Suspension

The founder of "Ethereum Weekly" announces shutdown: Ethereum Foundation withdraws support, failing to find a sustainable business model

ChainCatcher news, the founder of Week in Ethereum News (WiE), Evan Van Ness, stated on social media: "Due to a conversation with the leadership of the Ethereum Foundation (EF) earlier this year, I announce that this newsletter will cease operations, as the communication indicated they believe continuing the Week in Ethereum News is not valuable.For the remainder of 2024, WiE has received very little funding support from the Ethereum Foundation. Although this support was mostly symbolic, the EF leadership's choice to cut this trivial support clearly indicates that WiE will end immediately.The Ethereum Foundation withdrawing support has made it more clear than anything else that it is time for WiE to conclude.The Week in Ethereum News once had a good track record. Over the years, at conferences, many developers have told me that WiE has impacted their Solidity or security careers. They often mentioned that this newsletter influenced their decision to purchase ETH. Once upon a time, this established newsletter was the upstream source for most Ethereum news supporters.But unfortunately, WiE failed to find a sustainable business model. Advertising and sponsorships are hard to sell because the marketing director does not value developers. I have high standards for content, but completing it in a profitable way has proven to be too time-consuming."

ZKX investors and market makers were surprised by the suspension and did not receive any prior warning

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, investors and market makers involved in the recently closed ZKX expressed that they were surprised by the closure announcement and did not receive any prior warning. Ye Su, founder of ArkStream Capital, stated on X, "When ZKX closed, we, as investors, had no information at all. The team claimed they ran out of money, refused to provide any financial or expenditure details, and did not communicate with us." HashKey Capital echoed Su's concerns in its own post, complaining that ZKX failed to share its financial status and future plans with the venture capital firm.Amber Group, which claims to be an investor and market maker for ZKX, stated that after returning half of its initial loan of 2 million tokens and purchasing 2 million tokens as part of its market-making operations since the token generation event, the company holds 3 million ZKX tokens. "Due to the lack of buying interest at launch, and our commitment to providing ongoing liquidity, we have been net buyers of ZKX tokens since listing, even as prices have fallen. This approach aligns with our commitment to supporting the project and its community, ensuring market conditions remain stable, even at our own expense." "Starting a business inherently involves risks and the possibility of failure, so open communication, transparency, and accountability are invaluable qualities for founders. We hope founders recognize that a good reputation is an important asset for securing future financing."The founder of ZKX defended against accusations of deceiving investors, arguing that prior notice could harm the protocol.
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