Share this article
Kevin Owocki on Gitcoin, Controversy and the Future of Open Source Funding
The founder of one of crypto’s most buzzed about projects discusses the origins of Gitcoin, controversy, and why open source funding needs to evolve.
Updated Sep 13, 2021, 12:10 p.m. Published Jan 21, 2020, 8:15 p.m.
The founder of one of crypto’s most buzzed-about projects discusses the origins of Gitcoin, controversy and why open source funding needs to evolve.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
Ever since announcing its fourth round of grants, Gitcoin has been a major subject of conversation across the Twittersphere. In addition to all the excited buzz from both technical projects and media creators vying for grants matched based on E. Glen Weyl and Vitalik Buterin’s quadratic funding model, there has been controversy. Some of that controversy has been from outside the Ethereum community, pointing to Consensys and Ethereum Foundation support as an example of centralization. Some of the controversy has come from within, as debates rage about what is or isn’t an acceptable use of “public” resources.
No matter what one’s position, it’s hard to deny Gitcoin is one of the most interesting experiments in open source funding to date. Listen as @nlw asks the projects founder Kevin Owocki about the history of the project, the controversy, and what makes this round of grants such a big jump forward.
Find more episodes of The Breakdown on CoinDesk
More For You
What to know:
- As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
- GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
- Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.
More For You
BlackRock Files for Staked Ethereum ETF
The iShares Ethereum Staking Trust marks a bold push into on-chain yield exposure, as the SEC's tone has shifted under new leadership.
What to know:
- BlackRock has officially filed for a staked Ethereum ETF, marking its first formal move toward SEC approval.
- The filing reflects a shift in SEC policy under new Chair Paul Atkins after earlier pushback on staking features.
- BlackRock’s existing Ethereum fund holds $11B in ETH, but the new ETF would offer separate staking exposure.
Top Stories
