin the moment we speak it out-loud in front of others.
So maybe the real question is: are we building one another up—or slowly tearing each other down?
One last thing I want to share—something I’ve carried for a while.
Back in early 2021, I was harshly critical of a Bitcoin project I felt was missing the mark. I had a checklist in my head of everything it lacked, and I didn’t hold back in expressing those criticisms publicly at the time—especially in conversations with k00b looking back it’s extremely embarrassing to talk about it now.
But I remember what he told me:
“Building things that last takes time. How do you know they haven’t already thought of that? Maybe it’s not neglect—maybe it’s time or money constraints.” I just remember how upset he was because he couldn’t understand how his friend could not consider the complete obvious.
He was absolutely right. Every Bitcoin company is dealing with tradeoffs. Most builders are doing their best with what they have. And unless we’ve sat with them, heard their story, and walked in their shoes, we should be slow to judge and not assume anything until we have had a conversation with them. That conversation changed how I think since then.
Fact: Every Bitcoin company has time or money constraints.
I’ve learned not to dismiss or mock projects I haven’t taken the time to understand. Not to criticize what I’ve never tried to build myself. And not to rely on secondhand gossip or thirdhand stories—but, as we say in Texas, to hear it from the horse’s mouth. 🐴🤠
Honestly, I think half the drama in this space comes from assumptions and miscommunication. The solution has always been and will always be more conversation. It’s humility. It’s being kinder to one another, it’s meeting them in the middle. It’s not believing what others say about others who are not in the room to defend themselves.
We’re all building something that hasn’t been built before. That deserves a little more patience—and a whole lot more grace.
Happy Sunday Stackers.