ROBOVALIDATOR
Keep Harmony L1 Running Until the Transition Is Proven
As a Harmony validator, we oppose a rushed, permanent L1 shutdown. A transition needs independent audits, working liquidity, and community approval before holders, delegators, and validators are committed to it.
Why we want a staged transition
Moving ONE to Ethereum and retiring Harmony L1 may eventually make sense if the network cannot be secured and operated sustainably. But shutting it down now would give up a functioning network and staking system while exchange access remains uncertain, migration contracts are unproven, and the proposed AI-video business has yet to demonstrate product-market fit.
Prove demand for the video business
Ethereum offers mature settlement infrastructure and wallet compatibility. Moving ONE to ERC-20 does not, by itself, bring customers to an AI-video product, lower GPU costs, improve video quality, secure creator distribution, or make the business profitable.
Demand can be tested today with ordinary software, existing payment systems, and leased or owned GPUs. Retiring the L1 before that work is done would leave holders with a token tied to an unproven business and no operating network to fall back on.
Show where a token helps
The proposed compute business can start with familiar operating arrangements:
- charge creators subscriptions in USD;
- pay for GPUs, bandwidth, moderation, and staff in USD or stablecoins;
- measure utilization, cost per generated video, revenue per customer, churn, and gross margin; and
- use operator contracts that specify capacity, uptime, quality, and service credits.
There may be a useful role for crypto: permissionless worldwide GPU supply, transparent revenue sharing that benefits participants, portable creator rights, or staking and slashing that back service guarantees. That role needs evidence that it improves on ordinary systems. Until then, crypto should be optional; a migration adds volatility, liquidity risk, regulatory exposure, and governance work.
Resolve ownership and exchange access before the cutoff
The public plan describes a snapshot at the final Harmony block and an airdrop of ERC-20 ONE to the same underlying wallet addresses on Ethereum. Delegated stake and unclaimed rewards would go to individual governor vaults. Before any snapshot, holders need clear, audited rules for who owns and controls those vaults, how withdrawals and governance work, and what recovery options exist.
The plan also states that multisig safes, liquidity pools, and on-chain applications cannot be migrated, and asks users to exit them before the cutoff. Users who miss the announcements or depend on contract positions could be put at a disadvantage or face operational problems. Exchange access needs its own preparation: the new ERC-20 token’s usefulness depends on support from exchanges, wallets, market makers, and holders.
Keep a smaller L1 operating during the transition
Harmony’s security incidents and weak validator economics are reasons to reduce the network’s attack surface and change how it operates. An immediate, irreversible shutdown is not the only way to address them.
A maintenance-mode L1 could freeze or retire high-risk features and bridges while preserving the chain functions needed for balances, staking, withdrawals, and exchange support. That would give the team time to publish migration code and have it audited. The AI-video compute program could run alongside it as a limited, funded pilot with public results.
Stabilize
Reduce the L1’s attack surface. Preserve balances, staking, withdrawals, and exchange support.
Test in parallel
Audit the migration. Run a funded compute pilot and publish its costs and results.
Put it to a vote
Give the community time to review the evidence before a meaningful governance vote.
Keep the L1 operable until the migration code and liquidity path work.
What needs to be ready before shutdown
| Before shutdown | What should be available |
|---|---|
| Community approval | A meaningful governance vote after a published discussion period. |
| Migration code & controls | Public details of the ERC-20 token, snapshot, airdrop, governor vaults, administrative keys, and emergency powers, all independently audited. |
| Treatment of holdings | Clear outcomes for wallets, self-stake, delegations, rewards, multisigs, contracts, exchanges, and disputed accounts. |
| Exchange liquidity | Written commitments from exchanges and market makers before the cutoff. |
| Operator economics | Transparent hardware, subsidy, utilization, revenue, compensation, and downside assumptions, tested in a real pilot. |
| Time & a fallback | A long transition period, with no forced migration before the code and liquidity path work. Keep the L1 operable until they do. |
Give the community evidence before asking it to commit
An Ethereum token may be part of Harmony’s future. We would support a staged, auditable transition governed by the community. Before the L1 is retired, holders should be able to assess a working migration, a credible liquidity plan, and evidence that the proposed business has customers. Those are the grounds on which to make a permanent decision.