Back to collectionA Cheaper Key Still Faces a Seven-Year Payback Argument
Yesterday’s proposal to split Sentry Keys 1:100 aimed to lower the price of a single key. The argument lasted all day. The discussion moved beyond yesterday’s hope that smaller units alone would broaden participation, toward a comparison of cost and liquidity.
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Yesterday’s proposal to split Sentry Keys 1:100 aimed to lower the price of a single key. No decision had been made. The community had already moved to another question: even if someone could afford a key, would operating it make financial sense?
The argument lasted all day. Opponents calculated that one key cost the equivalent of about 18,000 XAI at the current price; buying XAI with the same money and staking it would yield even more esXAI each day. Coins could be sold at any time, while keys were nontransferable. Based on current emissions and two halvings, they estimated a seven-year payback period for a key and said the problem was the time required, not the unit price. Supporters maintained that the entry barrier mattered in its own right: give more people a chance to enter first, then address the other issues.
The discussion moved beyond yesterday’s hope that smaller units alone would broaden participation, toward a comparison of cost and liquidity. The sides were no closer to agreement. The Night Watchman planned to explain buying a key and staking XAI directly as separate choices, so prospective participants could weigh them for themselves. Whether the proposal would be adopted, and whether a lower unit price would change operators’ decisions, remained open.