In the fast-paced world of cryptocurrency, Solana stands out as a high-performance blockchain that's home to countless meme tokens and decentralized finance (DeFi) projects. Recently, a thought-provoking Twitter thread sparked discussions about what Solana could become under strong, visionary leadership. It all started with Mert, the CEO of Helius Labs, sharing his wishlist if he were Solana's "benevolent dictator." Max Kaplan, CTO at Sol Strategies, jumped in with his own take, quoting Mert's post and adding his perspectives. This exchange highlights key improvements that could supercharge Solana's ecosystem, making it even more appealing for meme token creators and traders.

Mert's original post (view on X) lays out a bold 10-point plan. He suggests cutting Solana's token issuance in half to potentially increase scarcity and value—think of issuance as the rate at which new SOL tokens are minted and distributed, often to validators for securing the network. By reducing it, the token could become more deflationary, which might excite holders of meme tokens built on Solana.

He also pushes for faster listings of spot assets, meaning getting new tokens and assets available on exchanges quicker. For meme tokens, this could mean rapid liquidity and trading opportunities right after launch. Mert wants to incentivize proprietary automated market makers (AMMs) for perpetual futures (perps), with user interfaces that aggregate them. AMMs are smart contracts that facilitate trading without traditional order books, and perps are derivatives that let you bet on price movements without expiration dates. This setup could create more sophisticated trading tools for volatile meme coins.

Other points include giving himself a shoutout for shilling SOL (Solana's native token) over ZEC (Zcash, a privacy-focused coin), renegotiating grants if validators use certain revenue strategies, and making DeFi teams adopt Solana-aligned stablecoins like USDC or others pegged to the dollar but optimized for the chain. Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies designed to maintain a stable value, crucial for trading without wild swings.

Mert emphasizes building a full-stack privacy-focused wallet—privacy in blockchain means transactions that aren't easily traceable, which could protect users in meme token pumps and dumps. He suggests turning Seeker (likely a Solana-related project) into a competitor to hardware wallets like Ledger, ditching phone ideas. Finally, he urges Solana to stop being neutral and back winners, plus getting rid of something called SFDP unless for seed startups—SFDP might refer to Solana Foundation Delegation Program, which supports validators.

Building on this, Max Kaplan shares his version (view on X). He agrees on cutting issuance but suggests slashing it by half to two-thirds. He wants to call out custodians—companies that hold assets for users—who treat Solana holdings like static collectibles rather than dynamic assets. Max advocates remaining neutral to foster competition, which could lead to more innovative meme token projects vying for attention.

A big one is building a seamless, fee-free on-ramp for converting fiat currency (like USD) to stablecoins, integrable into protocols. This would lower barriers for new users jumping into Solana-based meme tokens. He pushes for ACE (possibly Asynchronous Compute Engine or a similar tech), privacy enhancements, and on-chain banking—think banking services directly on the blockchain, like lending or savings without traditional banks.

Max also wants to reduce in-fighting among Solana teams, promoting unity to strengthen the ecosystem. This could mean fewer rug pulls and more collaborative meme launches.

The thread drew replies, including one praising PayPal's PYUSD stablecoin for easy transfers to wallets like Phantom with no fees. Max responds about his efforts to ditch traditional banking, mentioning tools like KASTcard, hinting at a future where blockchain replaces banks entirely. Another user agrees with most of Max's points, and Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko chimes in humorously, suggesting maximizing in-fighting per Chicago school of economics principles—likely a nod to free-market competition.

These ideas aren't just hypotheticals; they touch on real pain points in Solana's growth. For meme token enthusiasts, lower issuance could boost SOL's price, making the chain more attractive. Better privacy and on-ramps mean safer, easier participation in viral token launches. As Solana continues to host hits like Pump.fun memes, visions like these could shape its dominance in the blockchain space.

If you're building or trading meme tokens on Solana, keep an eye on these discussions—they signal where the ecosystem might head next. What would you do as Solana's benevolent dictator? Share your thoughts in the comments below!