Jupiter DAO’s $140M Team Payout: Greed or Genius? | Crypto Drama

Hey, crypto fam! It’s your host from BitGalactic, your go-to for 10 years of crypto deep dives. Today, we’re unpacking a wild story: Jupiter DAO, the Solana powerhouse, just voted to hand $140 million to its team—oh, and $250 million to its mysterious founder, Meow. Investors are fuming, tokens are tanking, and the crypto streets are buzzing. Is this a cash grab or a bold move to stay ahead? Stick around—I’ve got the juicy details, some OG perspective, and a hot take you won’t see coming!

Alright, let’s break this down. Jupiter DAO, the biggest DEX aggregator on Solana, just passed a vote with 63% approval to beef up its team’s compensation. The pseudonymous founder, Meow, is getting a 7% token stake—valued at $250 million—while 65 new hires split $140 million from his previous allocation. That’s locked for three years, but the backlash is instant. Investors are screaming ‘dilution’ and ‘poor management.’ One DAO member, Pyhtonia, even said community funds should stay with the community—not pad team wallets. Fair point, right?

But here’s my take after a decade in this game: crypto isn’t cheap to build. Jupiter’s co-founder, Siong Ong, doubled down, saying they’re competing with Google and Meta for talent. Software engineers in the U.S. average $163K a year, per Glassdoor, but FAANG-level pros? They’re pulling $300K-plus with bonuses. In a global talent war, $140 million for 65 people over three years—about $700K per head annually—starts to look… reasonable?

Now, let’s zoom out. Jupiter’s token crashed to $0.45 this week, down 75% from its $2 peak in January. Compare that to Bitcoin’s 20% dip or Ethereum’s 25%—this is a Solana memecoin hangover hitting hard. Weekly fee revenue’s down from $42 million to $20 million, per DeFiLlama. Investors want value, not bloated payrolls, especially when DAO reserves across the board have tanked 50% to $17 billion this year, per DeepDAO. Jupiter’s feeling the heat.

This isn’t Jupiter’s first rodeo. Last year, they caught flak for a $7 million budget to pay four team members—$1.75 million each! It passed, but the community wasn’t happy. Sound familiar? Rewind to 2021: SushiSwap’s dev team took a $50 million chunk of the treasury, sparking a governance war. Or 2022, when Axie Infinity devs cashed out big while players got rekt. History shows crypto projects overspending on teams during bear markets rarely ends well—unless they deliver. Jupiter’s betting on talent to outrun the memecoin bust. Risky move.

So, what’s next? If Jupiter’s team builds killer features and pumps that revenue back up, this could be a masterstroke. But if the market stays sour and memecoins keep bleeding, that $140 million could be a millstone around their neck. My gut says Solana’s ecosystem has legs—look at its NFT resurgence this month—but Jupiter’s gotta execute. What do you think? Is this greed or genius? Drop your take in the comments—should DAOs pay big or tighten the belt in 2025?

That’s it for today, fam! If you liked this deep dive, smash that like button and hit subscribe—BitGalactic’s here every week breaking down crypto chaos with an OG lens. Ring the bell so you don’t miss our next take—2025’s heating up, and we’re riding the wave with you. Catch you in the next one!