Layer33: Calls for a pause on SFDP weekly withdrawals, with the delegation dropping to about 55,000 SOL
The independent Solana validator alliance Layer33 responded to the adjustments of the Solana Foundation Delegation Program (SFDP) rules. The alliance is composed of independent validators, aiming to push for independent operators to collectively hold at least 33% of the network's stake. Layer33 stated that it acknowledges the foundation's remarks that the network scale has exceeded the initial launch plan, the validator pool has matured, and it faces challenges that were not envisioned in the early stages, believing that the delegation mechanism should evolve accordingly. The organization indicated that the new rules replace long-term contributors with short-term participants for a duration of 12 months.Layer33 mentioned that the foundation, in subsequent statements, indicated that participants from the Alpenglow community cluster provided crucial assistance and should receive direct rewards; part of the related adjustments is to make such rewards possible. The organization stated that the SFDP currently holds over 10 million SOL in remaining delegation, and providing substantial rewards to cluster participants does not require dismantling the existing plan; the foundation expressed that the intended recipients of the rewards are precisely the group prioritized for exit. Layer33 also noted that validators remaining in the program will see their SFDP delegation decrease from approximately 85,000 SOL to 55,000 SOL, reducing by about 30,000 to 35,000 SOL; some operators have already shut down nodes and canceled their Breakpoint schedules.Layer33 stated that it does not demand the foundation to change direction but rather to advance in the correct order and update the requests made in the previous open letter: to suspend weekly exit batches until communication regarding not abandoning contributors improves; to supplement details on rewards for Alpenglow community cluster participants; to disclose the analysis behind the 300,000 SOL external staking graduation line, the cap of 100 validators, the 12-month term, and the 55,000 SOL delegation scale; to publish an impact assessment on the current validator pool, including how about 75% of members are identified as non-contributors; to conduct formal consultations with existing SFDP members with processes and timelines; to disclose contribution-based delegation standards and application processes, running parallel with discretionary delegation; and to explain why the program places more emphasis on new validators rather than contributors who have operated and improved the Solana network for many years.
