The 0L blockchain community is on a mission to ‘tell better stories’

0L aims to build a platform “aligned with humanist values” in a permissionless, open-source, non-corporate environment.

Blockchain platform 0L, an open-source, layer-one platform that started off as a fork of the original Facebook project known as Libra and Diem, is on a mission to develop a blockchain platform that can serve humankind without submitting to the demands of venture capitalists.

Traditionally, blockchain technology has been positioned as revolutionary. Innumerable case studies and testimonials have illuminated its ability to upend traditional financial, technological, and corporate dogma through the practical application of an immutable, digital ledger.

However, not all blockchains are built, operated, maintained, and guided in the same way. While the majority of the cryptocurrency/blockchain industry has shifted towards corporate infrastructure and adherence to the Silicon Valley startup status quo, there are some projects within our industry that believe technology can be developed with a community at its head instead of a CEO or corporate board.

Zaki Manian, a 0L Network contributor, spoke with Cointelegraph in an interview. He described the 0L project as “a reaction to the corporate nature of modern blockchain.”

Manian explained that the 0L Network project was started around three years ago by a passionate team who wanted to build a solid, open source blockchain that could grow with its community.

One of the main tenets of the 0L project is that it’s been developed without the aid of VC funding. Manian says this allows the project to “think on a long-term basis,” because they’re not beholden to demands from financial backers to provide a short-term return-of-investment.

According to a spokesperson for 0L Network:

“About 80% of the network is locked up in community slow wallets that become liquid over time and a large fraction of tokens are held by established not-for-profits with strong social missions like the Danish Red Cross.”

Ultimately, Manian envisions a future for the project where the community drives both its value and utility. He says part of the goal is to create something that allows the community to “tell better stories” as they create new use cases.

Rather than treating assets strictly as money, Manian points out that owning an asset on a blockchain is synonymous with having a vote. In this way, the 0L community has the deciding votes when it comes to the project’s future.

As Manian told Cointelegraph:

“What we’re trying to do when we say ‘the best asset’ is to try to create an asset that is widely aligned with humanist goals, that a wide variety of people would want to ‘vote’ for over a long time.”