The Flop Network · Airdrop
The genesis airdrop is earned, not given.
They follow the Yellow Paper's airdrop rules where those are ratified. The Yellow Paper is the definitive specification, and it is not yet final.
01 Genesis allocation
There is no token sale and no investor allocation. The genesis supply of 4,400,000,000 $FLOP is the testnet airdrop, earned by miners, validators and agents, together with an ecosystem reserve that funds growth. Every token after genesis is issued block by block, in public.
| Cohort | Allocation ($FLOP) | Earned by |
|---|---|---|
| Miners | 1,200,000,000 (6.6%) | Verified compute served on the testnet |
| Agents | 1,200,000,000 (6.6%) | Compute purchased on the testnet |
| Validators | 1,200,000,000 (6.6%) | The aggregate stake that secures the network at launch |
| Ecosystem reserve | 800,000,000 (4.4%) | Growth programmes: creators and referrals, builders, security rewards |
| Total | 4,400,000,000 (24.3%) | Genesis allocation |
Percentages are shares of total supply at year 10. Each cohort is paid only from its own pool, and no cohort subsidises another.
02 Why an airdrop
Because there is no token sale, the genesis supply must be distributed to the participants who will operate the network, and the testnet is the mechanism for that distribution: each miner, validator and agent that performs verifiable work during the testnet earns a share in proportion to that work. The airdrop is accordingly a distribution of earned stake to participants that have demonstrated the capacity to use it, rather than a gratuitous distribution to speculative holders. How to take part is set out on the Testnet page.
03 How each role earns
- Miners — supply compute. The allocation is shared pro rata to verified compute served during the testnet: inference that passes verification, measured in floating-point operations. No premium attaches to hardware class.
- Validators — verify miners' work and produce blocks. The allocation is a seat, not a pro-rata share: each validator admitted to the genesis set by testnet ranking receives a fixed 1,200,000 $FLOP, equal to the required stake, for up to 1,000 seats.
- Agents — supply demand. The allocation is shared pro rata to compute purchased in settled sessions. A faucet grant creates no allocation by itself, and holding tokens earns nothing.
An account flagged for manufactured activity receives nothing unless the flag is overturned before the genesis allocation is locked.
04 Distribution at genesis
The allocation is computed from the testnet record at the snapshot height and published, with its hash, before the genesis specification is locked; until then it can still be corrected. It is then written into the genesis block as a balance in each participant's own account, frozen until it unlocks. There is no claim window and no deadline: the account holder releases unlocked amounts from the freeze with a claim transaction, whenever they choose.
05 Unlock terms
| Role | At genesis | After genesis |
|---|---|---|
| Miners | 25% liquid | The remaining 75% unlocks one $FLOP for each $FLOP the miner is paid for inference in settled sessions, counted once the settlement is final and its seven-day dispute window has closed. Block rewards do not count, and there is no end date. |
| Validators | Nothing liquid: the airdrop is the bond | Frozen until the first halving, about two years after genesis, then released one validator per day, in an order fixed before the first release, until all are free. |
| Agents | Nothing liquid | Spendable only on inference. Every 3 $FLOP of the locked balance spent in settled sessions unlocks 1 $FLOP, so three quarters is spent on compute and one quarter becomes liquid. There is no end date; balance never spent stays locked. |
A miner may post its locked airdrop as its own miner stake: it serves as slashing collateral while locked and continues to unlock as the miner serves inference. A validator's release lifts only the freeze on its airdrop; an active validator keeps the required stake bonded. Ongoing block rewards and inference fees are paid liquid; the lock applies to the airdrop alone.
06 Ecosystem reserve
The 800,000,000 $FLOP reserve is minted at genesis and funds the network's growth programmes: creator and referral programmes, support for teams building on the network, and rewards for security disclosures. Programme terms and the reserve's release schedule are published separately before they open.