Is this truly power to the people, or just a flashy marketing gimmick? Let's be real. We’re all tired of projects that claim to be decentralized and community-led, but end up centralized power grabs as soon as they launch. The HTX DAO's recent $22 million token burn of 11.79 trillion $HTX raises a crucial question: can a DAO actually redistribute wealth and empower its community?

Burning Tokens, Igniting Hope?

At first glance, burning tokens appears a clear win-win. Fewer tokens, higher value, right? HTX DAO is dedicating 50% of all platform revenue to these burns, which is no small commitment. They’re calling this an anti-inflation tactic to increase scarcity, artificially increasing the value of $HTX for their holders. We’ve burnt around 72.36t $HTX tokens, valued at $129 million since Q1 2024. Now, those are some numbers you can’t overlook!

Think about the stock market. The reason companies engage in buybacks to boost share price in order to benefit their shareholders. Is this any different? The more important question is who’s coming up aces. Are these burns positively impacting the average holder or just early investors/whales? Or are they actually improving the economic health of the typical HTX token holder?

Here’s where the “power to the people” narrative goes awry. It all comes down to distribution. If a small group holds the vast majority of tokens, they'll reap the lion's share of the benefits from any price appreciation. If all of these burns are being paid for by fees that are overwhelmingly shouldered by the smaller users, might this impact be regressive?

Decentralization Or Just Buzzwords?

HTX DAO is using buzzwords such as “decentralized governance” and “free financial port.” We've heard it all before. True decentralization isn't just about having a DAO structure. It’s not just about new opportunities for engagement — it’s about deeper impact and building agency through the community’s participation.

They’ve launched a listing recommendation submission, allowing users to nominate smart DeFi projects. Great! Users may submit nominations on the HTX DAO forum, in HTX App community conversations, and on X (Twitter) with #HTXVoteToList. They’re providing a prize pool of almost 10 billion $HTX tokens to winners amongst participants. This is certainly a step in the right direction. Is it enough?

The crucial question is: how much real power do these votes hold? Will HTX truly be open to feedback from the public or will these votes simply turn into a performative gesture? Keep in mind, ultimately, HTX decides the final listing shortlist.

It’s the difference between a company holding a town hall meeting to listen to employee concerns. They go on to totally disregard all that was offered.

From Burn to Building

The community’s ongoing token burn is a positive step in the right direction, but it’s not the only move they need to make. What’s critical now is what HTX DAO does with the rest of these resources. Is the DAO really funding the right projects that most help their community? Or are they only in it for their own bottom line?

According to them, the ecosystem foster creative thinking among DAO members and incentivizes anyone to submit proposals about how HTX DAO should grow. Great. What’s missing is how these ideas are being measured and piloted. Is there a clear and transparent process?

The HTX DAO is advancing the creation of a “Free Financial Port” vision. Okay. To really make this vision come alive, HTX DAO needs to do more than token burns. Instead, it should double down on building a confusingly interoperable, typically transparent, mostly equitable, mostly empowering community-driven ecosystem.

  • What are the specific criteria for selecting community-nominated projects?
  • How is the DAO ensuring that the community's voice is genuinely heard in the decision-making process?
  • Beyond token burns, what other initiatives are being implemented to empower the community?

Don't just take my word for it. Dive in. Get involved. Nominate projects. Vote. Hold HTX DAO accountable. We need to insist on real decentralization and community control. Or else these token burns will just be another marketing gimmick, leaving the average user behind. The first round of results from the community-driven initiative to list the endings will be announced on July 29th. Let's see what happens. We’re going to find out soon enough if this “power to the people” rhetoric is more than just empty promises.

Now it’s time for them to put their money where their mouth is. The next burn will be on October 15th, 2025. We'll be watching. Will you?

It's time for them to put their money where their mouth is. The next burn is scheduled for October 15, 2025. We'll be watching. Will you?