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A Single Step

It’s been months since Da Hongfei, the co-founder of Neo (Hi 👋 if you’re new here), posted anything on X about Neo. His recent musings have been related to privacy and privacy-related technologies.

In early July, Da’s account was hacked. He fell victim to a scammer trying to leverage the reach of his account. The experience inspired Da to author a thread on security recommendations for Elon Musk.

Uncle Da's posting on X is rare. How rare? Year to date, he’s only posted ten original tweets or threads. He’s reposted a handful of other people’s posts, but his account has less than 20 posts or reposts for the entirety of 2024.

Of the few times he’s posted this year, he’s mentioned Neo or Neo X four times. Yes, that is correct. The co-founder and face of the Neo blockchain has only mentioned Neo less than a handful of times this year.

Did I mention that Neo launched a new EVM side chain at the end of July?

When Da posted a long thread about security recommendations for X based on his experience of being hacked, it caught many people’s attention. Yes, Da does have over 57,000 followers. However, he’s barely used that following to promote Neo or Neo X. He posted two photos from Paris Blockchain Week and reposted the Neo X main net launch post from the official Neo Blockchain account. He didn’t even write a thread about Neo X at the time of the main net launch.

The security thread showed Da does post when he feels inspired to say something. I think many people (myself included) wonder why he doesn’t feel inspired to say something about Neo more often.

It’s not surprising then that when he does actually post on X there are numerous comments asking about Neo and where he has been. Some comments are constructive, many are just salty Neo bag holders.

This past week Da actually answered a Neo community member’s comment made on his post. @Jhonata18254670, a long-time Neo community member and a great follow on X, made a heartfelt statement directed at Da’s apparent silence on Neo-related matters. Da acknowledged the statement and addressed the sentiment.

Finally. A post by Da about Neo. A post that acknowledges the actual state of the Neo ecosystem right now: a “gloomy situation”.

Neo has not done well this year. The launch of NEO X has not moved the needle on attention for or attraction to the Neo ecosystem yet either. I thought NEO X would pump the price of GAS, so far I have been wrong about that.

That’s not to say that NEO and GAS won’t pump at all this year. This is crypto and pumps can happen at any time. That being said, it’s difficult to argue that the Neo ecosystem is trending in a direction where a price pump would be a logical explanation of growing demand and network usage. A pump tomorrow would be more likely a random event than a sign of the return of Neo to the forefront of crypto.

Does Da acknowledging the current state of Neo on X represent a good thing? I think, in a small way, that it does.

One of the biggest complaints of the Neo community is that Da Hongfei does not speak enough about Neo. Unlike other blockchain founders who are very active on X, Da rarely posts. It is this lack of activity that creates an impression of a disinterested “figurehead”. It leads to questions.

Does Da care about Neo? Is he working on the blockchain? Is he leading the roadmap for future development of the chain? If he is not, then who is? Who is in charge of Neo and Neo Global Development? Etc.

Da addressing an active community member on X and making a statement about the current state of Neo is a positive small step in the right direction. While not a comprehensive exploration of the topic, Da’s post at least represents a renewed communication and engagement with Neo, much like the first step in a long journey.

The community response the post received, and the numerous positive replies reflect the significance of even the smallest actions from Da, someone the Neo community respects.

I hope Da seizes the opportunity to engage the community with a renewed energy. Perhaps Da takes many of the small steps forward toward resolving the gloomy situation.

He can start by simply posting more about Neo and Neo X. He can also engage with the Neo community more frequently. Not all statements from Da need to be in the form of an article in a crypto periodical. A simple X post on what’s going on with NGD or a quick update is just as impactful.

Da, if you happen to read this, here is one suggestion for a thread that I know many people would love to read: an elaboration on what you meant by: “We need to think about why Neo was born and how it will continue to exist”.

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