TechFlow news — On March 1, Binance co-founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) shared a wild idea on X about token issuance, wondering what would happen if someone launched a token with the following tokenomics: 10% of the tokens are unlocked and sold on the market, with proceeds used by the project team for product/platform development, marketing, salaries, etc. Every future unlock must meet all of the following conditions:
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Six months after the previous unlock.
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Only when the token price has remained above twice the prior unlock price for more than 30 days prior to unlocking.
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No more than 5% of tokens can be unlocked at each instance.
For example, if the TGE price in January was $1, then by June, if the token price remains below $2, no further tokens can be unlocked. Suppose the token price stays above $2 from July 4 to August 3; then on August 3, 5% of tokens could be unlocked into circulation. Assume the price is $3 on August 3. The next earliest unlock date would be March 3 the following year, and unlocking would only occur if the price stayed above $6 for over 30 days.
The project team has the right to delay or reduce the size of each unlock. If they don’t want to sell more, they don’t have to. But each time, they can sell (unlock) up to 5%, then must wait at least six months—and the price must double again. The team cannot shorten the waiting period or increase the amount for the next unlock. Tokens will be locked via a smart contract controlled by third-party key holders. This prevents new tokens from flooding the market during downturns, while incentivizing the team to build sustainably for the long term.
CZ emphasized: “I have no plans to issue a new token—this is just a thought experiment for discussion.”
