Meme Insider
Ever launched something and wondered if people would actually pay for it? DoubleZero just did – and they're swimming in $256,000 worth of SOL fees after barely a month.
In a recent X thread, Craig Burel, GP at Reciprocal Ventures, gave a massive shoutout to DoubleZero's fee milestone:
"Strongly believe fees should be turned on early in a protocol’s life to test for real demand. Love to see @doublezero leading the charge here!"
DoubleZero cofounder Austin Federa doubled down in the replies: "if the fee switch isn't on you're larping pmf" (that's product-market fit for the uninitiated – no faking it with free trials forever).
What Exactly is DoubleZero?
Picture this: Solana's blazing fast, but even race cars need better roads. DoubleZero builds a permissionless, high-performance network using dedicated fiber optics, multicast tech, and smart routing to slash latency and explode bandwidth for blockchain validators.
- Launched mainnet-beta: October 2, 2025
- Current dominance: Powers 34% of Solana (up from 15% in early September)
- Token: $2Z – utility beast for fees, staking, governance, and rewards
- Market cap: ~$650M (live chart)
Validators plug in, get faster votes, txns, and bundles → more rewards → happily pay 5% of block rewards (in SOL or $2Z).
The Fee Fireworks: $256K Breakdown
Fees kicked off early October. Here's the daily haul (USD equivalent ~$256K total):
| Epoch | SOL Fees |
|---|---|
| 859 | 82.89 |
| 860 | 102.65 |
| 861 | 73.61 |
| 862 | 144.60 |
| 863 | 85.56 |
| 864 | 102.98 |
| 865 | 102.21 |
| 866 | 95.96 |
| 867 | 125.03 |
| 868 | 111.60 |
| 869 | 94.86 |
| 870 | 114.37 |
| 871 | 158.37 |
| 872 | Ongoing |
Pro tip: Track it live on DoubleZero Dashboard or DeFiLlama – #16 in 30-day fees across all networks. Wild for a newbie.
Why Early Fees = Genius Move
Most protocols subsidize forever with airdrops and hype. DoubleZero? Charge day one (offset by juicy stake delegations via DZDP – 10M+ SOL pool).
- Tests real PMF: Validators choose to pay because performance gains > 5% fee
- Burns sybil resistance: Portion of fees burned
- Rewards contributors: Fiber providers, node ops get Shapley value payouts
- Phases to sustainability: Delegations taper → pure organic demand
As one reply nailed it: "This is the kind of move that builds long-term trust."
$2Z Token: The Real MVP
- Pay fees: Swap SOL → $2Z automatically
- Earn rewards: Stake, contribute, govern
- Deflationary: Burns keep it tight
- Backed by beasts: Multicoin, Dragonfly, Reciprocal Ventures ($28M raised)
Check $2Z price – it's flying as adoption surges.
The Road Ahead for Solana & Beyond
DoubleZero isn't Solana-exclusive – blockchain agnostic. Expect Ethereum, Sui, Aptos next. With 22% staked SOL at launch, now 34%? Momentum is nuclear.
Craig Burel's verdict: Early fees filter noise, prove you're not larping.
Meme Insider take: In a sea of pump-and-dumps, $2Z is real utility printing money. Validators eating good – will you join the network?
Dive in:
TL;DR: Fees on → $256K bag → $2Z mooning. Early monetization wins. 🚀
