Solana co-founder prioritizes retail-heavy apps over core infrastructure

In an Oct. 23 post on X, Yakovenko identified Phantom, Pump.fun, Fomo, Jupiter, and Kamino as the primary entities that should influence network performance. He emphasized that products handling substantial assets under management and high retail traffic represent the most critical user base for the blockchain. By placing these apps above market makers, developers, and core engineers, Yakovenko signaled that the network’s future utility should be measured by the reliability afforded to these high-volume platforms.

This position stems from a broader critique regarding how protocol designers interact with their own technology. Citing the Ethereum Foundation’s work with Aave as a benchmark, Yakovenko suggested that the ability to ensure transaction inclusion during periods of congestion is the ultimate test of a network’s success. While his comments did not outline specific funding allocations or pending technical upgrades, they clarify the Solana leadership’s preference for user-facing performance over traditional validator-centric development cycles. The focus remains on optimizing for the "plumber"—the institutional or retail infrastructure providers tasked with moving capital at scale.