Addressing critical security and transparency challenges as AI transforms application development tea protocol and token aims to enable a new powerhouse of innovation globally. tea is developing a universal app distribution platform that moves beyond traditional “free and open source” models to establish commercial open source licensing.
tea has demonstrated significant developer and user interest through its testnet phases and now moves further with availability on Coinlist
- Assam testnet: 385 million wallets generated; many were bots we KYC took place during next testnet phase
- Sepolia testnet: 177,000 KYC-verified addresses and over 11 million wallets generated during an 8-week active period
- Over 1 million estimated real users across testnet phases
- Strong developer engagement in package distribution testing
The project has gained momentum alongside the current crypto-friendly regulatory environment in the United States, with renewed focus on blockchain innovation and clearer regulatory frameworks encouraging developer participation.
“We’re entering an era where anyone can create an app over a weekend using AI, but traditional app stores have no way to distinguish between a senior developer’s work and a ‘vibe coder’ who doesn’t understand fundamental security principles” said Tim Lewis, CEO of pkgx.
Addressing the Open Source Value Extraction Crisis
As AI tools enable rapid application creation, the global app ecosystem faces an unprecedented challenge. Current projections suggest daily app submissions could surge from approximately 2,000 to over 100,000 applications per day. Traditional gatekeepers like Google and Apple are not equipped to handle this massive influx while maintaining security standards.
Meanwhile, a parallel crisis has emerged in open source economics. Recent analysis reveals that cloud giants have built multi-billion-dollar empires on open source software while contributing minimal code back to the projects they profit from.
“Simultaneously, the developers creating the foundational open source components powering this innovation aren’t being fairly compensated. Our infrastructure provides both the transparency and security framework needed for this new paradigm, while ensuring value flows back to the creators who make it possible.”
Building Commercial Open Source Infrastructure
Open source developers will be able to start receiving TEA tokens immediately upon platform launch, providing utility for creators whose foundational code powers much of today’s technology infrastructure.
The platform will:
- Provide transparent app distribution through an immutable, permissionless system
- Reward developers and dependencies used in application creation through teaRank, a dynamic scoring system based on project impact
- Create economic incentives for continued open source development through staking rewards and donation mechanisms
Token Allocation:
- Incentives & Airdrops: 28.0%
- Ecosystem & Governance: 21.8%
- Protocol Development: 18.6%
- Early Supporters & Advisors: 15.6%
- Reserve: 8.0%
- Liquidity Provision: 8.0%
Network Economics and Node Infrastructure
The platform implements teaRank, a dynamic scoring system that rewards developers based on usage and adoption of their packages, creating sustainable economic incentives for open source contributions. A key innovation is tea’s native GPG signature support, enabling direct payments and tips to developers’ cryptographic public keys without intermediaries, allowing maintainers to reward contributors for commits and merge requests directly through existing Git workflows.
tea will launch its mainnet and shortly after an focus on storage infrastructure. Network nodes will earn a percentage of all transaction fees, distributed proportionally based on their contribution to package and application distribution.
Market Timing and Ecosystem Focus
tea’s launch aligns with anticipated growth in Ethereum-based infrastructure projects. The team expects the platform to benefit from increased attention on Ethereum ecosystem development and the broader adoption of decentralized application distribution models.
About tea
tea’s network is building the foundational infrastructure for secure, transparent application distribution in the AI era.
Founded by Max Howell, creator of Homebrew (30M+ installs), and Tim Lewis (Ikigai Asset Management and DEVxDAO), tea has built the first real-time dependency graph mapping the entire open-source ecosystem, showing exactly who creates value and how it flows through the software supply chain.
The protocol addresses the “Nebraska Problem,” the critical issue of unpaid and unrewarded open-source developers whose work underpins much of today’s digital economy.
By combining blockchain technology with commercial open source licensing, tea enables developers to monetize their contributions while ensuring security and transparency for end users.
The project addresses the critical gap between rapid AI-enabled development and the security, transparency, and economic sustainability requirements of modern software distribution.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding tea’s development plans, token sale, and market expectations. These statements involve risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from those projected.
Contact Information
Media Inquiries: Bonfire PR Agency drew@bonfirepartners.io
This announcement is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice or an offer to sell securities. Potential participants should conduct their own research and consult with financial advisors before participating in any token sale.
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This story was published as a press release by Btcwire under HackerNoon’s Business Blogging Program. Do Your Own Research before making any financial decision.
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