Crypto community questions Sybil cluster claims amid rising demand for transparency
Web3 startup aPriori is facing growing scrutiny after a mysterious entity captured nearly 60% of its APR airdrop across 14,000 wallets, raising concerns of a large-scale Sybil attack. While aPriori strongly denies any insider role, the lack of clarity surrounding the wallet cluster has left investors demanding a full explanation.
aPriori Rejects Insider Accusations
In a statement released Friday, aPriori said it found “no evidence that anyone on the contributing team or from the foundation has claimed the airdrop,” stressing that the suspicious activity was not connected to its staff. The team had recently relaxed eligibility rules for the Monad Mainnet airdrop to reward “genuine users,” but the discovery of a massive interconnected wallet cluster has cast doubt on the outcome.
Blockchain analytics firm Bubblemaps identified the cluster and said the structure strongly resembled a Sybil-style farming network.
Bubblemaps CEO Nick Vaiman criticized the project’s initial response, saying it felt “dismissive” and suggested that a leak may have enabled someone to exploit the airdrop criteria.
Funding and Growth Context
Founded in 2023, San Francisco-based aPriori has raised $30 million in total funding, including a $20 million round in August backed by Pantera Capital, HashKey Capital and Primitive Ventures. This rapid ascent has made the project a closely watched player in the trading infrastructure segment — which is why many investors expect heightened transparency.
Updated Airdrop Rules Leave Users Split
aPriori has since updated the allocation model, shifting towards “social contribution” as a primary metric. The team also increased the immediate unlock from 12% to 15%, allowing users to claim more tokens once Monad Mainnet launches on Nov. 24.
The remaining 85% will unlock after six months, unless users deposit assets worth 10x their airdrop value for two weeks.
Investors remain sharply divided. Some accuse the project of mismanagement or worse. One user warned that the “second phase of rug is coming,” arguing that the team is incentivizing bot-driven hype. Others defended aPriori, blaming professional airdrop farmers, a group known for using multi-wallet setups to dominate token distributions.
The debate reflects a broader industry issue: airdrop farming, a practice that previously consolidated millions in tokens on networks like Arbitrum. As the crypto ecosystem matures, the pressure on teams to prevent such exploits — while maintaining fair community rewards — continues to intensify.
Disclaimer
This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Cryptocurrency trading involves risk and may result in financial loss.