Send an anonymous survey to 42 key Solana figures to gather their perspectives on the crypto industry.
Original Title: We surveyed 42 Solana founders. Here's what they said.
Original Author: Jack Kubinec, Blockworks
Original Translation: Blockchain Basics
Lightspeed conducted an anonymous survey and distributed it to Solana's founders, heavy users, etc., aiming to truly understand their views on other ecosystems, venture capital firms, startups, etc.
The survey questions covered a variety of options and provided a write-in space, which was edited for grammar and clarity.
Here are the survey results from our 42 founders:
1. Besides Solana, which blockchain would you choose?

Some founders also expressed: "If not for Solana, I wouldn't be involved in cryptocurrency."
2. What is your favorite U.S. political party?

3. Which crypto VC do you rate the highest?

Founders also stated: "Picking one is unfair."
4. Which crypto VC do you view the least favorably?

Founders also stated: "Blindly following Asian venture capital firms that follow lead investors based on who they are is also not very okay."
5. It is said that the Solana inner circle is deeply interconnected. To drive the development of in-group projects, non-in-group projects are often sacrificed. What are your thoughts on this?

Founders also stated:
"I don't know, it's all the same, not much of a difference."
"I don't like this question, it feels like provoking controversy rather than providing information."
"It does exist, and I am also a part of it, but it's not 'sacrificing non-in-group projects.' Because I have also invested a significant amount of time and money in 'non-in-group projects.' It's mutual—you give, you also receive."
「It does not exist, yet I am a part of it.」
「In the early days and during bear markets, personal relationship networks were formed. Those who valued collaboration and helping Solana naturally built closer relationships over the years. Some individuals (including those from the OG Solana Labs team) later became influential figures with large followings. This is natural. Almost all surviving teams also received VC funding and support from Solana Ventures. These are facts, but I don't see malice in it. The Solana Foundation has done an excellent job actively diversifying this influence and supporting those who have performed well in the ecosystem (e.g., Superteam). In my view, Toly is particularly good at impartially supporting builders based not on personal preferences but on 1) the coolness of the projects they are building and 2) their sincerity.」
6. What is currently Solana's biggest issue?

The founders also state: "There is an urgent need for more block space. Demand has increased by 5x + prices have doubled = to keep app developer costs constant, we need to increase block size by 10x!"
7. How do you view Memecoins' significance for Solana?

8. Solana has many startups that are not your own creations; which one do you most want to join?

9. Which one do you least want to join?

The founders also state: "Companies that have not yet shown promise are also not desirable to join."
10. What is the most overrated Solana sector?

The founders also state: "SocialFi, DeSci, and gaming still have potential."
11. What is the most underrated Solana sector?

12. Which of the following items has caused the most damage to Solana's reputation?

The founders also said: "FTX was both the best and worst early on, haha."
There is a lot to unpack here, but I found a few points particularly noteworthy: other founders had low opinions of pump.fun, but they generally believed memecoins were beneficial to the ecosystem. Base and Sui seem to be the most attractive Solana competitors at the moment.
As a journalist, getting founders to speak openly in public is not easy. This survey helped me better understand the Solana founders' true thoughts—at least somewhat authentically overall.
You may also like

Morning News | Five major virtual asset platforms in South Korea have experienced 57 incidents of hacking and system failures in six years; Grayscale submits registration application for Canton ETF

Should we escape the peak? The principle of the tail-end market in the stock market

RootData: May 2026 Cryptocurrency Exchange Transparency Research Report

Founder of Baixing.com: My Experience with Claude Code in Fourteen Points

Yang Ge Gary: Agent Economics and AI Microeconomics

When reasoning becomes a scarce resource, who captures its value?

Jensen Huang dramatically "rescues" the South Korean stock market

Stablecoins vs Deposit Tokens: On the surface, they seem like opposing sides, but in reality, they are interconnected

Bitcoin Crash to $50,000 or Bear Trap Before $100,000? Deep Dive for WEEX Traders

How Could the SpaceX IPO Affect Bitcoin, Altcoins season, and Crypto Liquidity?

The ambitions of Kalshi, MTS, and a16z

The AI bubble is bursting

Real withdrawal is to release water: When crypto VCs position themselves in the Agent network effect

Has the narrative of BTC as "digital gold" failed?

A Perspective on the Indian Cryptocurrency Market: Descending into Silence or Moving Towards Maturity?

It took me a year to see the painful truth about Agent payments

Morning News | Bitmine issues preferred shares to raise $300 million; Polymarket accuses Kalshi of industrial espionage


