Buterin questions the effectiveness of creators' speculative coins

Ethereum Co-founder Buterin Returns to the Discussion on the Viability of Tokens for Creative Content, Suggesting that the Current Approach to Their Implementation Needs a Serious Reassessment. According to NS3.AI, his critique focuses on a fundamental problem within the ecosystem — most platforms are focused on incentivizing content quantity rather than on quality filtering and curation. This issue, as Buterin believes, leads to an excess of low-quality content and speculative behavior among participants.

The True Challenge: Curation Instead of Quantity

Buterin proposes shifting to a model similar to what Substack employs. The company uses a combination of curation mechanisms and practical tools to support authors, allowing for a balance between encouraging creativity and maintaining quality. In his view, this is a more effective approach than simply distributing tokens, which often become objects of speculation.

Alternative Architecture: Small DAOs and Prediction Markets

Instead of the traditional approach, Buterin suggests using small, non-tokenized decentralized organizations to select and curate authors based on quality. The creators’ own tokens should serve not as speculative assets but as fully functional prediction markets, where participants can evaluate the future potential of content. This model reorients the ecosystem toward long-term value rather than short-term price swings.

Buterin’s proposal reflects a growing understanding that technology alone is insufficient — the right economic incentives and governance structures are necessary to create sustainable content ecosystems.