Every day people ask me for advice on how to CTO/derug a project. This is the best advice you will get. Don't Do It. I know you want to believe that this time is different, that you are different, that this project is different. It's not. There are only two possible outcomes: 1) You CTO in bad faith and exploit others. 2) You CTO in good faith and make enormous sacrifices just so that others can exploit you. Even if you start out in good faith, you will be under constant pressure to pivot to bad faith. Many of the most notorious villains in web3 didn't start out as villains; they just caved to the inexorable pressure to break bad. Is it literally impossible? No. But in the extremely extremely unlikely event that you have all the necessary elements to capture lightning in a bottle, success will require you getting exploited many times. Not just once. I consider Galactic Geckos a modest success. But despite having top tier art, provenance, community, blockchain, etc, we have barely scratched the surface of our potential. The market may need us, but most of the market doesn't want us, yet - it wants scams. We are right, but we are early. And at what cost has our success been achieved? I have worked long hours for 1,300 days straight without any break or vacation. I have put 7 figures of my own money into the project, to purchase the IP and to acquire my personal Gecko collection. All purchased on the open market from other holders - nothing minted to myself for free. Gave hundreds of thousands of dollars of interest free loans to support community members, much of which never got repaid. The total value generated for holders has been massive. Nevertheless, many of the people that benefited the most sold everything and left rather than repay the money they owed me or even acknowledge the Gecko profits they made. Some don't even realize how much they made, as if the money fairy just magically blessed their wallet, repeatedly. It took many many iterations of curating out extractors to get to the community we have today. Which is not just one of the best communities in web3 but the best community I've ever seen on the internet. Maybe you want that too, but are you willing to pay the price? Are you willing to get rinsed repeatedly for years and keep conviction through it all? Do you have enough money saved so that you can work for free for half a decade or longer, until the job is finished? If you are in it for the money, Don't Do It. If you are in it for the vibes, Don't Do It. If you are in it for the clout, Don't Do It. If you are in it for the people, be honest with yourself. And go in with your eyes wide open.