Vitalik Buterin — The Revenue Evil Curve (2022)
Buterin proposes a “revenue evil” framework: different revenue models impose different amounts of harm per unit of revenue generated, forming a curve from least evil (positive-sum interventions in extractive markets) to most evil (pure rent extraction, addiction monetization). The goal is to find revenue models that sit as far toward the least-evil end as possible.
The essay argues that Ethereum-aligned projects should seek “revenue-evil” hacks: revenue won from genuinely positive-sum interventions rather than zero-sum competition or negative-sum exploitation. Examples include taking a fee for matching previously unconnected parties, providing genuine services to extractive industries that improve outcomes for all parties, or enabling coordination that was previously impossible.
For OM: Buterin’s framework provides a practical economic criterion for “adequate technology” — technology that funds itself through positive-sum value creation rather than extractive capture. OM references this in the Ethereum Localism essays as a design criterion for sustainable extitutional economics.