Midnight, the privacy-focused blockchain ecosystem associated with Cardano, is winding down its dedicated Developer Relations (DevRel) team as part of a strategic shift to broaden the pool of builders on its privacy sidechain.
Redefining the Builder Landscape
In a recent announcement, the Midnight Foundation explained that the move reflects a broader strategy to expand who can build on Cardano’s privacy sidechain beyond traditional software developers. The project argues that artificial intelligence is fundamentally changing the crypto industry’s definition of a builder.
Historically, a builder was defined strictly as someone who could write and deploy code. However, Midnight contends that AI is reducing technical barriers, enabling people with product ideas, industry expertise, and entrepreneurial experience to create functional applications without advanced programming skills.
Evidence of the Shift: Replit’s Growth
Midnight highlighted the rapid growth of AI-powered development platform Replit as evidence of this paradigm shift. Replit now boasts more than 60 million users worldwide, demonstrating how quickly the pool of people capable of building applications, websites, and products is expanding. According to the Foundation, this growing demographic presents a significant opportunity for the Midnight ecosystem.
Prioritizing AI-Native Tools and Accessibility
Rather than focusing solely on helping developers build privacy-preserving applications, Midnight now aims to make its ecosystem accessible to a much broader group of potential builders. To achieve this, the project plans to prioritize three key areas:
- AI-native development tools
- Simpler pathways into the ecosystem
- Programs supporting builders from initial idea through deployment
The Foundation stated this strategy builds on existing initiatives, including Build Club and Night Sky. Midnight also drew an important distinction between developers and builders: while a developer may ask what they can build, a builder begins by asking what problem they can solve. The ecosystem intends to support both approaches.
Phased Rollout and Community Testing
Midnight acknowledged that the tools and workflows required for this new model are still evolving. Consequently, the project will initially work with a focused group of builders to test the approach, determine what works, and improve the experience before expanding the program further.
Foundation Responds to Community Criticism
The announcement sparked debate within the Cardano community, with some critics arguing that the Midnight Foundation is prioritizing AI at the expense of traditional developers. The Foundation rejected this interpretation, stressing that the new strategy does not replace developers but instead expands the audience it aims to serve.
Under the new model, Midnight expects its builder community to include developers, founders, operators, designers, and domain experts who can leverage AI and other tools to turn ideas into functional products.
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