I hope nobody questions my dedication to Hive at this point. I’m literally all in—if we sink, I’m going to have to do a lot of explaining to my wife. This is exactly why I have to push back a little.

What is clear to me

The idea of Value Plan is great, and the people involved are all folks I trust personally. I have to start here because I don’t want anyone twisting my words or thinking I’m attacking the team on a personal level.

But even if I didn’t know the members of the team, I know they stand to benefit—just like me—if Hive blows up. So even without those personal relationships, I’d still understand the intent behind it.

What is also clear to us, the community

Some ideas simply didn’t pan out. And yes, lessons are being learned (that hacked account bit is crazy). But we—the community—don’t see a way to measure how things are improving, and that’s why most people are upset.

In other words: if a particular project, conference, race, or workout competition yielded results—partnerships, onboards, or investments—we don’t know how to recognize or measure them.

At least, I don’t think we do. Or maybe I should just say I don’t.

What could make a big difference

In my opinion, an easy way for us to see results would make all the difference. I’ll be clear on this, because I believe many people don’t speak up out of fear of repercussions: Value Plan could truly show its worth if it gave us numbers to assess that worth.

For example, if it reported something like:

Event: Chain Culture
Budget: $7,000
Team of Hiveans: @hivean1 — 300 HBD, @hivean2 — 300 HBD, @witness1 — 500 HBD
Merch cost: $400

Results: 340 onboards done through Community Chain Culture
Resulting partnerships: Zypto (I know this one already happened), Web3.com (just an example made up)

…and so on.

Conclusion

If we can’t measure the results of what Value Plan does, then the political cost of its existence can’t be a net positive. It creates a rift between stakeholders who worry about where we’re headed and those “in the know” who may see the results of Value Plan but, let’s admit it, aren’t great at sharing them with the rest of us.

So, I’m with @buttcoins on this. I’m not advocating for Value Plan to disappear—or even for a budget reduction. I just don’t have enough information about what these investments have accomplished. I’m in the dark here. And I know I’m not alone.