Put developers at the center of web3 | Opinion

As a seasoned crypto investor and developer with over a decade of experience in this dynamic industry, I can’t help but feel a sense of both frustration and optimism when reading about the current state of web3 development. Frustration because, as Vitalik Buterin pointed out, we’re not growing or innovating at the pace we need to onboard the next billion users. However, optimism because I truly believe that we are on the cusp of a revolution in how developers approach web3, and it all starts with treating them as creatives rather than just builders.

It appears that the progress in Web3 development has come to a standstill as the main ideas driving the current crypto era – layer 2 solutions (L2s), decentralized finance (DeFi), roll-your-own assets (RWAs), gaming, and prediction markets – were initially conceived during the previous cycle. Unfortunately, we’re not witnessing much growth or new developments; instead, we find ourselves in a rut.

The community of developers specializing in web3 technology has made significant strides, however, this group is minuscule compared to the global total – roughly 22,000, which represents less than 0.1% of the estimated 27 million developers worldwide. Before we can attract “the next billion users,” it’s crucial that we first draw in the initial million developers. To achieve this, we must inspire developers by viewing them not just as builders but as creative visionaries, adopt AI development tools, and cultivate an atmosphere that promotes collaboration among developers.

At the Token2049 event in Singapore, I, as an analyst, found myself captivated by Vitalik Buterin’s keynote address regarding Ethereum (ETH)’s future on the blockchain landscape. His vision encompasses three main goals:

This vision is truly motivating, but one may wonder who will carry out the construction and handle all the tasks. Also, where might the innovative strategies needed to bring this vision to life be found? In the spirit of decentralization, let’s encourage our developers: “Create, innovate!

The numbers keep falling 

In the year 2023, there was a significant decrease in the total count of blockchain developers, surpassing 10%. This reduction can be attributed primarily to a mass departure of newcomer developers, whose ranks shrank by more than half compared to the previous year. Interestingly, despite the groundbreaking introduction of Ordinals last year, Bitcoin (BTC) experienced a loss of approximately 19% of its developer community, leaving behind around 1,000 individuals contributing to BTC development.

Let’s encourage and facilitate the growth of web3 developers instead of asking them to act: “Let’s stimulate action for web3 developers!” To entice more developers to join the web3 community, let’s provide an environment where they can create and experiment: “Here’s how we can empower developers in web3 by giving them a place to innovate.

Developers are inherently creative individuals, so it’s essential to approach them with that mindset. Since innovation is a form of creativity, developers can be considered as creatives. Creativity often doesn’t adhere to a neat, structured timeline; it’s messy, non-linear, and unpredictable. Let’s stop viewing developers as mere builders who simply assemble prefabricated code blocks into designated Lego structures, because their role transcends that. Instead, let’s provide them with the necessary resources to conceive, experiment, and construct novel ideas.

Embrace AI, as it’s not about replacing developers but enhancing their capabilities. Think of AI as a powerful suit that amplifies your coding abilities. This is how the next generation of developers, Gen Z, will learn and write code more efficiently. They’ll have an accelerated learning curve, allowing them to focus on understanding concepts instead of struggling with incomplete documentation or searching for that elusive semicolon amidst thousands of lines of code.

And AI isn’t just for beginners. Experienced devs are already using AI-powered tools to reduce time to deployment and assist with increasingly important audits of increasingly complex smart contract protocols.

My company, Cookbook, offers ChefGPT, an AI chatbot that can help spark ideas, search smart contract libraries for templates, troubleshoot problems, and more. For devs, this means it’s faster and easier to plan, build, and deploy projects onchain. For developer relations reps, this means devs get answers faster in every language and time zone.

AI dev tooling has a key role to play in the future of web3. Let’s make these tools available to as many devs and students as possible. 

The need for a community

Encouraging teamwork among developers can lead to their best work, so let’s facilitate collaboration within our web3 developer community. Although we often emphasize the concept of community in web3, our web3 developer group is fragmented and disconnected. This tight-knit community should be more interconnected. Intriguingly, there are almost ten times as many members in the BAYC Discord compared to the number of web3 developers. On the other hand, developers from Web2 demonstrate greater collaboration than their counterparts in Web3.

In the rapidly developing world of web3, developers frequently hold multiple roles such as owners, executives, or investors within the projects they work on. This might lead them to have personal stakes in the success of their protocol, potentially creating conflicts of interest with others’ success. However, this doesn’t entirely account for the observed lack of collaboration among web3 developers.

Web3 is tribal. Bitcoin vs. Ethereum vs. Solana, and so on, has sometimes felt like a religious war unfolding on crypto Twitter. But the reality is that we are now, and have always been, moving toward a multi-chain universe where different blockchains serve different use cases with increasing degrees of interoperability. So, while fun is fun, the idea that we need to shred each other over different VM structures as human sacrifices to the Twitter algorithm is dumb. Vitalik is a Bitcoiner. Anatoly ♥️ ETH. Less bickering, more building.

Translating that into a more conversational tone: Instead of copying and modifying others’ work or creating lookalike projects, focus on collaboration and teamwork with other developers. While message boards and virtual meetings are useful, building genuine connections often requires face-to-face interactions. (Yes, it may seem surprising, but real-life conversations can be quite beneficial!)

It’s a truism going back to Steve Jobs and Pixar—or even WWII-era Bell Labs—that random interactions between creative people tend to spark creative ideas. Web3 needs that energy. And we know that people are less inclined to drag each other online when they have to see each other in person. So, let’s meet up. 

A convenient method to boost real-life interactions is by establishing more communal workplaces similar to the House of Web3 in San Francisco. It’s fortunate that we have robust global crypto communities located in cities such as San Francisco, New York, Lisbon, Zug, Singapore, Buenos Aires, Lagos, and Sydney. Let’s take advantage of these resources by gathering in rooms with whiteboards, fostering collaboration, and jointly designing the future.

In order to rekindle the pace we had prior to 2022 and continue our mission of creating a more accessible successor to Web2 (Web3), it’s crucial that we offer more than just tasks to developers. Instead, let’s empower them to create and innovate on their own terms, allowing them to “cook” their own solutions.

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2024-10-10 14:16