SummaryTrustless systems are infinite games—designed to run forever without capture. However, nearly every funding mechanism we have is intended for finite games: ventures with clear endpoints, exits, and returns. Venture capital needs liquidity within a decade. Token launches front-load extraction. Grants create dependency. The result: systems that start decentralized and drift toward concentration, or never decentralize at all. This essay argues the mismatch isn't incidental—it's structural...

SummaryTrustless systems are infinite games—designed to run forever without capture. However, nearly every funding mechanism we have is intended for finite games: ventures with clear endpoints, exits, and returns. Venture capital needs liquidity within a decade. Token launches front-load extraction. Grants create dependency. The result: systems that start decentralized and drift toward concentration, or never decentralize at all. This essay argues the mismatch isn't incidental—it's structural...