"Our Mission in 2024: To build a global onchain economy that increases innovation, creativity, and freedom"

Read the full roadmap here. --> Roadmap

Crypto enthusiasts, listen up! It's time for another slightly witty and possibly sarcastic review of a blockchain roadmap.

Disclosure: I hold some assets on a Coinbase account as well as the Base blockchain. Base doesn't have a token that I'm aware of and I don't hold $COIN (Coinbase's publicly traded stock)

This time, we're diving into Base's 2024 Mission Strategy, which aims to create a world-class onchain developer platform and bring about a new global economy. I mean, it's not like we don't have enough of those, am I right?

So hear me out, instead of blocks in a chain, how about we try concentric circles?

On one hand, I have to admit that this mission does sound pretty sweet. It's not every day you see a 'normie' company talk about freedom, creativity, and innovation in the same sentence. But as a self proclaimed crypto libertarian, I'm not satisfied with just words. I want action! And Base seems to be delivering on that front too.

Their four-pillar strategy is impressive: decentralization and scaling, developer platform, app ecosystem, and capital market.

It's like they took everything that matters in the crypto world and packaged it into a neat little plan. But here's where it gets interesting (and I become a bit sceptical).

Firstly, Base wants to accelerate decentralization while increasing network availability. That sounds great in theory, but can it really be done? We all know how finicky blockchain networks can be. There's this thing called the blockchain trilemma. Base is using Ethereum for the security side. It remains to be seen whether they can achieve the other two. And what about those pesky regulatory and economic obstacles that are holding back widespread adoption? Coinbase, the parent company behind Base is headquartered in the US. So Base better have a plan to tackle them.

Speaking of plans, let's talk about the second pillar: Developer Platform.

This is a developer. He likes platforms.

This is where Base really sets itself apart from the competition. They want over 1 million builders to create world-class onchain products. That's an ambitious goal, but one that I wholeheartedly support. More developers mean more innovation and creativity, which is what we need if crypto is going to take off.

But here's where it gets tricky. If Base really wants 1 million builders, then they better have a solid plan for dealing with all the newbies flooding into the space. Do they have enough mentors and resources to support them? Or will they be left to their own devices, fumbling around in the dark until they either succeed or fail miserably?

This developer has no idea what is going on here.

Moving on to the third pillar: App Ecosystem.

This is where the rubber meets the road (or the blockchain meets the internet). Base wants over 1 billion people to use their apps, that's BILLION with a capital B, but why would anyone want to do that? What's in it for them? Are they going to be able to buy a latte with their onchain assets? Play some decentralized Pokémon Go? I have my doubts.

This is the crypto holy grail.

If Base/Coinbase can finagle a way for me to use my Google Wallet to tap and pay for daily necessities, then maybe they'll be on to something. I'm pretty crypto savvy and have managed to carve out a niche where I can support myself using the crypto economy, but I'm a rare specimen.

Lastly, we have the Capital Market.

This is where things get really interesting (and a bit hypey). Base wants to establish themselves as a pivotal component of the onchain economy, while seamlessly interconnecting with other Ethereum L2s and L1s. Sounds like they're aiming for the moon here (literally), but that's what we love about crypto. The sky's the limit!

Of course, there are some potential downsides to all of this. For starters, decentralization can be a double-edged sword. Too many nodes could slow things down, while too few could compromise security. And then there's the whole issue of scalability. Can Base handle the expected surge in traffic? Only time will tell, but I'll be honest I fully expect Coinbase and the Base team to be able to knock this one out of the park.

Finally, concerning the capital market. While it's great that Base wants to establish themselves as a key player in this space, they need to be careful not to get too greedy. They don't want to turn into another centralized institution (a la JPMorgan or Wells Fargo). The beauty of blockchain is that it's decentralized and democratic. Let's not lose sight of that.

We don't want Base to become synonymous with dude's who look like this.

In conclusion, Base's 2024 Mission Strategy has some serious potential, but it also presents some significant challenges. They will need to strike a delicate balance between decentralization, scalability, innovation, and security. They also need to make sure that the benefits of blockchain are accessible to everyone, not just the privileged KYC'd few.

If you've read this far, I thank you. Here is some eye candy as a reward.

We're watching you Base!