Coming back from TOKEN2049 in Dubai, I left inspired, but also more resolute than ever.
Because alongside the progress and passion, the same two questions kept cropping up in every hallway conversation, investor meeting, and off-the-record huddle:
- Why is there still so much corruption in a space that was designed to eliminate it?
- Where are the apps that actually onboard everyday users, not just the same million Web3 wallets, but billions of people?
They’re uncomfortable questions. But they matter more than ever.
The Corruption We Built Tools to Prevent!
The first question hit close to home. I have recently, faced two legal battles in recent months, both tied to projects that attempted to rewrite the rules post-launch, effectively defrauding their own investors. It’s draining. But it also exposes a deeper truth: blockchain doesn’t automatically create fairness, people do.
And it’s not just me. I spoke with founders who were ghosted after token raises, advisors who watched their terms get rewritten mid-vest, and dev teams cut out of upside because the “new roadmap” didn’t need them anymore. Even some of the industry’s most respected projects have quietly adjusted vesting terms, because they could.
That’s not decentralization. That’s a digital Wild West in a tailored blazer.
Where Are the Consumers?
The second question is just as frustrating. For all our tech, all our capital, and all our launches… where are the users?
Take OpenSea. At its peak, it touched nearly 1 million wallets a month. Today? That number has dropped significantly.
One million wallets sounds like a lot, until you realize that TikTok has over 1 billion monthly users, and even a middling mobile game can break 10 million.
The brutal truth is that most crypto apps are still built for crypto people. Interfaces are clunky. Onboarding is jargon-heavy. And real utility is often buried beneath tokenomics.
Until we build things that are intuitive, rewarding, and fun, the average user just isn’t going to care.
So What Do We Do?
For us at Rewarded TV, these conversations confirmed what we already believed:
- If we want mainstream adoption, we need to meet people where they already are, not where we wish they were.
- People watch content.
- People want to support creators.
- People like getting rewarded for their time and attention.
That’s where we’ve planted our flag.
We’re building an ecosystem that makes it effortless for viewers to engage and earn, and for creators to own and distribute without gatekeepers.
No crypto jargon. No complex setup. Just open access and fair rewards, built on-chain.
We’re not here to talk about “fixing Web3.”
We’re here to build something better, with blockchain as the enabler, not the headline.
What Comes Next?
I’m optimistic. Because while corruption lingers, it’s also being called out more loudly. And while most dApps still aren’t hitting scale, the demand for better, consumer-grade experiences has never been clearer.
If TOKEN2049 proved anything, it’s that we’re at a turning point.
Let’s not waste it.
By Michael Jelen, CEO of Rewarded TV
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