Ethereum Layer 2 Network Optimism Launches Token Airdrop

Ethereum layer-2 scaling solution Optimism launched the much-anticipated airdrop of its new OP governance token, rewarding early users of the project and other select users by sending free tokens to nearly 249,000 eligible wallets. Optimism first introduced OP tokens back in April when it unveiled “the Optimism Collective” which seeks to be an “experiment in digital governance at scale” with OP serving as the native token for governing protocol upgrades, project incentives, and other aspects of the network. While the team initially allocated 5% of the 4.29 billion supply to the first airdrop, it promised that there would be “an entire season of airdrops” dipping into a further 14% of the total supply. So far, it’s yet to announce details of any further airdrops. While the airdrop is already technically underway, many users were unable to claim their tokens due to an overflowing demand. Some users on Twitter claimed that they were listed as eligible for the airdrop earlier, but now they are shown as ineligible. “Our biggest mistake here was failing to make this contract pausable,” the team added. The claims user interface (UI) was overwhelmed and was shut down, resulting in users creating their own sharing links. There are a lot of lessons we learned from this to apply to Drop #2. We’ll be publishing an extensive retrospective next week. Iteration is core to the Optimism ethos and we always strive to apply today’s lessons to to...