DeFiLlama founder 0xngmi publicly accused Blockworks of reselling DeFiLlama’s free information on a paid analytics platform priced at $4,500 per yr on X, resulting in fast and large group response.
The accusation was made on the identical day Blockworks co-founder Jason Yanowitz revealed a protracted announcement stating that Blockworks will shut down its information division and absolutely transition right into a software program and information group.
Jason Yanowitz posted a press release explaining the corporate’s course. He mentioned that when he and Michael Ippolito based Blockworks in 2017, they needed to handle what he known as “the data downside,” throughout a interval when crypto was increasing shortly and lacked dependable trade reporting.
Jason wrote that Blockworks constructed occasions, podcasts, analysis merchandise, information dashboards, and finally a newsroom. He mentioned the corporate had document revenues in 2025 and anticipated one other document yr in 2026, pointing to particularly quick development in its information division.
Jason wrote that each traders and crypto protocols depend on Blockworks information each day, and that he and Michael view the info enterprise as the corporate’s strongest alternative since its founding.
The Blockworks CEO then confirmed that Blockworks will exit information, saying that crypto media has matured and customers now look primarily to information dashboards relatively than conventional articles.
Jason thanked the reporters on the information staff and invited different organizations to rent them, then talked about that Blockworks will proceed to run newsletters, podcasts, and occasions, and that the DAS convention will happen subsequent yr in Abu Dhabi.
DeFiLlama challenges Blockworks over paid information dashboards
Shortly after Jason’s announcement, 0xngmi quoted the submit and mentioned:
“Blockworks changing into a knowledge first org is cool I suppose, however you guys may begin by not reselling our free information for $4.5k/yr in opposition to our Phrases of Providers, even after telling us you had eliminated all our information once we requested. Screenshot from blockworks paid platform, 1 min in the past.”
The connected screenshot displayed a chart that gave the impression to be generated from DeFiLlama’s information inside a Blockworks paywalled dashboard. Test it out under:-
Supply: 0xngmi/X
Then Dan Smith, the top of information at Blockworks, replied beneath the tweet, saying:
“The charts you confirmed don’t present any information as we deprecated use of dl information within the platform months in the past following your change in ToS – as we mentioned over DMs. That is an edge case the place the dashboard builder exhibits all charts ever created, regardless in the event that they exist/the info is up to date. Thanks for not simply dming it, bonus factors for a splashy tweet.”
0xngmi responded by calling Dan a liar, and including that the ‘software income by chain’ chart confirmed in his screenshot labored and returned DeFiLlama information.
Dan then replied, “Yeah, not up to date since July, like my final DM mentioned. No purpose to not have adopted up there like ‘Hey, there should be a bug’.”
0xngmi identified that:-
“The chart I discussed had information from this month (October 2025).”
After that, Dan stopped replying. Engagement beneath the thread exhibits 0xngmi’s replies receiving extra likes than Dan’s, a sample generally acknowledged on X as being ratioed, which means the group is on DeFiLlama’s aspect on this one.
The dialog continued circulating broadly, with customers sharing screenshots and commentary about Phrases of Service compliance and platform transparency.
Neighborhood responds to Blockworks shedding its newsroom
On the similar time, the choice to take away the information employees drew its personal backlash.
Many locally are offended that Jason’s assertion started by highlighting document income, and solely after a number of paragraphs talked about that the journalists who contributed to Blockworks’ visibility can be departing.
Critics mentioned the tone framed layoffs as an afterthought.
Martyna MBL, Senior Director at Serotonin, commented that:
“Okay that is fairly tone-deaf strategy to talk a serious layoff particularly whereas main with ‘document income’ and ‘huge development’ It’s not simply optics but additionally respect. While you announce redundancies as a footnote to a victory lap it provides folks impression on how a lot you worth the staff that helped constructed your credibility within the first place. Actually hoping the reporters affected get snapped up quick – they’re among the greatest within the enterprise truthfully.”
Different customers echoed this sentiment, arguing that the Blockworks newsroom helped construct the model’s recognition contained in the trade throughout market cycles when clear reporting was essential.
Some additionally identified that the timing of the info resale allegation amplified the response, because the firm was positioning itself as a trusted information supplier on the identical day it was accused of misusing one other undertaking’s information.
