Game changer?

Perhaps the most notable aspect of EOS is who’s involved. For example, there’s the familiar face the company pulled to be its CTO: Dan Larimer.

A controversial figure in the blockchain community, Larimer has won praise for his intrepid and heterodox approach to developing new projects, but also scorn for the way in which he's handled and exited those same endeavors.

Larimer, who’s credited with inventing delegated proof-of-stake and the concept of decentralized autonomous organizations (later adopted and modified by ethereum), is a cryptocurrency veteran who made a splash in 2014 with the launch of BitShares, a decentralized exchange.

While many saw BitShares’ introduction of market-pegged assets as a much-needed hedge against cryptocurrency volatility, others saw the project as overly convoluted and deceptive. And, many were flustered by Larimer’s abrupt exit from BitShares, which left the entity with no clear path forward.

Larimer’s departure from BitShares came with the launch of another project, Steem, in 2016. The Reddit-style social media platform allows users to generate income based on the popularity of their posts. It has received both kudos from blockchain pundits making thousands of dollars off short, biographical entries and criticism from many who argue the platform is unsustainable, based on a contrived notion of scarcity.